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What primers


chestnut louie

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I am going to start re-loading my 38 special ammo and want to know what you think about the various brands of primers. I have Taylor's Smoke Wagon pistols that were tuned before I got them so the hammer spring is light but the cowboy ammo that I previously purchased from a local gunsmith works 100%. I have a Lee turret press and their documentation says to use extra care when using Federal primers. What is your experience?

 

Regards

Chestnut Louie

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I use Federal primers. I like the SP match or magnum match best. If I can't get those the SP magnum's work well too. If you plan on shooting on a Chilly day the magnums seem to work best with any powder you're using. If I can't find the Federal's, Winchester's are my next favorite.

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When seating primers on a press you should know by feel how much force it takes to seat a primer. If you feel too much resistance, pull the case and exam it and your machine. You could have a military crimped case, a primer only partially punched out or you might be trying to seat a primer sideways. You might also be trying to seat two primers in a hole made for one primer. Cautious reloading technique will go a long way in preventing primer detonation during reloading. Nevertheless wear safety glasses when reloading.

 

I reload with Federals but would use Winchesters or Remingtons if Federals were unavailable. Both are currently available with Winchesters being less expensive. Buy a package of 100 and load test rounds using them. If you get 100 out of 100 firing first time start buying bigger lots.

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Standard small pistol primers. Brand is up to you.

OLG

Whatever is available or least expensive. If I'm looking to buy a new or used gun and it says anywhere in the description, "action job" "tuned" "slicked up", I avoid it like the plague. I'm a middle of the pack shooter, so a "tuned" gun ain't gonna do me any good anyway. ;)

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Loaded a lot of Federal primers on my Lee 1000 with no problems. Just have to develope a good feel for seating the primers without applying too much force.

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Howdy

 

I mostly use Federals. Federal primers are the easiest primers of all to set off, so sometimes a gun with a super light hammer spring will only set off Federals reliably. Not saying all my pistols are super tuned, many are not. But I just like to keep one brand around to keep things simple.

 

Not sure why Lee is cautioning you against Federal, I have loaded thousands of them on a couple of different presses.

 

I also like Winchester primers, but these days I seem to mostly use Federals.

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I ONLY use ....whatever is on sale!

 

I refuse to have a gun be primer specific.Seems like I am using a bunch of Winchesters and S&B with ZERO malfunctions.

 

Bugler

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I try to find fed.mag. small pistol primers.I have loaded some win.If I can't find the fed. mag. I will take fed 100s.Fed. are hard to find for us.

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I have only used Remington primers in all sizes but only because that's what was available the first time I bought them, so I've kept buying them. Never had a problem with them and they are one of the "safe" brands for a Lee press.

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I've primarily used Winchesters for the last 30 years... before that I'd use Remington & CCI. Winchester seem to seat the easiest.

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I started with a Lee and their instructions said use only CCI and Remington I believe, so I started with CCI and have stuck with them with good success on my Dillon. I understand from reading here and elsewhere that CCI's may be a little harder than some but I figger if my guns set them off they'll set just about anything off so I'm not limited to one brand if primers get scarce. I'm a mid-pack shooter working my way into the fastest third of the pack. At this point in my cowboy career I don't think it's my primers that are holding me back.

 

I use magnum primers in my .357 cases 'cause I've been playing around with some lighter loads. Can't say they're any better or worse but it's been workin' so far. Figger a little more bang can't hurt.

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Federal, Remington or CCI. The only primers I have trouble with are Winchesters.

Gonna get all sorts of suggestions.. :)

 

I shoot 38's with lightened hammer springs in my Vaquero's..

I started with Winchester Small Pistol about 13 years ago.. Never a fail to fire..

Switched to Federal about 4-5 years ago.. Never a fail to fire..

About 5-6 years ago we had a primer shortage..

Only thing I could get was Remington small pistol.... HAD some fail to fire..

 

 

Rance. ;)

Thinkin' everybody's mileage will vary. :)

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I am going to start re-loading my 38 special ammo and want to know what you think about the various brands of primers. I have Taylor's Smoke Wagon pistols that were tuned before I got them so the hammer spring is light but the cowboy ammo that I previously purchased from a local gunsmith works 100%. I have a Lee turret press and their documentation says to use extra care when using Federal primers. What is your experience?

 

Regards

Chestnut Louie

Your answer is contained in your question....... ask him what he uses.

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Your answer is contained in your question....... ask him what he uses.

I am somewhat hesitant to ask him as my reloading my own ammo takes away from his bottom line. Took a little drive today to Hafer's gun shop in Hagerstown, MD and he has both Federal and Winchester small pistol primers on the shelf. Love it when a local shop has what I want.

 

Chestnut Louie

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I've had to fire some of my reloads twice when using CCI LPPs. No problems with Winchester or Federals. With that said, up until this weekend, I couldn't find bricks of Federal SPPs that weren't grossly overpriced. This past weekend I hit a local gun show and there were several vendors with bricks of Federal SPPs for under $35.

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My 2 cents and worth exactly what you pay for it.

 

I usually use Winchesters because that is what is in stock most often.

 

I prefer Remington's, because "to me", they seem to seat easier (less effort) in to the cases. Loading for three shooters - anything that eases the task is appreciated.

 

I also like S&B, but they are not always available. The S&B are slightly undersized to seat in S&B brand cases, so they seat easily into other brands of cases. Again, less effort.

 

Everything I shoot is "tuned and lightened", but not to the point of primer required specificity. Wouldn't own a gun that was unreliable.

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the cowboy ammo that I previously purchased from a local gunsmith works 100%. I have a Lee turret press and their documentation says to use extra care when using Federal primers. What is your experience?

 

Your answer is contained in your question....... ask him what he uses.

 

I did ask and he was not happy with the question so I will go to the local shop and buy a 100 pack of their Winchesters and try them.

 

-Thanks-

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Speaking of primers, is there any major difference between Federal and Federal match primers? I recently bought a 1000 of the latter because they just happened to have them in stock when I picked up my new Winchester.

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Federal in my rifle, magnum federal during the winter.

Anything in my pistols. They have Boogie short strokes in them and will set off anything I have used to date.

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I have an old Lee Turret press as well, but we, Limey and I, still use a hand primer to seat primers. Slow, but you will know/feel if a primer isn't seating well long before you get the feedback through the handle.

 

Limey and I share the loading process when we load 38's, which is what she shoots. She'll clean, size and deprime and place in plastic bags or shotgun boxes. I'll bell the mouth and place them in loading boxes. She then primes them and gives them back to me. I'll load powder and seat the bullet. She'll then crimp them. Slow, but we stay ahead of shooting match requirements and we get to do them as we can. Normally, we'll load anywhere between 350-700 rounds a week. If the weather is really nasty, we'll get a lot more done.

 

Oh yea, we usually use Federals. Winchesters are our next go to primer, then whatever we can get our hands on.

 

Another suggestion is to have several recipes with different powders too, just in case things go crazy and powder gets hard to come by again.

Edited by Clueless Bob
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I am going to start re-loading my 38 special ammo and want to know what you think about the various brands of primers. I have Taylor's Smoke Wagon pistols that were tuned before I got them so the hammer spring is light but the cowboy ammo that I previously purchased from a local gunsmith works 100%. I have a Lee turret press and their documentation says to use extra care when using Federal primers. What is your experience?

 

Regards

Chestnut Louie

 

IMHO you are better off thinking what kind of primers do my guns need. That depends on who built them, how much you lightened them or what other mods have been done as well. My rifle shoots anything because the hammer speed I need. My pistols shoot anything because the transfers bars are gone which makes ignition much easier. The SG is an SKB and to get it to feel and operate the way I want it to I have to shoot "easier" to ignite primers in it.

 

Then you have my wife's 73 that's set up so light (for her) I have to use Federals or possibly Winchester but it's on the fence so to simply my life (and keep me out of the dog house) I just use Federal on everything.

 

The people that get in trouble are the ones that buy race guns and still want an anything goes mentality.....that leads to too many problems so they tell you not to mess with stock guns etc. If you know what you have and make the right choices you get the best of both worlds and you don't have to settle.

Edited by Cowboy Junky
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