Alternatives to Federal LP primers

[Marshal Hangtree 2,008]

A local fellow has some large pistol primers for sale:

Winchester LP primers

CCI #300 LP primers

Remington #2 1/2 LP primers

 

I normally use Federal primers, but they are getting scarce in this area.  Local guy is offering them for $35 per thousand.  Which of the above brands should I look into buying from him?

 

Thanks y'all.

[Michigan Slim 5,025]

I use Winchester and Remington a lot and I have lighter springs installed. The CCI are great but I would use them in non CAS ammo. Buy them all.

[Thunder Creek Kid 314]

Winchesters. Next best to Federals.

[largo casey #19191 166]

If U have a Sportsmans Warehouse near you U can order online for pickup.

                                                                                                                                                Largo

[The Original Lumpy Gritz 7,181]

Get those primers 

OLG

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783 2,570]

I’ve never had a problem with any of those primers in my tuned guns. This is no time to be picky.  Snap up what’s available as it could be awhile. 

[Marshal Hangtree 2,008]

Thanks, guys for the input.  The local guy has 10,000 for sale.  3K are Winchesters, 1K are CCI, and the other 6K are the Remingtons.  I'm going to buy the 3 thousand Winchesters.  I don't really need to be reloading until next spring, so I figure the 3000 Winchesters will do me for a while, hopefully until the drought of primers blows over.

[Tom Bullweed 413]

I am shooting Fed magnum LP primers in CAS loads.  They are still available in my local stores.  No problems with the light loads that I shoot.

Your mileage may vary.

[irish ike, SASS #43615 1,024]

Anything that goes bang for cowboy. It ain't benchrest shooting.

[Baltimore Ed 95]

Last time that I bought primers they were 33.00/ brick. I run CCI in all my stuff but they are hard and if your cas gun mainsprings are extremely light buy the other brands. My springs are not factory length any more [missing a few coils]  but work fine. The only gun that I’ve had to buy soft Federal primers for was my  1905 7.65 Mannlicher Argentine pistol. It has a crazy light mainspring. Had to build ammo out of .30 carbine brass as there isn’t any available. Got it to shoot though. 

[Snakebite 1,362]

17 hours ago, Marshal Hangtree said:

Thanks, guys for the input.  The local guy has 10,000 for sale.  3K are Winchesters, 1K are CCI, and the other 6K are the Remingtons.  I'm going to buy the 3 thousand Winchesters.  I don't really need to be reloading until next spring, so I figure the 3000 Winchesters will do me for a while, hopefully until the drought of primers blows over.

If you can afford it, buy them all. 

 

Snakebite

[Goody, SASS #26190 1,120]

1 hour ago, Snakebite said:

If you can afford it, buy them all. 

 

Snakebite

Especially the Rem's. I've loaded those before and really liked the way they seated. Only reason I used Winchester's predominately was they are the most widely available usually. 

[Captain Clark 716]

Federal large pistol magnum were in store on the shelf yesterday afternoon at Sportsman’s Warehouse for $ 30.00 a brick / 1,000, limited to 1000 per customer, mix or match. Yes I picked up some!
They had some other CCI and Federal offerings as well, but did not see any small rifle of any brand.

[Warden Callaway 4,441]

Winchester is my first choice.  Just picked up 1k at MidwayUSA.  They have a limit of 1k. 

 

I don't like the Federal packageing. 

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L 431]

Was able to find the No. 150's  here in West Michigan - bought 2k myself.

 

GG ~ 

[J-BAR #18287 5,708]

Geez, if you need primers buy what you can.  Adjust your springs if you have to.  Swap them for something else when you can.  The shortage will last for awhile.

[Warden Callaway 4,441]

2 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Winchester is my first choice.  Just picked up 1k at MidwayUSA.  They have a limit of 1k. 

 

I don't like the Federal packageing. 

 

Out of stock now.  

[Waimea 749]

On 8/13/2020 at 7:51 PM, Marshal Hangtree said:

Thanks, guys for the input.  The local guy has 10,000 for sale.  3K are Winchesters, 1K are CCI, and the other 6K are the Remingtons.  I'm going to buy the 3 thousand Winchesters.  I don't really need to be reloading until next spring, so I figure the 3000 Winchesters will do me for a while, hopefully until the drought of primers blows over.

Buy them all.

[Colorado Coffinmaker 3,332]

 

Ah, my choice is a pair of well tuned Cap Guns and Remington #10 Caps.  Snubbies, actually (Snicker Snicker Snorfel)

["Big Boston" 37]

Remington 2 1/2 LP primers have worked well for me. My chrono numbers seem to indicate they give consistent and reliable ignition. My testing has taught me that there is no magic primer that works with every combo, not in the real world. Caveat: If you size the flash hole to match the primer, then the magic happens. I've experimented with this, and it works, but it also opens up an avenue to another bunch of unknowns, and I leave the flash holes alone, except for uniforming and deburring, sometimes.

 

If primers go green, expect some flash hole changes. I've oft times been intrigued with the workings of Berdan primers, and with those 2 small holes, well it's a puzzler. Once overheard a conversation about using a square flash hole, to counteract the venturi spin effect. I just finished my beer and left. I knew they were taking it too far, a triangular flash hole is the ideal shape, just too hard to manufacture and the sharp corners create a stress riser. I knew I was right, just not in a fighting mood that night.

 

They (2 1/2 LP) are fairly versatile, work well in a number of calibers. I load 45 Auto, 45 LC, 44 Mag/Spl., and 44-40.

 

Especially friendly with Trail Boss. 

[Three Foot Johnson 2,365]

Buy 'em all.

 

I've always been of the mind that if you have a gun that only works with Federal primers, you have a gun problem, not a primer problem.  

If the hammer isn't dragging on one side of the frame or somesuch, the transfer bar is free, the firing pin is free, etc. even a 14 or 15 pound spring should work with standard CCI primers.

[Tequila Shooter 1,306]

On 8/14/2020 at 7:54 PM, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Ah, my choice is a pair of well tuned Cap Guns and Remington #10 Caps.  Snubbies, actually (Snicker Snicker Snorfel)

 

It's getting hard to find caps too.  Went to look to up my inventory and couldn't find any.  I'm blaming ANTIFA 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Tequila Shooter

[Rye Miles #13621 6,153]

I shot 60 rounds this past weekend with Win primers in my Colts. They worked just fine. I'm keeping the Federals for my rifles.

 

[Turkey Flats Jack 583]

All of them at the moment if you're low on primers. They are getting tough to find. I've never had problems with winchester primers even with lightened springs. The CCI primers I use in my brass hulls for shot shells as they are harder to pop and my pistols dont reliably set them off. I've never used the remingtons so cant offer any insight on them. 

[Rye Miles #13621 6,153]

6 minutes ago, Turkey Flats Jack said:

All of them at the moment if you're low on primers. They are getting tough to find. I've never had problems with winchester primers even with lightened springs. The CCI primers I use in my brass hulls for shot shells as they are harder to pop and my pistols dont reliably set them off. I've never used the remingtons so cant offer any insight on them. 

I've used the Remingtons also, they were hard to find before all this craziness. They work just fine, my second choice to Federals.

[Marshal Hangtree 2,008]

I picked up 3K for myself, and another 2K for Hollifer A. Dollar, my mentor.  Thanks for the advice, y'all.

[meesterpaul 5]

I've used TULA and S&B primers without any problems. I keep the TULA aside as long as I have Feds handy. I may load a bunch of each again and pay close attention to their performance.

[Warden Callaway 4,441]

To me Federal is an alternative choice.   But any harbor in a storm, as they say.

 

Today's road trip was about three hours away.  The big draw to this small town that's smack dab in the middle of nowhere is a super good cafe and a Stihl chansaw/ATV/pawn and gun.  We had lunch and hit the gun and pawn end of the building.  We looked at a couple of things but nothing said take me home with you.  I thought about primers.  May as well ask.  They had a small stock of this and that. They were out of small pistol primers but had 600 Federal large pistol and 1kCCI large pistol primers.  I bought them all. The price was their standard retail price.  Actually a bit less than Grafs and Sons retail price.

 

Grafs and Sons show Federal large pistol primers in stock at this moment. 

 

https://www.grafs.com/catalog/product/productId/21360

 

 

[Bugler 131]

Buy all of them!

 

I refuse to have a firearm be primer specific..........

 

Bugler

[Kirk James 662]

Try replacing your springs for a slightly heaver spring for practice and use your Winchester primers.  Switch them back for matches.  

[Choctaw Jack 189]

Just left my local Sportsmans.They had a total of 400 primers(Fed.155's)on the shelf.

Now they don't have any on the shelf.

Shooting season isn't over yet!

Choctaw Jack

[Warden Callaway 4,441]

Talk about old stock primers.  I remembered running across some a while back in a box of other stuff.  There were 50 in the box. 

 

 

When did you buy LP primers for $1.20 a hundred?   I suspect they are 30 years old.  Sawmill Mary primed 50 38WCF cases for me.  I haven't loaded them yet.  I have confidence they will still work. I'm going to uses them to plink with my new Colt SAA in 38WCF. 

 

I'll report back.

[Warden Callaway 4,441]

On 8/23/2020 at 2:24 PM, Warden Callaway said:

Talk about old stock primers.  I remembered running across some a while back in a box of other stuff.  There were 50 in the box. 

 

 

When did you buy LP primers for $1.20 a hundred?   I suspect they are 30 years old.  Sawmill Mary primed 50 38WCF cases for me.  I haven't loaded them yet.  I have confidence they will still work. I'm going to uses them to plink with my new Colt SAA in 38WCF. 

 

I'll report back.

 

 

We shot with the Mountain Oyster Gang at Higginsville today.  I'll 50 went off. 

[El Hombre 107]

I have found Fiocchi and S & B’s to be on par with federals

[Bramble Mountain Buzzard 121]

I wouldn't trust S&B. Everything else that they make is crap, tolerance wise. Why should primers be any different???