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Federal primer height - consistency???


Roger Rapid

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Loaded up a bunch of rounds when getting ready for Bordertown and noticed the primers (Federal LP) sitting super low in the shells; they measured about .012˝ - to .013˝ lower than case rim. Since I was using some new Starline brass I thought it might be a problem with primer pockets, but I let it go (lesson #1 - I shouldn't have). Now reloading for another match I noticed that another batch of Federal LP primers I am loading are .014˝ to .015˝ taller than the primers I used before. Both are Federal LP. The one on the left in the photo measures .119˝ - the one on the right measures .104˝ - a .015˝ difference! I measured about 10 primers from the new batch and they range from .119˝ to .120˝. (Fortunately I had a few left over from the previous batch to measure.)

 

Have any of you seen this kind of inconsistency from Federal? Here's photo of samples of the two batches of primers. Height difference is pretty obvious in photo.

RR

Federal primers.jpg

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Almost looks like the difference in height between a large pistol primer and a large rifle primer.  I wonder if the cups got mixed up in manufacture or if they were packaged wrong?

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Just a comment on the picture.  Then the primers are seated in the case, the anvil (that little 3 legged pointy thing) gets pushed into the primer compound and ends up flush with the bottom of the primer cup.  On the primer on the left (the taller one), it looks like the anvil is still protruding below the bottom of the cup as would be expected for primers that have not been seated yet.  On the primer on the right (the shorter one) it looks like the anvil has already been pushed into the cup.

 

You might want to measure and compare the height of the cups for the two primers and have that info ready as well when you call Federal.

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Dogmeat Dave...

Good eye. I checked both primers and the anvils are seated about the same distance into the bottom of the cup within a few thousandths of each other (difficult for me to measure precisely).  About half of the contact edge of the anvil is engaged into the cup on both primers. I think the shadow under the cup in the photo is a bit misleading. 

Thanks!!!

RR

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Who knows if Federal primers are now made on the original Federal machinery, or if all or part of them are made on the Speer equipment, now that those companies are combined   There could easily be differences.  

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