Color of Federal magnum small pistol primers

[Krazy Kajun]

I attached a picture of 100 Federal magnum small pistol primers in my primer filler. I noticed that some of the primers have a red tint in them and some do not. Just wondering why the color variation?

 

Kajun

[Griff]

Don't freak out... but... I picked up a stack of 500 Federal primers I thought were shotgun primers from my storage... only to open them up and find out they were Large Rifle!  Which is a good thing, as I needed to load some .44-40s... They all have a red tint in the compound.  Or a sealer that is red tinted.  I don't have any small primers by Federal to compare... but... could you have mixed some small rifle in with your small rifle... or ice versa?  I've been told by Winchester that as far as their small primers go... there's no difference between their rifle & pistol primers.  no extra compound, nor brisance(sp?).

[watab kid]

interesting , ive not noticed this with any of mine yet , ill start looking more closely , as long as they work im happy 

[Turkey Flats Jack]

I've noticed the same thing. They all went bang so I never thought about it again. 

[Krazy Kajun]

Griff, I included the box they came from in the picture so yes they are indeed pistol primers. I’ve used the same primers in hundreds of .556 rounds and all of them went bang. I’m just wondering about the red tint in some but not all of the primers. 
 

Kajun

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Call Federal and ask them

OLG 

[Griff]

59 minutes ago, Krazy Kajun said:

Griff, I included the box they came from in the picture so yes they are indeed pistol primers. I’ve used the same primers in hundreds of .556 rounds and all of them went bang. I’m just wondering about the red tint in some but not all of the primers. 
Kajun

Didn't really notice the box until you mentioned it... but more importantly:  How do you get your primers oriented right in the tubes... mine will only go in if the cup is up... then the primers are upside down in the tube on the Dillon (550)??  Switch 'em to a second tube before filling the machine?  (I tried that and spent more time picking up the spilled primers...)...  Momma didn't like the noise they make in the vacuum cleaner!  

[Shifty Jack, SASS #65353]

I have shot federal small pistol magnum fairly exclusively in my cowboy loads for 15 years, they always have that red center. I have also noticed that it does not seem to be very consistent as to how much is applied to each primer. It is there on both champion and gold medal match primers.

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

The red ones are misses. Don’t use them at a big match. 

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

40 minutes ago, Griff said:

Didn't really notice the box until you mentioned it... but more importantly:  How do you get your primers oriented right in the tubes... mine will only go in if the cup is up... then the primers are upside down in the tube on the Dillon (550)??  Switch 'em to a second tube before filling the machine?  (I tried that and spent more time picking up the spilled primers...)...  Momma didn't like the noise they make in the vacuum cleaner!  

The primers go in one end of the pick up tube and out the other into the magazine tube. 

[Krazy Kajun]

6 hours ago, Shifty Jack, SASS #65353 said:

I have shot federal small pistol magnum fairly exclusively in my cowboy loads for 15 years, they always have that red center. I have also noticed that it does not seem to be very consistent as to how much is applied to each primer. It is there on both champion and gold medal match primers.

Zakly, now why do some have it and not others and what is the red compound? 
 

Kajun

[Cypress Sun]

Me, being scientifically minded and all, volunteer to test and analyze them to make sure they are all good...all for free! Just send them to me and I'll return them after testing. Oh, since 100 only provides limited results, send 1,000.

[Eyesa Horg]

Noticed that myself yesterday. Looks like a red sealer. Although all of mine had it, some more, some less.

[Griff]

6 hours ago, Smokestack SASS#87384 said:

The primers go in one end of the pick up tube and out the other into the magazine tube. 

As the bulb begins to dimly glow... so you take off the pickup plastic on the pickup tube and with cotter pin in place, the fill the magazine tube in the usual manner? 

[Goody, SASS #26190]

10 hours ago, Griff said:

only to open them up and find out they were Large Rifle!  Which is a good thing, as I needed to load some .44-40s...

 

I've always used LP to load 44wcf. Do the LR seat flush?

[Texas Jack Black]

 I thought the 44-40 required LPP  due to  being used in revolvers also? I have used LPP in them for 40 years. The LRP primer sits a bit higher and I wonder about pressure issues.

[Von Dutch, SASS # 7995]

12 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Call Federal and ask them

OLG 

Good luck with that! Called them with a problem with primers a few years ago and I found them to be the most unhelpful gun people I ever called!

[Griff]

3 hours ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

I've always used LP to load 44wcf. Do the LR seat flush?

Yes.  At least in my mix of Winchester & Starline cases.  Afterall, it was introduced as a rifle round.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

4 hours ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

 

I've always used LP to load 44wcf. Do the LR seat flush?

LR are taller than LP.

Don't bet on them to seat deep enough in handgun brass.

OLG 

[Kid Rich]

They will seat deep enough in 44-40,,, sometimes. Many of the 38-40, 44-40 etc are no longer made to have deep enough primer pockets and will not seat deep enough.

5 hours ago, john brown said:

 I thought the 44-40 required LPP  due to  being used in revolvers also? I have used LPP in them for 40 years. The LRP primer sits a bit higher and I wonder about pressure issues.

There are no pressure issues between LP and LR primers, you will find greater differences going from one brand to another or from one type to another like trying to use military primers.

kR

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

15 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

Me, being scientifically minded and all, volunteer to test and analyze them to make sure they are all good...all for free! Just send them to me and I'll return them after testing. Oh, since 100 only provides limited results, send 1,000.

I believe 5000 would make a better test and I would be happy to help you with the testing!

 

Randy

[Krazy Kajun]

9 hours ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

I believe 5000 would make a better test and I would be happy to help you with the testing!

 

Randy

You and ole Cypress Sam....what great cowboys you are.....volunteering to quality test all the remaining primers I have left!

 

Actually I still have not had anyone to 'splain about the color differentiation...why some are red and some are not.  Long time ago in a Western far far away when I opened a box of Federal Magnums they were all red.  Now some of them are red.  Must be the Federal trying to save some money on the cost of the red compound they were using...now if one or two out of a box have red that means that they are all magnum.  Plus they had to fund this new cost saving measure so the primers prices are now reflective of that new procedure.  Only explanation I can think of.

 

Kajun

[Runamuck, SASS #49216L]

The plain green colored primers is the color for federal “standard” primers.
The red ones are federal “Magnum” primer color.

I have no idea why the colors are mixed in your box.
A guess would be that it was at the end/beginning of the production line when they were switching from standard to magnum primers.

[Captain Bill Burt]

Federal small pistol

Federal magnum small pistol.

[Waimea]

1 hour ago, Krazy Kajun said:

You and ole Cypress Sam....what great cowboys you are.....volunteering to quality test all the remaining primers I have left!

 

Actually I still have not had anyone to 'splain about the color differentiation...why some are red and some are not.  Long time ago in a Western far far away when I opened a box of Federal Magnums they were all red.  Now some of them are red.  Must be the Federal trying to save some money on the cost of the red compound they were using...now if one or two out of a box have red that means that they are all magnum.  Plus they had to fund this new cost saving measure so the primers prices are now reflective of that new procedure.  Only explanation I can think of.

 

Kajun

I see Scarlett Darlin's hand in this.

[Oak Ridge Regulator]

The primers without red are organic and have had the red dye #40 left out for health reasons 

[Ranger Dan]

25 minutes ago, Oak Ridge Regulator said:

The primers without red are organic and have had the red dye #40 left out for health reasons 

Finally an answer that makes total sense! /sarcasm

[Eyesa Horg]

They still likely cause cancer in Kali

[Three Gun Cole]

When I started using Federal primers (2003-2004) 

I purchased  both 200 and GM200 primers,  From  2004-2012   I noticed the GM200's were red inside them & the 200's were greenish color.

I don't know why there was a difference, but it was very clear which type of primers I had out based on the color around the anvil.

 In the last couple batches of GM200's   (2017-2019)  I noticed they were mostly greenish with a little red. 

 

 

3GC