CCI Small rifle primers problems.
- Thread starter willbas
- Start date
CatShooter
IT would help (a lot) if we knew more - like the caliber, make of rifle, if you have had any high pressure problems or primer piercings
Jay Christopherson
Not An Admin
willbas said:
If you are seating with your press, is there any chance you are crushing them or something? I've never seated with a press, so I'm just throwing an idea out there to see if it will stick...
I am firmly convinced that like anything else, you can get a "bad batch" in anything. I have had bad, as in plenty of misfires, from every primer manufacturer there is. I just had one such batches as I was fireforming my .260A.I. from regular .260 brass. I have NOT had a misfire since. But there is no such thing as NEVER having a problem.. If all else is well with your bolt / firing pin, and you seated the primers properly, I would write it off as a bad batch..
I monitor Winchester primers and a misfire rate should on the order of 5 misfires in 150,000. I would say your problem is in the seating. The primers should be .006 to .008 below flush for .308. The spec is flush to .008 inch deep. If you are flattening the primers while seating this could be breaking up the mix between the cup and the anvil. If this all looks good then a bolt/firing pin problem and I have also seen headspace cause misfires.
Jeff Conover
DoD Quality Engineer ammunition
Jeff Conover
DoD Quality Engineer ammunition
bigedp51
willbas
The primer should be seated with a slight crush or preload on the anvil as below.
Below is the 7.62 NATO requirement for seated primers, and it is .008 below flush.
Uniform your primer pockets and measure the primer pocket depth, then measure your primers from the bottom of the anvil to the top of the primer cup. By doing this you will take the guesswork out of your proper seating depth. What you do not want is having the firing pin doing your final primer seating when you pull the trigger.
If you are bumping the shoulder of the case too much you are creating "head clearance" or "air space" between the rear of the case and the bolt face and shortens the effective length of your firing pin.
Are you using any type of case gauge during sizing?
The primer should be seated with a slight crush or preload on the anvil as below.
Below is the 7.62 NATO requirement for seated primers, and it is .008 below flush.
Uniform your primer pockets and measure the primer pocket depth, then measure your primers from the bottom of the anvil to the top of the primer cup. By doing this you will take the guesswork out of your proper seating depth. What you do not want is having the firing pin doing your final primer seating when you pull the trigger.
If you are bumping the shoulder of the case too much you are creating "head clearance" or "air space" between the rear of the case and the bolt face and shortens the effective length of your firing pin.
Are you using any type of case gauge during sizing?
L.Sherm
Silver $$ Contributor
I had a problem with BR-4's about 10-12 years ago, was getting about 40-50% misfires. I call CCI and talked to a rep. he told me it was because i was using new brass (222 Rem. Mag.) I called B.S. switched to 7.5's and I didn't change how i seated primers and haven't had a problem since. Figure that one out, I call bad batch of primers but CCI wouldn't do anything about it.
I use a L.E. Wilson Case Length Headspace Gage 308 Winchester to check my case'sbigedp51 said:willbas
The primer should be seated with a slight crush or preload on the anvil as below.
Below is the 7.62 NATO requirement for seated primers, and it is .008 below flush.
Uniform your primer pockets and measure the primer pocket depth, then measure your primers from the bottom of the anvil to the top of the primer cup. By doing this you will take the guesswork out of your proper seating depth. What you do not want is having the firing pin doing your final primer seating when you pull the trigger.
If you are bumping the shoulder of the case too much you are creating "head clearance" or "air space" between the rear of the case and the bolt face and shortens the effective length of your firing pin.
Are you using any type of case gauge during sizing?
Is there a solid primer strike on the primer? If there is and there is compound and an anvil in the primer I would suspect incorrect seating as the cause. I used a large rifle primer tool to seat small rifle primers (large rifle tool can only seat small rifle primers flush), I then went and through and re-seated with a SRP tool...typically 4 in every 10 would seat further - as in the primer pocket was slightly deeper...I don't have a good way to measure but based on feel with the primer tool this was several thousandths worth.
I used a lot of BR4 when I was shooting group with a 6BR about 20 years ago and don't recall ever having a problem unless I had a gun or headspace issue, which did happen a couple times. Keep in mind that the BR4 has about the hardest cup of the SR primers, so firing pin energy & close headspace fit are very important when using them.
If you look close at the pictures of your primers the two that didn't fire is heavily concaved and not dented like the two that went off. To me that means they are not seated deep enough or two much headspace. The primer moved with the firing pin strike. The surface of the primer is caved in because the anvil wasn't bottomed out and allowed the primer to cave in. Matt
Matt is absolutely correct. I found out over the years that it is more likely a headspace issue, than a seating problem.dkhunt14 said:
bigedp51
tuttlefarm said:
Please don't take this the wrong way but the dents in the primer do not indicate a "headspace issue". I collect mil-surp rifles and many of them have "HORRENDOUS" headspace issues and longer primer protrusion settings.
From what I see the primers were not seated properly and the firing pin finished seating the primers. My second guess would be something wrong with the anvil or priming mixture.
And I never have a problem with Remington primers not lighting off my AR15 rounds with its longer and fatter chamber. (AKA baby flame throwers)
And I don't have any problems with the BR4 in my .223 bolt action Savage.
And I'm using old reliable to seat the primers.
I've also had problems with BR4's. Talked to CCI & they told me it was the way I was seating them. Never had that problem with Winchesters or CCI 450's. I will no longer use them in any matches.
bigedp51
I have noticed when uniforming primer pockets that some cases at the base of the pocket have longer rounded contours that can stop the cup from seating into the base of the primer pocket.
Question, are you uniforming your primer pockets? You can't preload the anvil if it doesn't touch the base of the primer pocket.
Question, are you uniforming your primer pockets? You can't preload the anvil if it doesn't touch the base of the primer pocket.
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