Experience with CCI 400 primers?

[BoydAllen]

What sorts of experiences do you have to report loading with CCI 400 standard small rifle primers? How do they compare with BR4s and Federals?

 

[WyleWD]

What sorts of experiences do you have to report loading with CCI 400 standard small rifle primers? How do they compare with BR4s and Federals?

Personally, I've never had a great group out of them. Tried them in 6ppc and 6br, and Federals, Winchester small rifle, and Rem 71/2 always gave me better results in both group size and Chronograph performance. And better showings in match performance.

Of course, I still try them when working up loads on a new rifle or combination just to make sure, but so far.... no luck with them. WD

 

[243winxb]

The CCI 400 flows into the firing pin hole sooner then a Rem 7 1/2. They shoot ok in a Savage Axis. One misfire in about 1400+ fired so far.

 

[SS427]

CCI 400 was my primer of choice for a Remington VSSF II .223 a few years ago. When I ran out and couldn't get them for a while I had to change to Remington 7 1/2 and didn't notice any change in group size or POI. Then I ran out of those and had to switch to my stash of Fed 205m. Again, didn't notice any change. I'm back to the CCI 400 now due to the Federal primer shortage. I double checked my targets and this rifle has always averaged 1/2 inch groups regardless of primer.

This particular rifle has never pierced a CCI 400 primer and neither have any of my other rifles, except a .223 LRPV Savage I owned. For some reason it pierced two out of about 500 rounds so I switched to 7 1/2 primers and didn't see any more problems.

Not exactly benchrest accuracy...so the difference could show up in a more accurate rifle.

 

[fdshuster]

Never had a problem with them, but if loading to higher pressures, prefer the thicker cups of the BR4's and 450's. Rem. 7 1/2's are also the same thickness as BR4's and 450's.

 

[BoydAllen]

Thanks for all the help. The rifles that I will be primarily using them in have the smaller diameter firing pin tips, that fit their holes well, and it has been my experience that this design allows thinner cups to work where they might not otherwise.

 

[SWThomas]

I've used them in my 223 loads. No issues.

 

[M-61]

I have 400's and BR4's. Both used in a 30BR. I have found no difference in group size between them nor any failure to ignite.
Use of the 400's only came to be with the recent shortages, and the results were a pleasant surprise. Powder use is 2015.

 

[jonbearman]

I have shot thousands of 400's and never a hitch.I use primarily 7 1/2's but when I run out my supply of 400's always takes over.

 

[GerryM]

They shoot great in my PPC,s stolle and viper actions pierce if you shoot too hot with rifles that have a larger firing pin hole.
like Remington , But only with rather warm loads. they are fine with moderate loads in the Remingtons or older stolles

 

[sbranden]

I run CCI 400's exclusively now in my 222rem. They've seemed very consistent to me.

 

[wrangler5]

The CCI 400 flows into the firing pin hole sooner then a Rem 7 1/2. They shoot ok in a Savage Axis. One misfire in about 1400+ fired so far.

I had this experience with CCI 400s in 223 with Varget and 69g SMKs out of a Marlin X7VH. The CCIs would start to flow as low as 24.5g, where Sierra's data sheet showed 26.4 as a max load for this bullet with Varget in a bolt gun. I went as high as 26.0g with the Rem 7.5s and saw no pressure signs. My "normal" load has been 25.7g for about a year now, and the Remingtons continue to operate with no signs of excess pressure.

 

[6BRinNZ]

These are 3 shot groups out of my factory Howa using cci400s. These were shot off a bipod and sand bag prone at 100 while zeroing my rifle. 400s with BM2 have been a good combination in .223 for me.

The one that popped out in the 3rd group was me but the group is the group

POI changes are simply me using the 1/10th clicks to zero.

In my 6br they showed primer cratering in a Barnard P which has a .062 striker where as the 450s didn't. Having said that quick load showed that the pressure was significant. The upshot is they are a thinner cup but in a bushed bolt rifle you are still talking significant pressures that they can run with, just not as much as a 450, which could be important if running at the top end on a 6mm.