Opinions on Winchester primers please

[NCFrank]

This may seem a little silly but I've never loaded with Winchester primers. Only knowledge I have is what I've read about others using in small rifle (223/5.56) for competition.

Would appreciate a little input from those of you who have or still use Winchester primers.

Large Rifle: varmint and large game hunting

Pistol - Small and Large - progressive press loading, punching paper and competition

 

[WyleWD]

I use the small rifle primers in my 6br and have not had any issues with them for over 5 years now. Also, I have a partner who uses the Winchester LR primers for (a lot of) varmint hunting. He's used them for at least 8-10 years and has no issues or intent to change. Guessing I'd say he goes through approx. 1000 per year in 22-250, 243, 6-250, and other cartidges he loads for other people.

Every now and then I'll try other brands of small rifle primers and the group sizes change or change shape. Thus if you are going to them from another brand, I'd suggest that you back your load off and try to work up to it again. Good luck and let us know how it works out for ya. WD

 

[fdshuster]

Been using them since 1960, trouble free.

 

[dansig]

I tried them in my 6mm BR, I got 2-4 fliers out of every 10 shots, they are really unreliable in competition shooting but ok for hunting.

my 6mm BR is shooting .2" groups with CCI BR4 and Federal Gold primers, but with Winchester primers I rarely got below .5" groups due to fliers.

 

[243winxb]

Seen online in the last year, Win. defective primers in WLP & WLRM . A pin hole opens on the rounded edge of the primer cups. I still use WLP with no problems. Varies from lot to lot i guess. Example , with photos > http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=463882 Can happen to all brands.

 

[chevytruck_83]

from my experience the carbon left from them in the primer pocket is a lot harder to clean then with just about any other primers I have used.

 

[Dgd6mm]

I bought 4000 WLRP's a couple of years ago when they were hard to get. In this lot I had about 6-8 do what 243winxb said. I am switching over to Tula and so far they treat me good.

 

[brxbrad]

Good info here............

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/primers-small-rifle-primer-study.html

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/primers-large-rifle-primer-study.html

Maybe these articles will shed a little light on the subject............

 

[Paddyd]

The latest edition of Winchester SR primers I have seem about. 001" undersized because even in new Alpha cases, they basically fall in with no effort at all. I need to actually press in the CCI and Federal. I never noticed this at all in years past.

 

[Pete Wass]

I got some bad ones last summer. Several duds per 100. I swore by them for years but shant buy another.

 

[dhagerty40]

another 13 year old thread???

 

[philip brousseau]

Seen online in the last year, Win. defective primers in WLP & WLRM . A pin hole opens on the rounded edge of the primer cups. I still use WLP with no problems. Varies from lot to lot i guess. Example , with photos > http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=463882 Can happen to all brands.

If you get the pin hole in can gas cut your bolt face. Had it happen with a starting load in a brand new gre tan rifle.

 

[603Country]

The latest edition of Winchester SR primers I have seem about. 001" undersized because even in new Alpha cases, they basically fall in with no effort at all. I need to actually press in the CCI and Federal. I never noticed this at all in years past.

I was loading for the Grendel today, and started off with CCI 41’s. They were real hard to seat in the new Starline brass. Then I switched to Winchester 41’s which seated much easier. Yes, I think the Win 41’s are a little smaller.

 

[clowdis]

Winchester LRP primers are 50fps faster in Lapua brass than the same load in SP Lapua brass using CCI 450's. I have had no issues with Winchester primers.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Winchester LRP primers are 50fps faster in Lapua brass than the same load in SP Lapua brass using CCI 450's. I have had no issues with Winchester primers.

I think in one of Laurie’s write ups that he said the WLRP acted like a magnum primer. I have an inventory of the blue box ones without any problems yet.
The only primer leakage for me was on some PPU factory 22-250 rounds and I figured I let the barrel get too dirty causing pressure problems.

 

[Doug Casner]

I always thought they showed pressure quicker with the brass cup but Ive had ccis that would snap in pistols with a light hammer spring. Federal seem to be about right. Doug

 

[D-4297]

They are a little "Hotter" than some primers , and if memory serves they were a military supplier for some time , years back , as they seemed less affected by radical temperature changes . Maybe not as "consistent" for accuracy work , but they always go bang !

 

[searcher]

I have a really messed up bolt face due to using warm loads in my .243 and Winchester large rifle primers. I switched primers (to Federal) and never had the problem with the same load. That doesn't mean Winchester is bad - just that the Federal held up the deal much better with that load. We tend to gravitate away from primers we had problems with (whether entirely justified or not) and I don't have the confidence in the Winchester rifle primers that I do with their pistol primers. I shot in 3-gun bullseye pistol matches for many years and Winchester large pistol primers were all I used with great results. I still use them exclusively in my pistols - large and small.