Powder or Primer Issue?

[Brent56]

Hey fellow reloaders, I've recently run into an issue with reloading for my 300 PRC and wanted to get some opinions other than my own.

My components are 230gr berger OTM, Lapua brass, CCI BR-2 Primers, H1000 powder. Recently and somewhat randomly I am beginning to get unreliable ignition of the powder. I'm running around 73gr of powder. I have now had two rounds fail to ignite the powder the primer went off, but did not ignite the powder. I have some pics I will post later once I can reduce them to an acceptable size. I pulled them apart and you can see some of the powder being discolored from the primer going off. I've never had an issue with the primer going off, but not igniting the powder.

I have probably 500 rounds through this rifle now with this combination and only had this coming up recently. Now I did have to start a new keg of H1000 as well as a new lot of primers, but still have a couple hundred rounds through it using this combo. I have noticed it's harder for me to hold consistent velocities with this keg. The first instance this happened it was really bad I shot a string of 20 rounds and probably had 5 hang fires and 1 round that didn't ignite the powder. I switched to a new batch of primers thinking maybe I got a bad lot and everything was fine for a while, but then recently I was shooting another 20 rounds and had another round fail to ignite the powder.

My thought is maybe for whatever reason this keg of powder is harder to ignite than my previous one and a switch the CCI250's (magnum) primers might remedy the problem. Obviously backing down the load and reworking it to find pressure. Or do you guys think I got a bad keg of powder all together? Any opinions or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

 

[338 dude]

Hey fellow reloaders, I've recently run into an issue with reloading for my 300 PRC and wanted to get some opinions other than my own.

My components are 230gr berger OTM, Lapua brass, CCI BR-2 Primers, H1000 powder. Recently and somewhat randomly I am beginning to get unreliable ignition of the powder. I'm running around 73gr of powder. I have now had two rounds fail to ignite the powder the primer went off, but did not ignite the powder. I have some pics I will post later once I can reduce them to an acceptable size. I pulled them apart and you can see some of the powder being discolored from the primer going off. I've never had an issue with the primer going off, but not igniting the powder.

I have probably 500 rounds through this rifle now with this combination and only had this coming up recently. Now I did have to start a new keg of H1000 as well as a new lot of primers, but still have a couple hundred rounds through it using this combo. I have noticed it's harder for me to hold consistent velocities with this keg. The first instance this happened it was really bad I shot a string of 20 rounds and probably had 5 hang fires and 1 round that didn't ignite the powder. I switched to a new batch of primers thinking maybe I got a bad lot and everything was fine for a while, but then recently I was shooting another 20 rounds and had another round fail to ignite the powder.

My thought is maybe for whatever reason this keg of powder is harder to ignite than my previous one and a switch the CCI250's (magnum) primers might remedy the problem. Obviously backing down the load and reworking it to find pressure. Or do you guys think I got a bad keg of powder all together? Any opinions or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

The old rule of thumb that I’ve always heard is magnum primers for anything over 60 grains of powder

 

[rebeltex]

Firing pin spring?

 

[0.1 Aggregate]

Hodgdon data for the .300 PRC clearly stares to use a magnum primer. What has changed “recently”? The ambient temperature has. Hard to ignite powders like H1000 need more ignition power at lower temperatures. The simplest and most likely solution is to use the correct magnum primer.



.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I don't think the powder, if you had a string of good performance between problems.

 

[acloco]

Magnums will be your new friend.

 

[Topstrap]

Federal 215 primers.

Have never had a fail to fire using 92gr H1000 in my 338 with Federal 215 primers.

Topstrap

 

[Bill Norris]

Check the firing pin assembly and make sure the bolt is clean inside.

 

[ebb]

This is why they make magnum primers. Not a primer problem or a powder problem operator error.

 

[CJ6]

Check the firing pin assembly and make sure the bolt is clean inside.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. You could have debris inside the bolt keeping the firing pin from falling completely (it doesn't take much) and use mag primers.

 

[243winxb]

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_mamotaip_200909/100079

Mysteries And Misconceptions Of The All-Important Primer​

 

[tsyarnall]

Excellent!

 

[mgunderson]

What are the range temperatures? Are you 101% sure the primers were seated?

Not sure if I would rather have a primer ignition or primer failure to fire. They both suck.

 

[243winxb]

Some powders get a coating to help control burn rate. Another to reduce flash. A mag primer is needed.

I had H450 start burning & then just stopped. CCI mag in 22-250 . No bullet movement. H450 has been discontinued, for a long time now. H380, its sister, gets avoided by me.

 

[taylorw]

Hey fellow reloaders, I've recently run into an issue with reloading for my 300 PRC and wanted to get some opinions other than my own.

My components are 230gr berger OTM, Lapua brass, CCI BR-2 Primers, H1000 powder. Recently and somewhat randomly I am beginning to get unreliable ignition of the powder. I'm running around 73gr of powder. I have now had two rounds fail to ignite the powder the primer went off, but did not ignite the powder. I have some pics I will post later once I can reduce them to an acceptable size. I pulled them apart and you can see some of the powder being discolored from the primer going off. I've never had an issue with the primer going off, but not igniting the powder.

I have probably 500 rounds through this rifle now with this combination and only had this coming up recently. Now I did have to start a new keg of H1000 as well as a new lot of primers, but still have a couple hundred rounds through it using this combo. I have noticed it's harder for me to hold consistent velocities with this keg. The first instance this happened it was really bad I shot a string of 20 rounds and probably had 5 hang fires and 1 round that didn't ignite the powder. I switched to a new batch of primers thinking maybe I got a bad lot and everything was fine for a while, but then recently I was shooting another 20 rounds and had another round fail to ignite the powder.

My thought is maybe for whatever reason this keg of powder is harder to ignite than my previous one and a switch the CCI250's (magnum) primers might remedy the problem. Obviously backing down the load and reworking it to find pressure. Or do you guys think I got a bad keg of powder all together? Any opinions or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

BR2’s will be the “coolest” primer out of the popular 4 that are commonly used (210M’s, 250’s, & 215M’s being the other 3).
I have worked up loads with BR2’s in 50-70 degree weather that held a much more forgiving node over the other 3 but once it dropped below 30 degrees, the tune fell apart.
I read a mention that H1000 is a hard powder to ignite but I have never experienced that. It’s actually a fairly easy powder to ignite, IMO, and that’s why your magnum cartridge has tolerating the BR2’s, up until now, even with a standard spring weight.
If BR2’s are not working in the colder weather, the next primer to transition to, that will more than likely give you a forgiving/decent tuning window will be CCI250’s, followed by 210M’s.
I have found very few rifles that will tolerate 215M’s. The exception would be running some of the slower Viht 500 series powders in larger cases.
You will be told that you can tune a cartridge to any primer, and that is partially true, but the problem with that is you need to look at how the rifle comes into & out of the node.
I would personally use CCI250’s and drop your load down 1.5% and run up through your current charge weight and past by about 1%, in 1/2% increments. This will give you an idea if that particular primers gonna be forgiving in your setup and also will expose the center of your tune.
you need to also take apart your bolt and spray it out with brake cleaner. Then re apply a very very small amount of grease. I do this about every 200 rounds.

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

How do you clean your brass?
How much do you set your shoulder back?
What rifle are you shooting these out of?

Frank

 

[Eric Leonard]

I had a 7 RUM that hung fired one time while hunting at 10 degrees. Two more loaded with cci200 s didn’t go off at all the next day testing the ammo in the cold. Fed 215s and Cci 250s both ran 100% down to 5 degrees. That’s as cold as it got here

 

[6MMsteve]

hope you didn't cut the depth on the pockets too deep, I never touch them anymore, but I did ream the pockets way to deep on some brass, and had a moment of moments, I have done some dumb poopy

 

[Woofie]

Maybe I am the only person who thinks so but this rather makes me think there may be a fouling -- i.e., moisture, oil, lube, getting into the case or around the primers. Is the loading tray clean for a start.
I may be way off, but that's my immediate thought.

 

[Rodney]

Maybe I am the only person who thinks so but this rather makes me think there may be a fouling -- i.e., moisture, oil, lube, getting into the case or around the primers. Is the loading tray clean for a start.
I may be way off, but that's my immediate thought.

Woofie, I was thinking along those lines as well. A lot of guys wet tumble there brass. Maybe moisture in the case? Just a thought.