Primer Question

[savageshooter86]

How do y'all go about testing different primers? If I have a load worked up now and want to explore other primer brands, do I re-work up load from start with that primer to find the best load then compare to my current load or what? Or for long range shooting do I want the one that gives me the lowest ES?

Current load uses CCI 200 and have a few Fed 210 Match primers to try and wanted to try the Russian match primers too.

 

[broncman]

According to Salazar, use the primer that gives the lowest velocity for a given powder charge ..He has an article on it in the riflemans blog. Will look it up and link it when I have a few more minutes.

 

[savageshooter86]

I saw that article but what if I already have a load worked up? I am not in a hot load and is not compressed so would switching primers with current pwdr charge be a bad idea

 

[broncman]

I would not be afraid at all to change primers. Especially if you are not running a hot load now. I do it all the time between cci, federal and russian primers. I have some combos that prefer different primers.

 

[spclark]

How do y'all go about testing different primers?

Test 'em? Hardly. I just use either Wolf (Russian), CCI BR'S or Federal Match, in that order. For my needs they all seem to work just fine thanks. Testing'd be a waste of time, components and barrel life.

 

[Hombre0321]

If you do want to test another component the simple and safe way is back off of your normal load 10% and start the work up back from there. This will keep you out of trouble.

RS

 

[jlow]

What if one back your load off 10% and load up six rounds and load 3 with the old primer, the other three with the new primer, and check the MVs of the two groups. If they are not significantly different would this mean that there are no significant pressure differences between the two primers?

 

[North Fork]

I switch from federal match to the Remington 7 and a half and it tighten up the group

 

[spclark]

If they are not significantly different would this mean that there are no significant pressure differences between the two primers?

I'd be inclined to believe so but my practice would be (and has been) to load up at least five rounds of each combination then look at the velocity deviation / spread.

It's not so much a question - to me at least - of pressure differences as it is the pressure curve and the primer's effect on it.

 

[broncman]

I recently shot an FTR class at 600 yards with my 223. It was a two day match and during practice I did not pay attention to the amount of primers I had on hand.
I ran out of BR-4 and had to shoot half the matches the second day with federal match primers instead. I went from holding great sub moa vertical at 600 to over 1moa at 600. Just on primer change alone!

My other load with a different powder likes the federal though!!

Funny thing is, I could not tell a difference much at 100 yards. When I stepped out to my 300 yard range I can.

 

[FroggyOne2]

I am sold on Wolf/Tula primers..

 

[savageshooter86]

Froggy I have wanted to try the Russian ones because seen alot of people say they are awesome and really help tune their load alot. Just wasn't sure how to do it. If I needed to rework the load and see or start with primers only first to see which give lowest numbers at a given charge then work up from that point

 

[dooley]

I recently shot at 100yds with a friend and when we had finished shooting and we went to look at the targets one of his 5 shot groups stood out from the rest, it was almost a 1/4 moa, his rifle was a 6mmbr, he said you will never believe this, these 5 rounds had small pistol primers in them, I loaded them by mistake,and decided to shoot them off rather than pull them, further more, this group had the lowest ES, However this 5 shot group was 50 FPS down on the other groups, personally I would have pulled the bullets, you live and learn. dooley (UK)

 

[Trevor60]

I have run a similar test with the lapua small primer brass, using all the same components and charge weight I tested the CCI BR4 against the Fed 205m the results were notable
the CCI Br4 provided 15fps increase in speed with and a larger ES 13 and SD 6 while the
Federal 205m showed an ES of 10 and an SD of 4

The tighter ES and SD did show up on target at 300yrds with less vertical using the 205m

Trevor