Standard and Magnum primers

[Tim Singleton]

Starting this post after reading another post in the 6mm section. The question was should the guy use magnum primers with a stout load of slow burning powder.

I have read a lot of conflicting posts on standard and magnum primers. Some say there is no difference in them other than the magnum has a thicker cup. Others say that the magnum is hotter.

Which is it?

 

[CatShooter]

Starting this post after reading another post in the 6mm section. The question was should the guy use magnum primers with a stout load of slow burning powder.

I have read a lot of conflicting posts on standard and magnum primers. Some say there is no difference in them other than the magnum has a thicker cup. Others say that the magnum is hotter.

Which is it?

Magnum primers are designed to deliver more "heat", but that does not mean more pressure. The magnum primer flame lasts longer so that powders that have hard to light coatings can get going - some magnum primers can give slightly lower pressures and velocities.

 

[Tim Singleton]

Sounds like one vote for. Hotter

 

[Raythemanroe]

try both through a chrono

 

[mcxring]

I have done extensive primer testing, all the cci, and feds, and wolf, I have found that mag primers used with a double base powder would increase vel by 50-60 fts, and with extruded powders it would lose up to 75 fps, I guess it is the effect that it has on the nitroglycerin in the D.B. powder. I love the wolf mag primers in CFE223, what would be 2338 with a standard primer is 2403 with the wolf. You have to have a chrono for primer tests. You wouldn't think those little things could make a difference but they do, the primer that gives me the smallest groups consistently is the fed gm match primers.

 

[6BRinNZ]

Check out the CCI page

http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/primers/primers.aspx?id=29

Snippets from their web site;

- 23 percent hotter flame than standard primers
- Increased flame duration

Some real-world shooting conditions require more aggressive initiation than provided by standard primers. Large cases, cold weather, and certain propellants often require a hotter primer flame and a longer burn. CCI Magnum primers offer you that edge.

What you will see on paper and the chrony is up to your combination of components and reloading practice.

German Salazar suggests on his blogs to use a primer that contributes the least amount of energy to the equation. But in 6mm guys are finding outstanding accuracy using magnum primers.

The upshot is - there is a reason and place to use magnum primers but a lot of guys have found that if you use them in circumstances where supposedly they aren't needed you can have the very best of results.

 

[Tim Singleton]

Check out the CCI page

http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/primers/primers.aspx?id=29

Snippets from their web site;

- 23 percent hotter flame than standard primers
- Increased flame duration

Some real-world shooting conditions require more aggressive initiation than provided by standard primers. Large cases, cold weather, and certain propellants often require a hotter primer flame and a longer burn. CCI Magnum primers offer you that edge.

What you will see on paper and the chrony is up to your combination of components and reloading practice.

All the guys that post there is no difference except cup thickness probably shouldn't be speaking about something they are not qualified to

 

[6BRinNZ]

Check out the CCI page

http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/primers/primers.aspx?id=29

Snippets from their web site;

- 23 percent hotter flame than standard primers
- Increased flame duration

Some real-world shooting conditions require more aggressive initiation than provided by standard primers. Large cases, cold weather, and certain propellants often require a hotter primer flame and a longer burn. CCI Magnum primers offer you that edge.

What you will see on paper and the chrony is up to your combination of components and reloading practice.

All the guys that post there is no difference except cup thickness probably shouldn't be speaking about something they are not qualified to

But they might not notice a difference on paper - everything has to be put into context....yes the internet is a place to be wary of face value statements.

 

[Nomad47]

Someone once told me, "If you are shooting paper, use standard primers, but if you are hunting dangerous game, use magnum primers".

 

[hoverp]

It Also depends on the primer manufacturer. Don't translate CCI info for all primer manufacturers .

 

[jlow]

This is exactly correct. For example, Wolf Magnum SR primers actually burns cooler with a much small flame than a regular SR primer like Rem 7 1/2 which is not a magnum primer. This has been documented by German Salzar. What it does have is a thicker cup. So generalized statements should be avoided.

 

[6BRinNZ]

This is exactly correct. For example, Wolf Magnum SR primers actually burns cooler with a much small flame than a regular SR primer like Rem 7 1/2 which is not a magnum primer. This has been documented by German Salzar. What it does have is a thicker cup. So generalized statements should be avoided.

Just curious but German actually say that or did he just comment on the size of the flame, and then conduct testing to to see if there was a correlation between pressure, accuracy and the flash size. I'm not sure that he commented on the duration of the flame which is an important characteristic to consider in the context of the OPs question.

OP - I'm not sure that there is a standard (defacto or otherwise) that defines the heat and duration of the flash for a given primer from a manufacturer to compare against so terms such as hotter and longer can only be compared within a specific manufacturers standard and magnum offerings.