I bought 5000 of these Servicios Aventuras small pistol primers for 250$. Cheapest primers I have found in a long while. I had run a few hundred previously without problems so I dove in. Here is an interesting find this week with these primers:
What I am seeing is cratering without any other signs of pressure. These are mixed used brass, some with quite a few loads out of them. 124gr coated rn acme, 4.0 grains of clean shot and 1.140 getting about 1050 fps average. I have not seen anything like this with other primers in the past. I am today loading the same load with some Winchester SP and will compare. Just wondering if anyone has run into this. The cases in the pictures are placed in a case gauge and some dropped right in some slightly raised as the picture but none seemed bulged, no obvious case bulges, no extractor marks that I can see, primers do not seem to be flattened. Just the craters. ? OH, shooting through an officers STI 1911 (escort) and another double stack STI VIP and a new to me Alpha Foxtrot double stack. All shot well with about 200 rounds down range and no issues either shooting or loading.
Just writing this to get some input. Been loading for a few years now in my little SDB but have not seen this. Don't really think this load should be high pressure at all. I have thousands of rounds through the STI guns without any of this, that is I don't think the firing pin hole is loose around the pin as you would think I would have seen this before. I think its the primers. I also loaded some in my 10mm and see exactly the same thing. On the 10mm, my first loads were with the Winchester SPP (yes small, I know but I only use SPP). I did not see the cratering with the W brand, just the Argentinian primers. Again, gona load up the same load with other brands to compare.
Thanks in advance for ANY input.