Action Job and Federal Primers

[Quadrant]

I have been reading posts from some of the fine revolversmiths on this forum that, in order to get the maximum benefit from an action job, one must use "well seated" Federal primers. My issue is: I do not reload but still want the maximum effect of the action job. My question is: Does the commerical Federal ammo contain said Federal primers that are being referenced, by the smiths. (Don't flame me...lol Just making sure I'm comparing apples...) So if they are one and the same, a complete action job on my 625 should be ok have done. Is this assumption correct?

Regards

[Carmoney]

Federal ammo does indeed use Federal primers. But they don't seat the primers enough for optimal ignition efficiency.

My 625s are specifically tuned to have the lightest possible DA pull with well-seated Federal primers only. They are 100% reliable with my handloaded ammo that has hand-seated Federal primers, but will sometimes misfire with Federal factory ammo. In order to work with Federal factory stuff, the primers need to be re-seated with a hand-priming toola (which is no big deal to do). If I want my guns to run with Federal factory ammo straight from the box, I could make that happen easily enough by simply increasing the mainspring tension a little bit.

Any good revolversmith can tune the action to whatever ammo you specify. If you want to run Federal factory stuff straight from the box, just inform the 'smith in advance and it should be no problem.

[Toolguy]

That would be the logical assumption. However, ATK owns Federal and CCI. Knowing how they operate there is no guarantee that Federal factory ammo will never ever have some CCI primers.

I would run with Federal ammo until you have a problem, then figure out what to do.

[GSWEAR]

That would be the logical assumption. However, ATK owns Federal and CCI. Knowing how they operate there is no guarantee that Federal factory ammo will never ever have some CCI primers.

I would run with Federal ammo until you have a problem, then figure out what to do.

A big +1 on what Warren said, I seen Federal add about a month ago for one of their lines of ammo (I think it was their cheaper ammo) and one of the things they were advertising was useing "CCI's primers of legendary reliability" so there is definatly some Federal ammo out there with CCI primers.

Greg

Edit: It was Federal Champion ammo. Here is a link to Cabelas for some Federal Champion 45, take a look at the product description.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Federal-Champion-45-ACP-Ammunition/1202951.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3D45%2Bacp%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=45+acp&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Edited August 1, 2011 by GSWEAR

[M1911]

I had Mike do an action job on my Model 66. I'm using Winchester primers, well seated but not crushed, and told Mike that. As a result, the action is heavier than could be achieved with crushed Federal primers. I've put several thousand rounds through the gun since I got it back from Mike. I can remember one misfire, which showed a light strike. I'm guessing that I didn't properly seat that primer.

Just for kicks, I tried firing factory Federal 357 Magnum ammo out of it. Three of six rounds failed to fire. That's OK for me, since this is strictly a game gun. I have another Model 66 that has a milder action job on it, that was performed by one of the shooters on this board. That gun is completely reliable with all ammo that I've tried (including factory magnums), but has a significantly heavier trigger than the gun that Mike did for me.

If you want the lightest revolver trigger, you will need to reload. I don't see any way around that.

Personally, I couldn't afford to shoot as much as I do without reloading. Factory ammunition is just way too expensive.

[Quadrant]

Thanks guys for the replys... They are most helpful.

Regards

[RevolverJockey]

I am not recommending this, more just asking, but why could you not just get a hand priming tool like an RCBS or Lee and hand seat the primers in the loaded rounds. I have loaded over 50k rounds and only ever had one primer do off. That really was my fault not the presses. I have hand seated thousands of primers that were already seated to get them seated a bit more and never had an issue. Just a thought.

Lee

[Team Amish 1]

I am not recommending this, more just asking, but why could you not just get a hand priming tool like an RCBS or Lee and hand seat the primers in the loaded rounds. I have loaded over 50k rounds and only ever had one primer do off. That really was my fault not the presses. I have hand seated thousands of primers that were already seated to get them seated a bit more and never had an issue. Just a thought.

Lee

Someone who does not handload at all and has never felt a well seated primer does probably not know when the perfect seating depth has been reached or what the signals are that there is no more give. I handseat my revo rounds, too but never post-seat. I'd say, once the round's complete - leave it alone. I've once blown a primer in the living room, hand priming, and I did not see that coming. I also did not see the frying pan that my wife hit me over the head with in response... (ok, that's embellished) Anyways, I do not want a round going off in my lap while I am post-seating the primer. But that's just me.

Is there nobody who sells a commercial .45 custom revo load?

Even better, just buy a cheap progressive reloader. It ain't rocket science.

[Toolguy]

Might give Doug Carden a call and see if he would be up for making some well seated ammo.

DC AMMO in the BE vendor forums.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Toolguy

[coldchar]

I have a custom made PPC gun on a K frame. The gunsmith set it up to shoot reliably all day long with Winchester primers. Federal primers spook me a bit as I have had one go off in my 550. I know I am starting a fight, but there is no revolver in the world with a lighter, smoother trigger pull than a PPC gun and if it can handle Winchester primers, any gun properly set up should be able to do the same.

[Carmoney]

Ah....coldchar....you really need to go out to Rio Salado and handle the guns used by the top guys shooting ICORE out there.

You can put a nice and moderately light action on a gun and still have it work with Winchester primers, but the competition guns set up for well-seated Federal primers have double-action trigger pulls that you need to experience to understand.

[coldchar]

I stand corrected. I have done so, the moment just got away from me.

Jim Gross

[West Texas Granny]

Ah....coldchar....you really need to go out to Rio Salado and handle the guns used by the top guys shooting ICORE out there.

You can put a nice and moderately light action on a gun and still have it work with Winchester primers, but the competition guns set up for well-seated Federal primers have double-action trigger pulls that you need to experience to understand.

Let me guess. Double Action is like pulling your trigger finger through air?

[Toolguy]

Almost.

[West Texas Granny]

Almost.

Got a 29-3 just like that. The action job was so good the gunsmith wanted to buy it from me. It's one smooth trigger pull.

[sargenv]

I find that it helps to actually shoot the gun for a while before handing it off to a gunsmith.. nothing feels better to me than a nice worn in gun (at least 10,000 rounds) that has had the final work done by a good revolversmith.. I've felt the trigger pulls on guns that were sent for smithing NIB and they just don't feel all that good to me.

[buckaroo45]

I have a question for you higher end types. I recently purchased an early Lew Horton 627 w/ one of Mike's full on triggers. I also have a recent 627 Pro that I did the Jerry M / Wolf spring mod on. Mike's work is as close to a religous experience as I may ever get. As you say, ya just gotta feel one.

The Pro, while not exactly a Roseann Barr to a Halley Berry, is a distant second. To the question. When I pull thru the trigger on the Pro it goes thru to ignition with no appreciable "stop spot" just before breaking the shot. On Mikes' I find I can easily "stage" the trigger just before the break. A wonderful trait for 8" plates at distance.

On Mikes' trigger I get the "staging" with a Hogue wooden finger groove stock and a straight pull thru, no staging, using a French Trausch rubber or Hogue rubber grip. Is that a result of Mikes' work or the grip? I also have 2 625's, both with trigger jobs but not Mikes', that don't have the "staging" effect with a Hogue Big Butt, JM clone, or stock Hogue rubber or S&W X frame rubber grips. BTW, to me rubber = grip. Wood = stocks.

I'm as confused as a high school drop out in TV game show. Any comments?

____________________________________________________________________________________

"Character is doing what's right when nobody's looking." J.C. Watts

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[chirpy]

My wife and I went to the NRA Convention and got to fondle a well tuned revo! My wife isn't a gun person let alone a revo person but she was impressed. I was amazed and cried all the way home cause I couldn't take it with me.

Richard