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small pistol primer sensitivity ranking


Fkimble

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Currently loading 9mm with those hard Tula sp primers. Am getting low and am on the hunt for more of any type. Also am wanting to swap out the hammer spring again in my old CZ75-B for a lighter one to help with the double action and hopefully a little on the single action. Replaced it a couple years ago with a 15lb due to my current Tula primers. OK we all know Federal are the lightest. At least thats what i've always heard. But alas there are none to be found in my neck of the woods(S of Atlanta). So whats the current consensus on ranking of SP primers? Candidates are in no particular order: Feredal, R-P, Winchester, CCI, Wolf/Tula(noticed one or two of the major online suppliers no longer list these in their primer list). Saw some MagTech a few years ago, any others? My quess would be Federal, Winchester, CCI and Wolf/Tula. but would like to hear from the higher volume competion shooters.

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Here you go and welcome to the forums.

PRIMER CHART & REFERENCE GUIDE

Small Handgun Standard .017" cup thickness

CCI 500
Federal 100 - Has a soft cup - good to use if hammer strike is light.
Federal 100M - Match version of above
Magtech PR-SP
Magtech PR-SPC - Lead-free "Clean Range" primer for indoor ranges etc.
Remington 1 ½
RWS 4031
Winchester WSP
Wolf/Tula Small Pistol SP #KVB-9 - brass cup - "For Standard Pistol loads"
Wolf/Tula Small Pistol #KVB-9SP - "For 9×19 NATO cartridges"
Wolf/Tula Small Pistol #KVB-9S - "For Sporting Pistol loads"

Small Handgun Magnum .017" cup thickness

CCI 550 See Note 1 at the bottom of page
Federal 200
Federal 200M - Match version of above
Magtech PR-SPM
Remington 5 ½
RWS 4047
Winchester WSPM
Wolf/Tula Small Pistol Magnum SPM #KVB-9M - brass cup - "For Magnum Pistol loads"

Large Handgun Standard .020" cup thickness

CCI 300
Federal 150 - Has a thinner cup
Magtech PR-LP
Remington 2 ½
RWS 5337
Winchester WLP
Wolf/Tula Large Pistol LP #KVB-45 - brass cup - "For Standard Pistol loads"

Large Handgun Magnum .020" cup thickness

CCI 350
Federal 155
Wolf/Tula Large Pistol Magnum LPM #KVB-45M - brass cup - For Magnum Pistol loads

Small Rifle Standard

CCI 400 -thin .020" cup, not recommended for AR15 use by CCI/Speer. Good for .22 Hornet, .30 Carbine. See Note 1 at the bottom of the page
CCI BR4 - match primer with a thicker .025" cup.
Federal 205 - Mil-Spec cup thickness according to Federal - okay for 5.56mm. .0225" cup thickness.
Federal 205M - same as the 205 but the match version.
Magtech PR-SR - .025" cup thickness (not much feedback yet on this new primer as to AR15 suitability but with the same cup thickness as the Rem 7 1/2 it looks good so far)
Remington 6 ½ - thin .020" cup, intended for older, lower pressure rounds Remington says do not use for the .223 Rem or other similar pressure rounds. Good for .22 Hornet, .30 Carbine.
Remington 7 ½ BR - A match or "bench rest" primer. Lyman & Nosler classify this primer as a Standard. Remington says the compound is the same as the 6 1/2 but with a thicker .025" cup.
RWS 4033
Winchester WSR - some piercing issues noted when changed from silver to brass cup. Cup thickness is a bit thinner at .021". Most say they are good to go for the AR15 despite that, probably because of the hardness of the cup. Some feel they are less resistant to higher pressures.
Wolf/Tula Small Rifle SR #KVB-223 - soft, sensitive copper cup, not recommended for AR15/military rifle use or high pressure rounds.

Small Rifle Magnum

CCI 450 - same thicker .025" cup as the BR4 and #41.
CCI #41 - commercial version of the fully-qualified DOD primer for use in U.S. military ammo. With this primer there is more 'distance' between the tip of the anvil and the bottom of the cup than with other CCI SR primers. .025" thick cup. Same primer mix as CCI 450.
Remington 7 ½ BR - A match or "bench rest" primer. Hornady, Handloads.com, and Chuck Hawks classify this primer as a Magnum, differing from other sources that classify it as a Standard. .025" cup thickness.
Wolf/Tula Small Rifle Magnum SRM - hard, less sensitive brass cup intended for AR15/military rifle and high pressure rounds - #KVВ-5,56M.
Wolf/Tula Small Rifle 223 SR223 - #KVB-223M "This is the newest primer available in the Wolf line. It is ever so slightly hotter than the small rifle magnum primer and it comes with a brass colored thick cup. This primer can be used in place of the SRM primer or used when a different powder is used that is hard to ignite."

Large Rifle Standard

CCI 200 - mild in brisance. Hard enough for use in semi-automatics.
CCI BR2 - same as the 200 but the match version. Hard enough for use in semi-automatics.
Federal 210 - medium brisance between CCI/Remington & Winchester. Do not use in semi-automatics.
Federal 210M - match version of the above primer. Do not use in semi-automatics.
Magtech PR-LR
Remington 9 ½ - mild in brisance.
RWS 5341
Winchester WLR - the hottest standard primer. Hard enough for use in semi-automatics.
Wolf/Tula Large Rifle LR #KVB-7 - all brass - "For Standard Rifle loads".
Wolf/Tula Large Rifle #KVB-7,62 - "For 7,62 NATO cartridges"

Wolf/Tula primers are used by noted match shooter David Tubbs who says: "Be sure they are seated into the case - if not they can be hard to ignite. Russian primers use a different sinoxide compound (closer to the European type), which, in my testing, consistently delivers better extreme spreads over Federal..." Hard enough for use in semi-automatics.

Large Rifle Magnum

CCI 250
CCI #34 - commercial version of the fully-qualified DOD primer for use in U.S. military ammo.
Federal 215 - original magnum primer
Remington 9 ½ M - mildest magnum primer.
RWS 5333
Winchester WLRM
Wolf/Tula Large Rifle Magnum LRM #KVB-7M - all brass - "For Magnum Rifle loads".

50 BMG

CCI #35 - commercial version of the fully-qualified DOD primer for use in U.S. military ammo.
Winchester 8312
Wolf/Tula 50 Cal Machine Gun #KVB-50 - For 50 Browning Machine Gun

Primers recommended for use in .223 Rem/5.56 semiautomatic rifle loads:

CCI #41, 450, BR4 (#41 & 450 good with ball powder)
Federal 205, 205M
Remington 7 1/2 BR (good with ball powder)
Winchester WSR (good with ball powder)
Wolf SRM (good with ball powder)
Wolf SR223 (hotter than SRM - great with ball powder)

Primers recommended for use in .308 Win/7.62x51/7.62x39 semiautomatic rifle loads:

CCI #34, 200, BR2, CCI 250
Winchester WLR, WLRM (good with ball powder)
Wolf LR

WOLF/TULA PRIMER APPLICATION CHART FOR ALL PRIMERS - http://www.mpzflame.ru/production/primers/
Wolf and Tula are two of the common U.S. marketing names of primers made by Murom (OJSC «Murom Apparatus Producing plant» "For many years, our constant partners are «The Tula Cartridge Works», «Barnaul Cartridge Plant» and others.").

##################################################################################

NOTE 1: According to Speer/CCI Technical Services - Both the CCI 550 Small Pistol Magnum and CCI 400 Small Rifle primers are identical in size. Both primers use the same cup metal and share the same cup thickness. Both primers use the same primer compound formula and same amount of primer compound. They can be used interchangeably.
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In my personal experience.

Federal is very easy to light off.

CCI / WIN I have never had a issue with either, and will load either/or for match ammo. In my glocks with factory springs they both ignite with no issues. My girlfriends SV ignites WIN SPM just fine.

Remington I refuse to use unless its all I can get, then I load it in practice ammo. I was getting several light primer stikes out of each session with my glock. I changed striker springs and it seemed to help some but they are still noticeably harder to ignite then FED/WIN/CCI as I had no issues with any of those primers. I will still get a light strike every now and again.

Hope that helps.

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Youngeyes, I hope you had that filed away and didn't have to type it all in! Some very good info, gonna bookmark it for future ref. Many tks.

Hmmm, I seem to have plenty of CCI 400 SR primers on the shelf. They were there for the space gun and the 223 varmint guns. I'M a HiPower shooter. But sounds like they are not the best suited for those guns. But sounds like they would make good mid soft SP primers in a pinch.

I just checked, my Tula are KVB-9, standard pistol load. Not sure how that compares to the sporting pistol primers, I suspect the sporting may be the softer cups. Also found another 5K of the Tula in the wrong stack! Was gonna drop down to a 13# spring, may do it and see if it will ignite the Tulas. The 15# has been 100%.

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I have only used 4 small pistol primer manufactures and this is my cents worth. Listed softest to hardest.

Federal

Winchester

Tula

CCI

I would get an extended firing pin from CGW of CZ Custom and then you would have a much less problem.

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I shoot lots of 38 Special through tuned revolvers. Also 40/10mm and 45acp/45AR.

What I have found:

Federal = Easiest to set off.

Winchester = New Brass Cup seem to be softer than CCI

CCI and OLD Silver Cup Winchester = harder to set off

Never used Russian Primers so far.

Not real fond of Remington Primers except Small Rifle Bench Rest which I do use some.

Bob

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I'll tell you that I've loaded nothing but "those hard Tula primers" and have had 100% ignition with them with an 11# main spring. I use a CGW extended firing pin though.

I'm pretty sure I can go 100% with an 8.5# spring if I wanted to. Get that FP and never look back!

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The CCI 500(OEM), if you can find them are very close to federals. I use them in my tuned revo, which will not fire the standard CCI 500. I will get 100% ignition from both Federal and CCI OEM's.

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It would seem, from the information you have listed, that CCI has changed the thickness of the CCI 500 primer cups. They used to be thinner than you list.

With the cost cutting things CCI has done in recent years, they may well have made such a change.

Guy

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