Wolf Large Pistol Primers

[ddeaton]

:mad: They suck. Just shot my first 100 and about 20 didnt go boom. Had to recock and hit twice. Light primer strikes. Colt Series 80 45 acp, no problems with USA primers ever. these ran through my Glock 21 fine. But you look at the spent primers, both USA and Russian, through the same gun, and big difference. Russian primers must be hard as a rock. Why should I beef up my firing pin spring just for these? Then will it be too strong for USA primers? Sorry bout the rant. I havent tried any rifle yet.

[Japlmg]

Wolf primers are military spec primers, that means they are hard to prevent slam fires in semi-autos.
Gregg

[ddeaton]

So do we soup up our firing pin springs to make them go bang? They aint workin the way the are.
But im very happy with my HG130 and 4 grains of Bullseye :Fire:

[bbs70]

Haven't used any Wolf primers, because I couldn't find any.
I use Winchester large pistol primers.
Out of the last 4 thousand of those I've had about 20 or so that wouldn't go boom.
Several went boom after a second attempt, but the rest didn't
A small percentage true, but it still happens even to the best.

[lunicy]

I've never had a prob with Wolf at all. I've shot 15-17k without a FTF at all. Winchester about 5k with only a few FTF
CCI Wouldn't recommend. Had a few bad batches. (Several hundred bad primers)
CCI wouldn't even look up the batch to see if there were other cases from the same batch. I wasn't even looking for a handout. Just looking for an answer. Could have been a problem in shipping or storage, but their customer service kept insisting it was my fault. Didn't even ask me any questions, just immediately blamed me. (BTW, I ain't new to reloading)

[GabbyM]

One error those Commie primers are known for. Due to the hardness it's easy to fail to seat them all the way in. Then when the pin strikes they just get pushed the rest of the way in which cushions the strike. Need to run your finger over each case head.

[ddeaton]

I think I have some Wolf (not Russian) extra power firing pin springs for the 1911. I am going to install one and see if it helps.

[ddeaton]

One error those Commie primers are known for. Due to the hardness it's easy to fail to seat them all the way in. Then when the pin strikes they just get pushed the rest of the way in which cushions the strike. Need to run your finger over each case head.


They were all seated fine. I double checked that and seated all 100 with a hand primer. I wanted to be a little anal with these at first. Normally I would just run them through my Dillon 650 and let her rip. I am glad this come about before running them on it. I will watch it close. I like the idea they are tight, I am getting ready to run some 308 with once fired Federal brass. Everyone here says the primer pockets are soft on the Fed cases and they wont last long. I wonder if these primers will help in them?

[softpoint]

I've used about 1k of the wolf large pistol primers so far with no problem, and have started to use some of the large rifle caps, again, no problem. Bought them to save a little money over other brands. I still use Federal and Winchester as well.
I couldn't tell you the last time I had a handload missfire. Would have been at least 20k primers ago.
I wonder if some problems with primers are how and where they are stored before they are sold? Of course, some do have harder cups than others, and that can lead to problems.:-D

[HeavyMetal]

An "extra" power firing pin spring is only going to make the problem worse not better!

You need an Extra" Power Main spring! This will cause the hammer to drop harder/ hit harder which is what your looking for.

[ddeaton]

An "extra" power firing pin spring is only going to make the problem worse not better!

You need an Extra" Power Main spring! This will cause the hammer to drop harder/ hit harder which is what your looking for.


You are very right. Brain fart. That is why I think outloud on here. I will have to look through the millions of aftermarket 1911 parts to see what to come up with. Maybe a super duper titanium coated firing pin to go with it.:roll:

[Papa Foxtrot]

You might try pulling out the firing pin and cleaning the firing pin channel good.

Just a tho't,
Papa

[ddeaton]

If you think about it. Russian primers in a US armed forces service pistol. I think it is talking to me.

[AzShooter]

I've switched from Federal, the lightest sensitivity primer to the Wolfs in my rifles and pistol with no problems. A few thousand rounds in my revolver without one FTF.

Every weapon is a study in itself so your's may just need more kick to make them go off.

For what I'm paying for Wolf's I'm going to stick with them for a while. I do have 20k Federal backup though, jik.

[Cooter]

I've shot boat loads of Wolf and other russian ammo. NEVER had a bad round, NEVER a failure to fire, and NEVER an issue at all. i really have shot a ton of that stuff.

I'd blame the pistol before I blamed the primers. The advice on the firing pin channel would be my first step, second step would be clean the thing anyway, third step would be a detail strip the pistol and make sure that there's no crud and dried oil built up around the hammers pin and side surfaces that would slow down or otherwise impede the proper function of the pistol. Following that.. I'd look at the main spring.

FWIW Wolf primers are great, they are hard, but they are great.

Please don't blame the primer for your pistols short comings.

Sorry but that's just a pet peeve of mine. I'm a new guy so I should probably keep my mouth shut, but I didn't.

[Papa Foxtrot]

Checking the main spring is a good idea. The mainspring housing on the 1911 can collect crud easily thru the gap under the grip safety.

Do not put a titanium firing pin in the gun! These are lighter and s'posed to reduce lock time - but they also have less inertia. If you having problems lighting off the primer, that won't help. Also, do you know if the mainspring has been replaced? Several years ago, the hot tip was to put a lower tension mainspring as a cheap trigger job. You might try a new stock mainspring - inexpensive enough.

Also, since it's a Series 80 gun, be sure the firing pin block isn't dragging on the pin.

HTH,
Papa

[kir_kenix]

I've shot a few thousand wolf large pistol primers in the last year and I've har really good luck with them. The biggest problem with them is that they are always sold out. I usually use win primers, but when i can snag a thousand or more wolf primers, I usually hop all over them (as 1k primers can be as big as $7.50 cheaper then american primers).

Hope you get your problem with the primers sorted out. The do seem a bit harder then american primers, so you might want to keep them away from light striking guns and enjoy the savings.

[docone31]

I have used lots of Wolf primers. I used large rifle in my ACP! They are a tight fit and you get used to that, especially in milsurp brass.
To date, not one misfire.
I like them, the price, everyone seems to be out of stock lately and I hope they come back in stock.
My ACPs do not notice the difference.

[jdgabbard]

I've used Wolf primers. Never a problem. Though I have heard that several have had many problems with wolf. I personally think that it is either a issue with their loading techniques, or it is the firearm they are shooting them out of. As I have used a bunch of them without an issue at all.

On the other hand I cant say the same about CCI. I have had multiple issues with those. One time I had a whole blister pack that were all duds. Must have had a problem with the storage of those. Couldn't have been my fault. I loaded the ammo the day I bought the primers. I ended up returning those back to the store I purchased them at the following afternoon after I discovered at the range they wouldn't go boom. He gave me a box of Winchester primers for the trouble.

[ddeaton]

Like I said above, my Glock fed the same rounds fine. It is not a cleaning issue at all with my Series 80, it is clean and oiled. I will work it out. It is a built up target gun, but has stock springs all around. Again, never had an issue with it until today. Not blaming the primers, just have to adjust and rant a little. Its always a learning process. I am glad to hear a lot of you all are using these primers, as I bought enough to keep me going for a while. I like the way they seat, you can really tell when they hit home. Tight

[yondering]

Certainly won't hurt to make that firing pin hit a little harder. If it's hitting light enough to cause misfires with Wolf primers, it may not be giving optimum ignition even with the other primers you have. Primers do ignite differently depending how hard they are hit; up to a point a harder hit should give more consistent ignition, and resulting better accuracy.

If your Glock fires the wolf primers fine, it's definitely your gun. Plenty of guys clean their guns a lot but neglect the firing pin channel; make sure that's clean and nothing is binding. Try just pushing in on the firing pin with a punch, from the rear, to feel if there is any dragging, binding, or sticking. Does it have an extra light hammer for some reason?

[ddeaton]

Certainly won't hurt to make that firing pin hit a little harder. If it's hitting light enough to cause misfires with Wolf primers, it may not be giving optimum ignition even with the other primers you have. Primers do ignite differently depending how hard they are hit; up to a point a harder hit should give more consistent ignition, and resulting better accuracy.

If your Glock fires the wolf primers fine, it's definitely your gun. Plenty of guys clean their guns a lot but neglect the firing pin channel; make sure that's clean and nothing is binding. Try just pushing in on the firing pin with a punch, from the rear, to feel if there is any dragging, binding, or sticking. Does it have an extra light hammer for some reason?

No, stock hammer. I will see what Wolf has in thier spring dept.

[Geraldo]

Yondering is right-it's the pistol. If the Series 80 parts are a little out of time you could be getting some drag that's only evident with hard primer cups. Pull the Series 80 safety out and shoot it and see what happens. It's a quick way to check one possible problem, and if it runs without them you have two options: I might still have a Series 80 block you can have to run it without the safety, or you can have a gunsmith smooth and tune it up.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Those Wolf primers aren't made in Russia. They're made by Privi Partisan, the folks that've been giving us the good brass and ammo the last couple of years. Privi also makes the Wolf Gold line of ammo that's reloadable. They're good primers, but do need a solid primer strike.

Regards,

Dave

[Papa Foxtrot]

Yondering is right-it's the pistol. If the Series 80 parts are a little out of time you could be getting some drag that's only evident with hard primer cups. Pull the Series 80 safety out and shoot it and see what happens. It's a quick way to check one possible problem, and if it runs without them you have two options: I might still have a Series 80 block you can have to run it without the safety, or you can have a gunsmith smooth and tune it up.

IIRC, Colt made the Ser. 80 toggle in 4 different lengths for just this reason. If you can find a gunsmith with access to "real" Colt parts, he can put it back in time - if that's the problem...

Papa

[ChuckS1]

So do we soup up our firing pin springs to make them go bang? They aint workin the way the are.
But im very happy with my HG130 and 4 grains of Bullseye :Fire:

I shoot an H&G 68 and 3.6 grains of Bullseye in my wad gun and haven't had an alibi yet with Wolf primers. Might try a new firing pin spring.

If all else fails, send your Wolf primers to me!:-)

[ddeaton]

I think I found my problem. Sear safety half notch was catching the edge as the hammer fell. This edge did not get relieved when the fellow did the trigger job. Not enough clearance when the trigger was pulled and was just catching an edge as the hammer fell. Stoned that edge down and she works like a dream now and didnt hurt the light pull of the trigger job. I have a heavier hammer spring, which I am not going to install, as this will increase my trigger ##. I take back my first post about Wolf primers sucking. :Fire:

[mike in co]

Wolf primers are military spec primers, that means they are hard to prevent slam fires in semi-autos.
Gregg

BS...plain and simple

mike in co

[mike in co]

Those Wolf primers aren't made in Russia. They're made by Privi Partisan, the folks that've been giving us the good brass and ammo the last couple of years. Privi also makes the Wolf Gold line of ammo that's reloadable. They're good primers, but do need a solid primer strike.

Regards,

Dave
sorry dave...more BS....

I SELL WOLF PRIMERS...the boxes are clearly lablled...made in russia, even list the town or factory and the us importer.

as others have said..most likely the gun...how old, how many rounds ? try just a new stock spring prior to any upgrade.

keep them cards and letters comming....

mike in co

[ddeaton]

sorry dave...more BS....

I SELL WOLF PRIMERS...the boxes are clearly lablled...made in russia, even list the town or factory and the us importer.

as others have said..most likely the gun...how old, how many rounds ? try just a new stock spring prior to any upgrade.

keep them cards and letters comming....

mike in co

Mike, I found the fix. Read the post prior to yours. The boxes are clearly marked like you said. I have no problems with the primers now, I even said I was sorry.:-D

[yondering]

I think I found my problem. Sear safety half notch was catching the edge as the hammer fell. This edge did not get relieved when the fellow did the trigger job. Not enough clearance when the trigger was pulled and was just catching an edge as the hammer fell. Stoned that edge down and she works like a dream now and didnt hurt the light pull of the trigger job. I have a heavier hammer spring, which I am not going to install, as this will increase my trigger ##. I take back my first post about Wolf primers sucking. :Fire:

Sweet, glad to hear you got it fixed! :Fire:

[ddeaton]

Now I am getting big dents!:drinks:

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive ran into simular problems. Both with the std and mag lg pistol. If you have an action job done on your gun there about useless. even when they do go off the fact that the hammer fall is marginal causes them not to ignite properly when they do ignite causing wide standard deviation readings. The mag primers arent much stronger then the std primers and dont light off ball powder well at all. I even had a batch of them that had 3 primers out of a brick that didnt even have an anvil. Sorry but no more for this guy.

[Willbird]

I read from another source that the std and the mag primers have exactly the same compound in them, IE magnum no hotter than std, they just have a thicker cup.

NICE finding no anvils.....I guess you get what you pay for eh ??

Bill

[Lloyd Smale]

bill our chron work shows it to be true. Standard deviation and velocitys are for the most part the same. If theres a differnce its proably more of a matter of lot numbers then being a mag primer. If you want to see how inconsistant they really are take a 44 mag and load a 250 with 18 grains of aa9. We tested that load with 4 differnt standard primers and they all faired pourly but the wolfs were hands down worse then any. Switching to a mag primer even a ww that is a combo mag/std improved things drasticaly and the wolfs were as bad as the std wolfs. The are not only weak but inconsistant. I guess there good enough for plinking and pounding steal targets but for accuracy work id never use them.
I read from another source that the std and the mag primers have exactly the same compound in them, IE magnum no hotter than std, they just have a thicker cup.

NICE finding no anvils.....I guess you get what you pay for eh ??

Bill

[mike in co]

Now I am getting big dents!:drinks:

i'm going with my first statement...when did you install a new set of std springs ?

most people have no idea that springs wear in use. they need to be replaced.

when you and lloyd have both replaced the existing springs with a set of new stock springs and still have an issue, i'll move to the next step.

but we have been shooting these for a while and do not have the issues you have mentioned.

no primer manufacture is perfect, and i'm sure wolf is the same. the thing i like about wolf is the consistancy, shot to shot, and the price and availability.

mike in co