I think the fact that the email was "spam" might be an indication that maybe they are not real S&B primers, ot that they are substandard primers that have been diverted to the grey market.
I think the fact that the email was "spam" might be an indication that maybe they are not real S&B primers, ot that they are substandard primers that have been diverted to the grey market.
Last edited by walkingjay; 06-12-2015 at 11:32 PM. Reason: duplicate
When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives.
Robert A. Heinlein
Stupidity IS fixable, and usually for less then a dollar, but the real issue is whether it's worth all the paperwork afterwords
I don't know if the bad QC goes overseas, but for some years Sellier & Bellot is owned by CBC/Magtech, which is not the best brand around. Unfortunatedly, in Brazil it's the only thing available, since gun control hit us. Last year, CBC/Magtech also acquired a large portion of Taurus shares (i don't know exactly how many, but seems they took over), so looks like we having a firearm conglomerate of "so-so" quality... LOL
I had some problem in the past with the CBC 209/50 primers, intended for .410 and 32ga shells. They were a bunch smaller than the hole of once fired hulls, so I swaged the hole with a piece of steel and they were firm enough to fire well.
Now the primers are coming ok.
I've had exactly the opposite impression. I picked up 1000 LP and 1000 SR at Cabelas for 22.99 a while back and have since loaded and shot every single one. Not one failure to fire, popped or backing out primer, nothing. The closest thing I had to a problem was mashing 2 or 3 when I got a bit too excited and encountered a crimped pocket I had missed. As others pointed out, I the same issue I get with any brand when the press would get a bit dry or an errant piece of media or powder would end up in the primer slide system.
I'm picking up a pile of them at 19.99/1000 at Cabela's this weekend. That's cheaper than PV sells them, nevermind no haz-mat. Throw in some Cabela's points and I will be a happy camper!
Yep no issues with S&B and will buy again and again.
+1 No Issues with S&B Primers LPP and SPPs. I have a pretty good stock of several brands and the Dillon just hums along with all of them. No S&B duds yet either. Price is right and Powder Valley seems to always have em so if CCIs are out of stock I grab these.
What is best in life?
1. Crush your enemies
2. See them driven before you
3. Hear the lamentations of their women
Is there a sale going on at cabelas for primers this weekend Rich_Kildow?
Thought I'd ignite this thread again as I had two S&B duds today. I have to take part of the blame. The two duds appeared that the primer was not all the way home. Operator error obviously a contributing factor. BUT I suspect that due to the inconsistent size and the varying amount of elbow grease needed to send the primers home may have played a role. Both duds fired on the 2nd strike. The duds were both in a S&W 25-2 chambered in 45 Colt. I shot up one hundred rounds with about a 50/50 split with the S&W and a Ruger Blackhawk. No duds in the Ruger.
I think back, maybe I shouldn't be bell aching. I just don't recall the numbers but do remember the price at the time was dirt cheap compared to the biggies like Midway, Graffs etc. I got what I paid for especially during that period of scarcity, purchase limits and price gouging.
As I stated earlier. I'll shoot them up trying to use the all S&B's up first. For any hand loads that my life may depend on or if I draw a Javalina handgun hunt tag. I'll use my favorite primer brand, Winchester.
A member of my gun collector's club brought up a good point after hearing me complain about the tight primer pockets on S&B brass. It is not written in stone that all boxer LP primers have to be .210. S&B can make their primers and primer pockets what ever size they dang well please. Possibly S&B intentionally manufacture the primer pockets on the small side for particular reason.
Last edited by azrednek; 09-29-2015 at 02:55 AM.
I have found them to be more consistant in size than primer pockets are. I've run S&B SP and LP through my 550 with no problems at all. Around 15K so far and not one misfire. The primer pickup tubes don't slide over them from the flip tray as easy because the backside has less radius than the CCI's do on the edges. Other than that I interchange them with CCI's no problem.
A person can find complaints about most brands of reloading components(brass and primers are a popular gripe) if they look for them. I have quite a bit of S&B brass and it is some of the best 9mm brass I have, I like tight primer pockets, means I am going to get more loads in them because at my range level loads those pockets go before it splits. Magtech has been selling primers for a long time, they are hard, but as long as they are seated they fire just fine unless you are running light springs, in which case you already know federal primers are used almost exclusively in "gaming" firearms.
No problem with S&B primers for me, they are the "go to" primers here, since they are almost always available and at fair prices compared to the "better" primers from the good old US of A. They are somewhat "harder" than the most other makes, but since I normally swage/uniform all my brass before loading them for the first time, I have no complaints seating them with my Dillon 550B.
When I used S&B primers I've found it necessary to ream all the cases even the non crimped to get the feel and with less effort.
"An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out." Will Rogers
I've used several thousand of them and I'm happy with their performance and the price I got them for.
I too like S&B primers. I think they are a good bit softer then CCI and Wolf primers. They seat nicely in my SP cases (.32, .38). They all ignite with ease and have had no failure to fire with them. I save the Wolf and CCI for the semi autos.
You can miss fast & you can miss a lot, but only hits count.
back during the Clinton primer shortage I got 1000 small rifle and 1500 small pistol s&b from navy arms. never had a problem with them.
I ran about 20k small pistol primers that I picked up when cabellas had them for under 20$ and they where every bit as reliable as cci and I had far fewer crushed/flipped primers in my 650 I think due to the fact that they have less of a radius on the edge.
I really wish they would go on sale again. At 27.00 I will just pay the extra 2$ for cci or Winchester and support American companies even though I prefer the s&b but when they are more than 10$ difference my principals kind of fall victim to my cheapness.
Last edited by Papercidal; 12-09-2018 at 12:32 AM.
I had bought some several years back and as I’ve run out of CCI spp I’ve used them they were sold under the guise that they weren’t marked for anything other than being small and would work fine. I’ve loaded 1000+ for my 223 with out a hitch but I’ve had hell getting my 9s and other small pistols to work after inquiring about it here I found out you have to go by one of the numbers on the box to find out weather they are small pistol or rifle. Doubt that’s your feeding issue but might be something to check on
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Using Tapatalk
About primer reliability.
Most ammo companies also are in the military ammo business where reliability is a matter of life and death for both the customer and the company.
The only way to test energetic materials like primers is destructive firing tests. Quality assurance has to be accomplished by statistical methods since you will not have any product left if you test fire every primer. Because of all the statistical process contols used it is very unlikely that you got a dud primer. I have seen pierced and burned through primers but never a dud unless the ammo went through the washing machine in my pocket.
EDG
I have shot several 1000 S&B primers both large and small pistol with no issues. I use a Lyman ram prime die to seat them.
NRA Benefactor Member NRA Golden Eagle
I have had no problems with Sml, and large Pistols Primers,
Price is good Also.
Barman54
Out
GONRA's not sure if anyone commented above on azrednek's "too small 1930's FA .45 ACP brass primer pockets".
That's because these were 0.204 inch diameter (not 0.210 inch diameter.)
Sometime AFTER WWII everyone started using 0.210 inch diameter........
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |