Winchester Match Primers?

[44Blam]

I was browsing PowderVallery.com and I saw that they have the normal Winchester primers and now they have Winchester Match primers...

Anyone know what the difference is?

I have used CCI primers in the past, but I almost always end up buying Winchester and I have had very few boolits that did not go BANG - maybe one or two in years of reloading...

[rancher1913]

they cost more

match primers are supposed to be more reliable and are used for bench rest shooting

[NSB]

I spend countless hours at the bench shooting groups (just for fun, I'm retired and like to shoot). I've got a cabinet full of every primer out there and I play around always trying to improve my best groups. To be honest, I've rarely found that a "match" primer makes a difference in group size. I have found that simply changing primers from brand A to brand B sometimes makes a difference, and it doesn't have to be from a standard to a match primer to make a difference. Before you put all your eggs in that basket, buy a hundred and see if you can tell the difference.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would assume the difference is about uniformity...quality control and testing...yada yada yada.

A few months ago, I had an interesting discussion with my uncle about Primer manufacture and 22LR manufacture, he is retired, but worked at Federal for 30+ years after his stint in the military. During the 22LR shortage (of 2013), I recall hearing that primers were made on the same machines that primed 22LR. So I asked my uncle that question, he said he didn't know how other manufacturers made them, but at Federal, Primer compound is formed and handled by hand But, sometime in the 90s they had designed robots to form and handle the primer compound...get this...in that same manner and motion as they were formed by human hand
He didn't elaborate on 22LR manufacture, except that it was done on a machine. but he did mention...in the late 80s and 90s when Federal started making match 22LR, they were made on the same machines as everything else, that ammo was just tested, weighted, and inspected more scrupulously.

[country gent]

From what I have been able to gather over the years match primers are held to tighter tolerances thru the run. with modern manufacturing practices this is easier to do And more constant than 10-20 years ago. Cups may be annealed or formed tighter same with the anvils. priming pellets held to closer tolerances. One thing I noticed / seen when testing primers ( a single case firing a pellet with no propellent other than the batches of primers) the match primers almost always gave the lowest extreme spread and standard deviations on the chronograph. Since the same rifle and case was used for small rifle ( the same rifle and case for large rifle also). there was very little change in testing. One thing I couldn't accurately test was the brisance of the various primers. Primers were decapped by hand and hand seated for each shot. The same lot number of 22 cal pellets used.

I suspect match primers may be selected thru sorting on the SPC numbers during the run. The closest best primers may get the "match labeled" sleeve while others in tolerance may get std sleeves. Think of your normal manufacturing bell curve and the top 1/8 of the bell is designated as match then from there down to the last 1/8 is standards. the last are reclaimed as out of specs.

[tomme boy]

One of the Sunday gun shows on TV did a story on CCI and how they made ammo. I think it was Shooting USA. They did a report on the primers. Basically they dropped a small amount of primer compound onto a perforated table. The primer cups were under this. Then the worker would use a squeegee to go over the hole with the compound. The compound was wet so it could be compacted. They said the match primers were done by a certain person as they were the most consistent. And these workers were usually a woman. Other wise they were the exact same primer.

[NSB]

One of the Sunday gun shows on TV did a story on CCI and how they made ammo. I think it was Shooting USA. They did a report on the primers. Basically they dropped a small amount of primer compound onto a perforated table. The primer cups were under this. Then the worker would use a squeegee to go over the hole with the compound. The compound was wet so it could be compacted. They said the match primers were done by a certain person as they were the most consistent. And these workers were usually a woman. Other wise they were the exact same primer.

This is the right answer. Just using a "match" primer isn't going to work any wonders for you if you don't uniform the flash hole and seat them uniformly. Brissance can be measured and is a good way to measure uniformity and accuracy to standards. Priming compound is "wiped" on by hand and in .22lr cases it's spun in the case to spread it around inside. Not even close to the same process. Somewhere out there, there is a video showing primer manufacturing. A Google search should bring it up.

[rancher1913]

i've seen the 22lr video, they have the women standing in water to eliminate static wile they prime the cases.

[kevin c]

I think the priming compound isn't sensitive until it's dry, but there's the risk of compound dust and crumbs being around (ever run an alcohol swab through your primer tubes? - it'll come out bright yellow from the lead styphnate residue that came off the primers run through them).

I have a copy of the old NRA publication on ammunition manufacture (an interesting read for me). Back in the day, match ammo (and I'd guess match components, including primers, brass, bullets and canister powders) were the lots run through the same machines that tested out to be the most consistent. It'd be pretty expensive to have a separate process or a special set of machines for the premium stuff compared to QC testing that'll get you to the same end point.