Old round top primers

[Jim]

Awhile back, I bought a box lot of reloading junk at an auction. In the bottom, I found a full box of military issue .45 ACP ammo. Typical NATO BALL loads, brown box, black lettered nomenclature.
Made in '66 by Western Cartridge Company. Nothing particularly special about it except, I noticed the rounded primers. Anybody know when production of rounded primers stopped? Just curious.

http://fgsp.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/wcc-002-e1292428036333.jpg

[jcwit]

Not sure when they stopped making them, but I have some Winchester Large Rifle that are domed top that a shooting/hunting friend gave me years ago before he died. They date back to the late 40's early 50's.

[Freischütz]

I bought a Lyman Spartan press in 1970. The priming arm came with seaters for both flat and round primers.

[scrapcan]

Looks to me like they are dated 66 for 1966 by Western Cartridge Corp , thus the WCC 66 head stamp.

I am likely wrong , and if so I will be corrected.

[Rocky Raab]

It was in the early 70s. At least, you could still buy priming seating stems in both flat and rounded then.

I still have most of a thousand Western 1½ small pistol primers with rounded cups on my shelf. They make a superb Hornet primer. I use a flat seating stem and make sure I don't press overly hard with my hand primer. Haven't had a problem yet.

[GRUMPA]

Yeah I agree with Rocky on that. In 1 of my older reloading books the author points out the rounded primers and said they went out of production early\mid 70's.

[scrapcan]

The newest dates on the domed primers I have on the shelf are dated 1972 on the end flap of the carton, if that helps any at all. They winchester primers with a small wood tray for the primers.

[Jim]

Thanks, fellas! Early '70s it is.