Primers: Who's are better

[No_1]

I was just looking at my stock on hand, then at the thread about prices going up and decided it is time to make a purchase. While surfing the vendors I see there are many brands available. Without considering the cost or powders used for loading which brand would you buy? CCI, Federal or Winchester?

[wiljen]

Ok, I'll put my .02 in. Winchester, then Federal.

[rugerdude]

I use Winchester for 95% of my reloading. Federal takes up the remainder.

[danski26]

Winchester for most of my reloading.....even match rifle stuff.

[Johnch]

I perferr Federal , then Remington or Winchester

But the local dealer I use , has a distributor that drops off primers and powder
Saving him the Hazmat shipping fee's
So he passes the savings along to his customers

The distributor has not seen a Remington primer in over 2 months and no Federals in 4 months
Also there supplys of Winchesters has been spotty

So I have been forced to use CCI lately

They work , but I had to work up all new loads in the varmit rifles


John

[monadnock#5]

While there have been threads recently condemning CCI, I continue to use them with great satisfaction.

Ken

[IcerUSA]

What ever makes the powder go poof, working up loads is what casting boolits is about I thought. Just my $.02 worth - inflation, taxes and the wifes take hehe

[NVcurmudgeon]

Most of my pistol, and most of my .44 Magnum rifle ammo is loaded on a Dillon Square Deal machine. Dillon recommends Winchester or Federal primers for best feeding in their machines, and my tests confirm this, so I use Winchester pistol primers exclusively. Another incentive is that WW primers are attractively priced at the Big Reno Gun Show.

OTOH, CCI has been sure fire for me for over forty years in temperatures from 20 below to 110 above. CCI primers seem to fit primer pockets tighter so I prefer them for rifle ammo, which is loaded on a single stage press, except for the above .44 Magnums. At the time I started loading CCI encouraged handloaders, while WW and Remington didn't really push components. For those reasons, CCI is my sentimental favorite, and I don't mind paying a little more for them.

Accuracy, reliability, uniform ballistics, pressure? Never found any difference between CCI, RP, and WW.

[Hunter]

I like Winchester and Federal. Both make excellent primers.

[357maximum]

Personally I try to keep all on hand, but that is almost impossible to do right now...

I do maintain a huge inventory of rem 7.5,small rifle BR as they seem to be "THEE" primer for the 357max and my 22's seem to like them as well.

I use the feds primarily in LR

I have recently tried them magtech small pistol primers, because I was at the store because I was getting low on wins,and well my vendor was plumb out of win small pistol and the price on the magtechs was right so i bought 5K.....I have had great success with them in my 38/357's so far.....seems like a win win situation to me..I see no difference between them and win/cci sp primers...I will buy more. their packaging could use some re-design though.

[omgb]

I prefer Fed 215s for BPCR and Winchester for just about everything else. CCI was my first primer and many progressive machines recommend using them to help prevent accidental and sympathetic detonation

[Jim]

Winchester here.

[Lloyd Smale]

I use them all but about 75 percent are federals. I shoot alot of da guns and there about the only primer that works a 100 percent of the time with an action job. I use alot of ww primers too the only ccis i use are mag pistol for the big loads with 110 and only use remington when i cant find anything else.

[Mohillbilly]

Dillon and Winchester

[SharpsShooter]

Federal 215's for BPCR's. Winchester for smokeless rifle. Federal 150's for the 45 Pistolas, Long Colt and ACP both.


SS

[pdawg_shooter]

CCI for everthing except my 300RUM. Federal 215 for those.

[sundog]

I was in an area 'hardware store' (gun shop) this week and noticed Rem primers on the shelf. "Yup", says the proprietor, "got them by chance from a supplier up north. Won't be any more after this for awhile. Haven't had any Federal for a spell and can't get any."

Several years ago I did a primer test shooting groups and measuring with a chrono for my standard (at that time) mil bolt load of 4227 and 311291 in a stock 03A3. Primers tested were Fed LR and LR Match, CCI LR and BR2, WW LR, Rem 9 1/2, and maybe one or two more. The short of it for that test and for those lots I was using, the Rem 9 1/2 won hands down. Run the same test today with other lots and the result might be different. I still use the Rem 9 1/2 exclusively for THIS application. It works well.

I've used about all of them over the years, and they all work. Never had a bad lot, but a friend did. Many misfires. He trashed the rest of the brick.

So I guess my answer is, it depends.

I do know that some guns, especially a few handguns what had trigger jobs that CCI don't work reliably. That's not to say CCI is a bad primer. It's not.

[1Shirt]

Win, then Rem!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[USARO4]

Winchester is my first choice. Federals a distant second and only for handguns with a light primer strike.

[Uncle R.]

Winchester WSR for any small rifle load.
Winchester WLR for large rifle with BALL powders.
Rem 9-1/2 for large rifle with IMR powders. (Tightens groups slightly.)
I like Winchester for all pistol loads large and small EXCEPT for "tuned" DA revolver shooting - Federals are more reliable with light hammer strikes.
When I can't get the Winchesters I'll use CCI and like 'em fine.
Uncle R.

[shooter2]

I prefer Winchester. I use both a single stage press and a Dillon RL550B and they reliably feed through the Dillon press. I also like Federal, but their packaging requires an extra step to get them all facing the same way. I detect no difference in accuracy.

[Hip's Ax]

I depends on the task.

Match bolt rifles: Federal 210M or 215M's for magnums
AR15 NM: CCI BR4
M1A NM: CCI BR2
M1 NM: CCI #34
300m: Federal 205M

I keep Winchester LR in good supply for fireforming and for rifles that won't benefit from match primers.

I love the Federal's the best but you don't dare run them in semi autos, though some will argue this point.

Guess I'm primer promiscuous. [smilie=1:

BTW, I'm terribly glad to be well stocked, I can not believe the price of primers these days!

[Ed Barrett]

Winchester about 99% of the time. Easy to get in this area and I've never had a problem with them so far.

[Char-Gar]

Remington for large and small rifle

Winchester for all hangun use

[mag_01]

Have used a lot of winchester but recently bought a lot of Mag tech and I like them they feel good --- fit properly and perform well. have had problems with CCI not fitting properly -- never had problems with winchester------ Mag_01

[45r]

federal is the best,then winchester imho for handguns.rifles whichever the gun shoots the best groups with.

[buck1]

Remington All The Way!

[Crash_Corrigan]

Had a gun shop here on Freemont street run by a retired USAF Col. Tough old bird but a square shooter and he moved a lot of guns and components. I stocked up in WLP & WSP when he announced that he was closing last year. I was paying $16.95 per K plus tax etc and it kept my cost reasonable. Last month I ran out and had to buy them @ $27.00 per K plus tax etc. Next I bit the bullet and paid about $125 for 5 K from Midway w/o tax and adding the shipping I am spending about .027 cents per primer. This sucks! I wish I could corral a bunch of reloading guys around here and get together a large powder and primer order. we could save a bunch of money and have a goodly supply. I hate to run out. On a good note my ww supply is building nicely. I have my buckets out in 15 tire stores around town that heretofore discarded their ww. What a crime! If you do not ask....you will not get.

[grumpy one]

After using only WLR in recent years I ran out and found the price had been jacked up here while I was shooting my last batch. Reacting negatively to this I bought 1,000 discontinued PMC at a clearance price of 75% of Winchester. It seemed a good idea at the time, but they are oversize in both diameter and height. Difficult to push in, and they sometimes stand above level so the primed case won't come out of the Lee Autoprime. On top of that, I had a misfire in the first 50 I fired, most likely due to the difficulty getting them fully seated without breaking the Autoprime (it fired on the second strike). I still wouldn't pay the Winchester price, but I doubt I'd buy any more PMCs if they still made them.

[tom barthel]

Of the choices listed I would have to consider Winchester first then, CCI. Why?? Just cause they are easy to find. I don't think there is a bad one out there. I'm happy with anything that ignites the powder.

[BluesBear]

Over the past 30 years I've tried them all.

But my personal preference is CCI.
Back when I was loading commercially I used over 3 million of their pistol primers with nary a problem.

I still use them almost exclusively because all of my loads have been developed with them and it's just easier to only have to keep track of one brand.

But you really can't go wrong with any of the name brand primers available today.
Just pick a brand and stick with it.