What primer for .223 in AR15

[corvette8n]

I have a bunch of .223 brass to reload and for semi-automatic rifles I know I should use a hard primer what are my choices?

[garandsrus]

Crovette,

I use pretty much any SR primer I have available. I have reloaded and shot 6000 or 7000 rounds in an AR and never had a "slam fire".

I do know of one person that had one. Of course it was during a match, so it cost him 10 points. I have no idea if his primer was high or if something else caused the problem.

John

[trickyasafox]

Mag-techs seem pretty hard. Not mil-spec hard, but firm

[wiljen]

The CCI mil-specs work fine and can generally be had cheap from wideners. I stand corrected, they are now more expensive than regular CCIs. last I bought were $89 for 5000.

[Sprue]

I've used nothing but Winchesters.

Its also nice to have a primer pocket swager handy as you may know.

[mike in co]

a small rilfe primer....in semi auto...its about reloading technique...more than the need for a milspec primer.
while i own a bunch of cci milspec in both large and small....regular primers have worked much better....one winter i had ftf (failure to fire) on one lot of 223 ammo during a 3 gun match.............slow hammer ?? cold lube ?? who knows.
just seat them flush or lower....

have fun

remember the primer is a tuning tool so dont get stuck on one.

and yes i have used BENCHREST/MATCH primers in a semi auto....

mike in co

[Calamity Jake]

Good info to know as I have a Rock River AR varmet comming.

Thanks

[mj2evans]

Current Win primers are softer than old ones. I have pierced several with a "normal" HP 223 load in 75g HP and RL15. Don't even bother with BR primers in an AR - they are too soft. CCI standard seems fine but I got ahold of the Wolf SR mag and they appear to handel the pressure just fine (should have bought 10k) and cost less.

[mike in co]

Current Win primers are softer than old ones. I have pierced several with a "normal" HP 223 load in 75g HP and RL15. Don't even bother with BR primers in an AR - they are too soft. CCI standard seems fine but I got ahold of the Wolf SR mag and they appear to handel the pressure just fine (should have bought 10k) and cost less.

this information is probably correct for cmp match loads/heavy bullets BUT for everyone else the other primers may and are used with developed loads.

its called load development......if he has a 10/12 twist varnit rifle its unlikely he'll ever shoot 70 and up bullets
mike in co

[vernm]

In my experience, Bench Rest primers work just fine in an AR even with max loads. The Federal 205M flatens a bit more than the CCI BR4. But the only complaint I have heard about the Rem 7 1/2 BR is that it is so tough, you can't see pressure signs until you get very close to max load. I use the Rem 7 1/2 BR (not 6 1/2) for all my 75, 77 and 80 grain bullet loads. I find a large percentage of competitive shooters use them too. I am about to finish up my first 5,000 new (non plated) Win SR primers. I used them with relatively mild loads and 55gr bullets with no problems. Some folks have problems with them. I guess every gun is different. I have not tried them yet. But, the Wolf small rifle magnum may be the best "deal" for an AR right now.

If you are shooting an AR don't forget to inspect your firing pin when you clean the gun. If the tip is rough, replace it or you will have more and more perforated primers. Every time you perforate a primer it burns the firing pin tip more and causes more perforated primers.