Primer Remanufacturing – Tests with Cast Loads 311041 and Duplex WC872 Loads

[MUSTANG]

I wanted to see how my remanufactured Primers would perform with Cast Boolits. I selected NOE 311041's since I had a jar full that had been sized, lubed, and Gas Checks applied already on hand. I also have a goodly supply of WC-872 (20mm Vulcan Powder) that I have used with Duplex Loads previously - but with commercial primers.

Test#1

This Test focused on the FH-42 Primer mixture. It used a cast 200 Grain Silhouette powder coated boolit cast from an RCBS mold in the 308 Winchester with a Duplex Load of 5 Grains of 700X powder over the flash hole and 37 Grains of WC872 powder. This is a slightly compressed load.

Potassium Chlorate 15.6 gr.
Antimony sulfide 10.2 gr.
sulfur [S] 7.3 gr.
Aluminum Powder [AL] 0.2 gr.
Sodium Bicarbonate 0.2 gr.
Total FH42 mixture weight 33.5 Grains. Individual Large primer cups use ~ 0.55 grains for each primer cup.

Rifle: Remington 700 ADL Varmint .308
Barrel Twist: 1 in 12
Wind: 15 Mph left to right, gusting to 25 Mph.
Temp: 80 degrees F.
Boolit: 308 RCBS 200 Silhouette
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.255
Brinell Hardness: 20
Bullet sized: .310
Alloy: 96% Lead, 3% Antimony, 1% Tin
Bullet Powder Coated: Eastwood Green – Nose sized to .301
Gas Check: Ameri-max Aluminum 0.14”
Powder: Duplex – 5 Gr. 700X & 37 Gr. WC872
Primer: Remanufactured Remington 9 1/2 primer cup - FH42 Primer Mixture
Case: Mixed Brass
OAL: 2.80 inches
Distance: 100 Yards.
10 Shot Group Size: 3 & ¾ inches
Velocity: Average 1913; High 1940; Lowest 1867; Spread 73

316815

Paper foil disks were from 18lb printer paper; not Cash Register Tape.

[MUSTANG]

Test #2.

This Test focused on the FH-42 Primer mixture. It used a cast 311041 boolit from NOE mold in the 308 Winchester with a Duplex Load of 5 Grains of 700X powder over the flash hole and 38 Grains of WC872 powder. This is a compressed load.

Potassium Chlorate 15.6 gr.
Antimony sulfide 10.2 gr.
sulfur [S] 7.3 gr.
Aluminum Powder [AL] 0.2 gr.
Sodium Bicarbonate 0.2 gr.
Total FH42 mixture weight 33.5 Grains. Individual Large primer cups use ~ 0.55 grains for each primer cup.


Rifle: Remington 700 ADL Varmint .308
Barrel Twist: 1 in 12
Wind: 5 Mph left to right.
Temp: 80 degrees F.
Boolit: NOE 311041
Ballistic Coefficient: .220
Brinnel Hardness: 20
Bullet sized: .310
Alloy: 96% Lead, 3% Antimony, 1% Tin
Bullet Lube: Carnuba Red
Gas Check: Ameri-max Aluminum 0.14”
Powder: Duplex 5 Gr. 700X & 38 Gr. WC872
Primer: Remanufactured – FH-42 Primer Mixture
Case: Mixed military and commercial Brass
OAL: 2.585 inches
Distance: 100 Yards.
10 Shot Group Size: 3 & 1/8 inches.
Velocity: Average 2024; High 2053; Lowest 1998; Spread 55

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The primers used were potentially problematic as some had multiple layers of Paper Foil due to having used multiple folds of paper when punching the Paper Foil disks out. Future Foil Disk preparation will only punch a single layer of Paper at a time – the paper used was Cash Register receipt paper.

Paper Foil Disks were made from Cash Register Tape.

Observations:

1. There may be a connection between a smaller group size compared to the previous RCBS 200 Sil load and the use of Cash Register Tape as the Paper Foil Disk over the Primer Mixture. Disassembly of the Primer Cups/Anvils did not show any residual Paper pieces as has been seen with other types of Paper used to make Paper Foils.

2. This and the previous test used a Duplex Powder load. Both these Duplex loads had much larger groups than previous loads using FH-42 Primer Mixture where a BLC-2 Powder with dacron over powder wad was used.

3. Both of the Duplex Loads resulted in a greater resistance to sizing the brass when reloading compared to the previous loads using BLC-2 Powder with a Dacron over powder wad. Velocity for the Duplex loads appears to be about 100 fps or so greater than the BLC-2 loads. I do not believe the additional ~140 fps is the cause of greater resistance when sizing; rather I believe that the 700X “Kicker” results in a shorter burn rate than the BLC-2 load. I have no means of measuring and tracking Pressure curves – so I am speculating.

4. It appears that the FH-42 primer mixture and my rebuilt primers are effectively igniting the Powders.

[MUSTANG]

Test #3.

This Test functions as a Baseline Comparison. Loads used a Commercial CCI-34 Large Rifle (military) primer. It used a cast 311041 boolit from NOE mold in the 308 Winchester with a Duplex Load of 5 Grains of 700X powder over the flash hole and 38 Grains of WC872 powder. This is a compressed load.

Potassium Chlorate 15.6 gr.
Antimony sulfide 10.2 gr.
sulfur [S] 7.3 gr.
Aluminum Powder [AL] 0.2 gr.
Sodium Bicarbonate 0.2 gr.
Total FH42 mixture weight 33.5 Grains. Individual Large primer cups use ~ 0.55 grains for each primer cup.


Rifle: Remington 700 ADL Varmint .308
Barrel Twist: 1 in 12
Wind: 5 Mph left to right.
Temp: 72 degrees F.
Boolit: NOE 311041
Ballistic Coefficient: .220
Brinnel Hardness: 20
Bullet sized: .310
Alloy: 96% Lead, 3% Antimony, 1% Tin
Bullet Lube: Carnuba Red
Gas Check: Ameri-max Aluminum 0.14”
Powder: Duplex 5 Gr. 700X & 38 Gr. WC872
Primer: CCI-34 military Large Rifle primer.
Case: Mixed military and commercial Brass
OAL: 2.585 inches
Distance: 100 Yards.
10 Shot Group Size: 3 & 7/8 inches
Velocity: Average 2066; High 2097; Lowest 2043; Spread 54

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[MUSTANG]

Test #4.

This Test used the FH-42 Primer mixture, a cast 311041 boolit from NOE mold in the 308 Winchester, and a Duplex Load of 5 Grains of 700X powder over the flash hole and 38 Grains of WC872 powder. This is a compressed load.

Potassium Chlorate 15.6 gr.
Antimony sulfide 10.2 gr.
sulfur [S] 7.3 gr.
Aluminum Powder [AL] 0.2 gr.
Sodium Bicarbonate 0.2 gr.
Total FH42 mixture weight 33.5 Grains. Individual Large primer cups use ~ 0.55 grains for each primer cup.


Rifle: Remington 700 ADL Varmint .308
Barrel Twist: 1 in 12
Wind: 5 Mph left to right.
Temp: 72 degrees F.
Boolit: NOE 311041
Ballistic Coefficient: .220
Brinnel Hardness: 20
Bullet sized: .310
Alloy: 96% Lead, 3% Antimony, 1% Tin
Bullet Lube: Carnuba Red
Gas Check: Ameri-max Aluminum 0.14”
Powder: Duplex 5 Gr. 700X & 38 Gr. WC872
Primer: Remanufactured – FH-42 Primer Mixture
Case: Mixed military and commercial Brass
OAL: 2.585 inches
Distance: 100 Yards.
10 Shot Group Size: 2 & 7/8 inches.
Velocity: Average 2038; High 2048; Lowest 2023; Spread 25

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Observations:

1. Use of Cash Register Tape as the Paper Foil Disk over the Primer Mixture. Disassembly of the Primer Cups/Anvils did not show any residual Paper pieces as has been seen with other types of Paper used to make Paper Foils.

2. Group sizes strangely were tighter 2 & 7/8 inches for the Remanufactured Primers compared to the commercial CCI-34 primers at 3 & 7/8 inches.

3. Strangely, the Velocities for the Remanufactured Primers were tighter with a spread of 25 fps compared to the Commercial CCI-34 primers with a twice as large spread of 54 fps.

4. The Duplex Loading resulted in relatively clean brass in these four test groups. Other threads I have posted (reduced loads to the 1800 to 2050fps with cast) using BLC-2 powder and a Dacron tuft over the powder; which resulted in very heavy black fouling on the brass – but the groups with the BLC-2 & Dacron loads were ½ the size of the WC872 Duplex Loads in this test. It appears that the FH-42 primer mixture and my rebuilt primers are effectively igniting the Powders compared with commercial CCI-34 primers. Not sure why groups are larger than other Tests using BLC-2.

For Data on my Tests with BLC-2 see Thread at: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?456379-Primer-Remanufacturing-%96-Test-comparisons-decibel-readings&highlight=

[dondiego]

That is a lot of data/reading to take in. Can you give an overview of the results?

[MUSTANG]

They Work.

The Remanufactured Primers had a smaller Standard Deviation in fps than the CCI-34 test.
The Duplex Load results in cleaner fired Brass than similar loads using BLC-2.
The Groups were larger than previous tests using BLC-2 Powder and an RCBS 200 Sil boolit; compared to a Duplex WC-872 and NOE 311041 boolit.

[deces]

#3 is an interesting nugget of info. Do you deburr or uniform your primer pockets?

[Fitz]

I use the H-48 compound and add a small bit of titanium dust and use dark aluminum instead of plain to get a magnum primer , I can't tell any difference in accuracy between them and a commercial primer . The FH-42 and the H-48 seems the same except for the ground Glass in the H-48. For the paper disk I use the trimmings from the Onion skin paper I use for paper patching and two different hole punches one for large and one for small .

[MUSTANG]

#3 is an interesting nugget of info. Do you deburr or uniform your primer pockets?

All my .308/223/30-06 brass is range pick up or Milsurp. When 1st collected/acquired; it is deprimed and the primer pocket is swaged with an RCBS Primer Pocket Swage or a Dillon Primer Pocket swager for .223. I do not uniform holes; nor do I uniform primer pocket depth with a cutter tool (Exception is for brass to be used in long range 600 to 1200 yard shooting). Also each case is full length sized, and cut to common length for each caliber using the appropriate Little Crow Gunworks Worlds Finest Trimmer for each caliber - inside/outside neck is then demurred with and RCBS demurring tool.

[MUSTANG]

I use the H-48 compound and add a small bit of titanium dust and use dark aluminum instead of plain to get a magnum primer , I can't tell any difference in accuracy between them and a commercial primer . The FH-42 and the H-48 seems the same except for the ground Glass in the H-48. For the paper disk I use the trimmings from the Onion skin paper I use for paper patching and two different hole punches one for large and one for small .


Ratios for the H-48 and the FH-42 mixtures are different in addition to the FH-42 OMITTING the powdered glass. Here is a table I made to keep the Ratios/Grain weights I use in making batches of each readily available.

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Double click on pic to expand it for better viewing.

Notes:
1. The Aluminum is not original to the mixtures/ratios for the WW-I and WW-II eras. Current thoughts/practices are that it gives a stronger ignition (Many state is leads to a Magnum primer mixture).

2. The Sodium Bicarbonate is thought to extend the life of Primers in Storage. Potassium Chlorate is Hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture. The theory is that the Sodium Bicarbonate will attract any moisture before the Potassium Chlorate - making the shelf life of the Primers longer if a minute portion of the Sodium Bicarbonate appears in the mixture.

3. The Ratios appear as a % of total weight; while the weight in Grains appears for each chemical in each primer mixture - adding up to 33 Grains of mixture for each batch. The 33 Grains is used as a "Limiter" to batch size for safety reasons. Larger batches could represent an increase in energy that might cause injury to the person mixing should an accidental detonation of loose materials occur in the final mixing stages.