Another Screwy Lot of CCI Large Pistol Primers

[lotech]

I've used all the brands since 1965, but far more CCI primers (in all sizes) than anything else. Last week I was priming some .223 brass with a hand priming tool and it took almost no effort to seat a CCI 450 primer. I initially thought the pocket was enlarged, but the primer was too small. It wasn't loose to the point it fell out, but it was definitely undersize. This is the second time this has happened in the last year. I use a lot of primers so I'm not really too concerned, but I don't recall this happening with any brand of primer before last year. Overall, I've had very good results with all primers during the last fifty+ years.

I don't prime on a progressive machine so I should easily catch any undersize primer if it happens again.

[mdi]

Someone is resurrecting some pretty old threads. This one is 12 years old and some others I see are 3, 5, 7, and 9 years old. years old. Most might be pertinent today, but I wonder how many of the OPs are still alive...

[Big Wes]

Years & years ago when I first started re-loading I ran into issues with CCI primers I called Dillon and they told me the the CCI primers were elliptical in shape and for me to use WW primers. I did what Dillon recommended and have steered away from CCI's The only time I use CCI's that I do have, is when I mess up a round or two while loading and need to finish up the rounds to make a full box. Over all I do like CCI primers but I've had them jam up the primer tubes in the past. Since I hate any aggrivation I stay with WW primers.

[6bg6ga]

I thought I had a problem with my CCI's and 45ACP's years ago. It turned out to be a primer pocket problem caused by military brass. As soon as I processed the primer pockets it was amazing how easy the CCI primers were installed. No crunching or wrecking primers. I've used CCI primers and will consider using them in the years to come. I will however not use any Russian primers and thats another thread.

Some here need to come to the realization that there are quality control programs in place at these factory's that manufacture components. There are no out of round primers, or undersized primers. All primers do have to fit the specifications. Those that think they can feel an undersized primer might be well off to dig out the micrometer and check the diameter of said primer and you will find out like I have that the primer is fine and the primer pocket is the problem.

With respect to Dillon and their choices of primers.... Many major brands / manufacturers favor certain brands over others sometimes for favorable mention in magazines, ads and such. Been using one form or another of Dillon since the Square Deal hit the market. Have gone thru SQ Deal,650's, 550's RCBS, and Lyman over the years and no problem associated with an primer ever not even a primer explosion anytime in my life.

One needs to keep in mind when reloading you use a gentle touch. If the primer don't seat you don't force it that is anyone with suitable mental capacity. When things start to crunch that is when you stop. In my case it was military surplus 45ACP brass. Now, some of you will naturally blame the primer but in reality its time to take a bit of a closer look. Any military brass from past years has the primer inserted and then the crimp. Sure you can remove the primer and installing one will be a britch unless you swage or otherwise process the primer pocket.

Now, I am starting to process a run of .308 brass some military and some civilian in nature. I could adopt some of the thinking here and blame the military brass for my CCI primers not going into the pocket with normal pressure or I can do the right thing and sit down on my butt and get out the swage kit and simply process all the brass instead of looking thru all of it and trying to sort it all out. Reloading is a work of love. You either love it and be willing to do all the steps needed or your better off selling all of your reloading gear for .10 on the dollar because your either too incompetent or too lazy to grasp some very basic fundamentals.

[toallmy]

I don't know how other people have made out , but in my reloading life I have ran across 2 bricks of bad primers one brick of small pistol primers in the 80s & one brick of large rifle mag primers in the 2000s although both times the primers were CCI - it's because that is the brand I used the most .
Since the last batch I quit ordering CCI primers more than 1000 at a time , I can live with tossing a brick but a sleeve would make me blow a gasket . I have trust issues !

[Taterhead]

Wow, old thread. I prefer CCIs and about 80% of my ammo has been with CCI. I've loaded them from the old green striped boxes, red on beige, and the current stock. Never an issue.

All primers I've used have loaded and gone bang -- except coincidentally -- I had my first sort of dud. It was an S&B 5,3 LP primer. [Side bar - S&B small primers are absolutely the tightest to seat]. Those reading would be correct to first question, "was it properly seated." Yes. It was weird. Very good primer strike. The strangest thing was that the cup collapsed fully. It looked like the top of a circus tent had collapsed in on itself. My guess is that something was wrong with the anvil. WISH I had taken a photo before curiosity had me reloading it and lighting it again. It fired the second time, and pressure rounded the cup back out.

Back to CCI primers. Most of my ammo is loaded via APS priming on my Pro 2000. Pre-loaded strips are so convenient.

[lightman]

CCI has always been my favorite brand of primer. I've had fewer issues with them than any other brand, although there have been very few issues with any brand. Sorry to hear about you guys having problems with them.

And yes, I have used a few other brands. I often buy Remington small rifle benchrest primers at gun shows and I use Federal 210 Match primers in my long range match rifle.

[Froogal]

Out of many thousands of Winchester primers, both small pistol and large pistol, I have experienced only ONE dud. CCI primers on the other hand, well, let's just say that I will never ever buy any more.

[Baltimoreed]

Also use cci without issue. However, it’s a pita though to be rolling along reloading .45acp for next Saturday’s WB match and try to seat your large pistol primer into an aggravating small pistol primer hole!! Talk about grinding to a halt. They will not swage down no matter what you do. I don’t know who thought that was a good idea to put sp primers in our beloved .45 acps but I hope he’s working at the W-W plant in Siberia.

[Walks]

I gave up on cci primers about 35yrs ago. dillon blamed them for their bad priming system. But even seating them by hand in an RCBS Bench Primer tool I had problems. And a few duds, only other DUD I had up to then was a Winchester factory 12ga AA shell that had no anvil.

Friend bought 1,000 cci SR primers about 10yrs ago for Military loads, .223/5.56. Seated them by hand as I've done for the last 30yrs. Had 3 failures to fire on 3 rounds, they went off the second time.

Just don't trust them, spend my money on FED, WIN & REM primers. they all go BANG the First time.

[GONRA]

GONRA "don't got no dog in this fight" but notes that CCI primers have always verked Just Fine for me over 50+ years.
BUT - if ya'll have "out of round primer problems" Boxer Primers with 3 legged anvils (not 2 legged) are definitely the "waay to go".

[Horn Ridge]

Hate to bump an old twice bumped old old thread, but...........I found myself at the bench tonight priming new Starline 45 ACP with {old} brown box CCI 300's. The ones where the primers lay sideways in the trays instead of flat. Anyway, using my Lee Auto bench prime I thought I was going to break the handle out of it trying to seat them. First one out the gate didn't feel right. Didn't seat deep enough to get out of the shell holder. Hmm.......take the tray off, rotate the brass half dozen times and finally get it to seat. Ok, next one I'll get right. Nope! I got 25 of them in and sort of got a feel for it, but holy crap. Only 775 left to work through until I can get into my newer blue box 300's!!

[jdgabbard]

Hate to bump an old twice bumped old old thread, but...........I found myself at the bench tonight priming new Starline 45 ACP with {old} brown box CCI 300's. The ones where the primers lay sideways in the trays instead of flat. Anyway, using my Lee Auto bench prime I thought I was going to break the handle out of it trying to seat them. First one out the gate didn't feel right. Didn't seat deep enough to get out of the shell holder. Hmm.......take the tray off, rotate the brass half dozen times and finally get it to seat. Ok, next one I'll get right. Nope! I got 25 of them in and sort of got a feel for it, but holy crap. Only 775 left to work through until I can get into my newer blue box 300's!!

Sure the brass was to spec? I run all my brass through a Franklin Armory primer pocket swage. Since I started doing that what used to feel like out of spec primers all seat like butter....

[gloob]

Seems like some of these posts are from commercial reloaders. Throwing away bricks of primers because they don't seat perfectly?

I've had similar issues with Russian primers, and I worked through them until I got them to be reliable. And those only cost 10-15 per brick. Heck, I'd be buying more of these problematic primers even if they cost $60!

[imashooter2]

I've fired just over 100,000 CCI primers. Virtually all were in APS strips. I don't remember having a single problem. I've got another 260,000+ in the garage. I clearly like them.

$16,000 worth of primers! I consider myself fairly well stocked, but you could add my entire stash of reloading components together and not get to $16,000! Congratulations !

[Rapier]

One thing about buying thousands of primers, is you can buy into a bad run. Primers more or less, last for ever, if kept dry and cool, but a bad run of primers does not get any better on a shelf. You can try running a full prep on the brass to get full function of and by the priming tool.

[Cast10]

47 years of reloading and CCI primers is where I started. Still got some from the 90’s. NEVER a misfire, but I wrecked a few along the way, thanks to LC /06 brass! LOL. Other than that, they are tight and I like getting to feel the seat all the way to the bottom. Loaded some Rem9 1/2’s last week in new WIN 25/06 brass and they literally ‘fell in’ the pocket and displayed a bit proud on only a FEW. I’m thinking the brass may be the larger issue here. My .02.

[Ford SD]

Primer issues

I have a rcbs Hand Prime
a rcbs RC

and A Hornady Progressive

I Had set up issues with the Hornady when brand new and did a bit of tweaking so now it is about 98% FIXED with CCI Primer

yes the last couple would fail to drop into the primer shuttle (the slider that moves the primer from the primer tube to where you seat the primer
I can live with that as you feel when there is no primer

I Picked up some imported Primers real cheep before covid ( I saw the signs) and bought primers

They do not like the progressive press have to hand prime every one, or run just primers and then check every case for a primer

I watch tv and prime empty cases with the hand prime

I wish I had bought powder to match the number of primers i have but have limited space. A brick or 2 or 3 of primers can go anywhere

where do you put powder to match ...... 3 years latter I still have a few primers but out of all those essential powders that I thought I had enough of.

[JimB..]

I just recently had it out with Dillon about needing new primer pickup tubes and primer magazine tubes because CCI LPP’s were getting stuck. The guy was a horses behind about it, as if I should have stopped when the first pickup tube jammed…and then what. Ultimately he blamed the primers. Anyway, bought new tubes and used up the last 3k from that batch priming 45acp on an RCBS universal bench primer without incident. Will try priming on the press again once I’ve shot those up.

[Eddie Southgate]

I got old Remington , Winchester, CCI , some are 60 years old . I got CCI , Winchester and Federal primers that are not over 6 years old. Only ever had 1 issue and that was with 1 flat of 100 out of a 30 year old box of CCI . Loaded 50 Rounds of 6.5x55 , took it out to the range to figure out how deep I wanted to seat the bullets for my then new Ruger carbine . The first 4 fired with no issue but of the next 20 only one in 3 would fire . Took them back in the shop and broke them down and deprimed the lot . Reprimed with the next flat in the same box , loaded them and went back out to the range. Fired 40 of 50 getting everything dialed in and had 0 failures and never had any more out of that box. Trashed the bad flat. I don't buy new Remington primers due to the number of dead primers I have seen the last few years in Remington factory ammo. The old Remington's were great as was their ammo.