223: cci400 vs cci450 vs cci41 vs BR4

[SamsonMan22]

@willfrye027 and @SamsonMan22 , you both note you're using cci400 without issue. What pressures do you think your loads are for these? Close to 60k psi?

I've been looking into it and some people have issues with light strikes in Tikkas and some have issues with pierced primers. In looking into firing pin protrusion, some people measure 0.55 and some up to 0.75. I know it's a combo of how much headspace you have on the cartridge vs firing pin fall and protrusion.

I've measured mine at 0.73.

Would either of you care to measure your pin protrusion on your Tikka bolt that seems to work fine with CCI 400? Trying to decide if I want to test them or not.

Cci tech support said to me in email when asking about Creedmoor and 308 srp cases that the preferred primer is BR4 and 450. They didn't advise against using 400

I will try to measure it later but I used them in 3 different rifles all with no issue. No idea on the pressure but I can tell you my loads were 23.5 of benchmark with a 73eld and 75bthp, 23.5 of xbr with a 77tmk, and 25g of varget with a 75eldm. The last one was in a wylde chamber and the bullets were seated way out so I’m sure the pressure was a little lower on that one. It’s not a load you could get into with a factory chamber. I looked back through my notes and I have fired just over 4k of them. I still have a bunch of ammo loaded with them and that is 23.5 of n135 with a 75bthp.

All I can say is try them, if they work great, if they don’t move on…

 

[sveltri]

I tried working up to a max load in my 223 with 77 TMK and XBR8208 with 400's. Pierced the last primer in my loaded test rounds. Switched primers to either Rem 7.5's or 450's, can't remember, and all the primers look fine. I have a near book max load with the 73 eld-m, CFE223, and 400's. Primers look fine in that load but the CFE load is quite a bit less pressure than the 8208 load.

 

[wyosam]

Have used many thousands of 400s in 223 and 223ai, without issue. Have used 1k winchesters and 1000 7 1/2s without issue (or significant change to load). Use 205m and 450 in Dasher and 7-08ai. I just load to what works with the combo I’m using. I suppose I could load higher pressure with thicker primers in my 223, but I doubt the velocity gain would change a thing in the real world.


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[5MilesBack]

I've used a lot of CCI 41's and Remington 7 1/2's in AR rifles and they've been great, and interchangeable as far as I've seen with loads.

 

[ddowning]

I've used tens of thousands of 450s. Sometimes you get a lot that is bad and a few won't go pop. Usually there's no issue. If your pin protrusion can be altered. I have never had a tikka apart to figure out if it is adjustable or not. It could be physically shortened by removing metal. Also, sometimes the profile of the pin causes pierced primers. You want a squared off tip with very slightly eased edges. I had to fix that on a savage many moons ago.

If you are handloading everything to have .002-.003 headspace, you can get away with .035-.040 protrusion. It will actually hit the primer a little harder, as you get slightly more travel before the pin hits the primer.