Primer shortage - Magnum primers acceptable?

[ocurtis]

So... this primer shortage is getting annoying. Trying to get rid Of my 168 barnes TTSX and load up 185 Berger hybrid target bullets for Septembers Wyoming elk hunt.

That said.. my brother (who is actually doing my loading) has thousands of magnum primers (he shoots 300 WM) - and thing wrong with using these for my 30-06? using around 57 grains of H4350 - will be doing a full load development. Using 56.5 grains on my 168 Barnes TTSX

 

[Wrench]

You can use them. Expect slightly less accuracy and a bit more pressure.

 

[ocurtis]

You can use them. Expect slightly less accuracy and a bit more pressure.

Can you help me understand the accuracy difference? I had the fun at around .75 MOA with the Barnes bullet, could comfortable ring steel to 600 yards, and shot game to 450

 

[Gargoyle]

Let'er rip, tater chip!

 

[BBob]

Can you help me understand the accuracy difference?

There is no reason at all to say a magnum primer will be less accurate. It might be but it might not. It might end up more accurate than a standard primer. The only way to know is to try both. I have loads in non magnums that like a magnum primer over a standard. I have a magnum that likes a standard primer over a magnum. One rule that I don’t know if still holds true was ball powders were always recommended to use a magnum primer. Back when I shot quite a bit of W748 and W760 I used magnum primers in non magnums and always found acceptable accuracy. Quite a ways back I had a crazy hot compressed load of W760 in a 308 that shot fantastic with magnum primers.

 

[Bubblehide]

Recently, large rifle primers and magnum rifle primers were available online. This has been happening fairly regularly for some time now. The problem is they only last a few minutes before being soldout. So you need to be looking all the time. My advice is grab one type of primer at a time and checkout with it. If you keep it in your cart, to get others, they will be sold out of everything, including what you have in your cart.

 

[ocurtis]

I just don't have time to sit and watch lol-

 

[BBob]

I just don't have time to sit and watch lol-

All the more reason to help your brother out with the task of shooting up his stash of primers.

 

[ocurtis]

Haha, hey he offered, least I can do is help!

Can't wait to send one of these downrange on an elk come September! Brother shoots the same bullet, 215 grain in his 300 WM. It's deadly

 

[ocurtis]

So my local gun shop who I call every day today said they had two small boxes of large rifle primers! Ran down there and they had a box of 200 CCI's and a box of 100 from cascade cartridge company out of LEwiston ID. Both boxes appear old. Googles hows CCi stands for Cascade Cartridge Inc - must be an old box of some sort

 

[Axlrod]

I have a load for my 270 Win. with IMR 4350. CCI 250's (mag primers) shoot the best with that combo for me vs. standard primers.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Natchez has CCI 200 LR primers right now. Limit of 5. You're going to pay $100.99 apiece, though.... plus hazmat, plus shipping.

 

[ocurtis]

I have a load for my 270 Win. with IMR 4350. CCI 250's (mag primers) shoot the best with that combo for m

Natchez has CCI 200 LR primers right now. Limit of 5. You're going to pay $100.99 apiece, though.... plus hazmat, plus shipping.

Thiese are boxes of 1000 - they are slightly over priced but ot terrible - $95 on midway

 

[ocurtis]

Natchez has CCI 200 LR primers right now. Limit of 5. You're going to pay $100.99 apiece, though.... plus hazmat, plus shipping.

Oh yeah - turns into $150 out the door. Probably not wortH it. I have enough to get by for a while now

 

[ocurtis]

I have a load for my 270 Win. with IMR 4350. CCI 250's (mag primers) shoot the best with that combo for me vs. standard primers.

Interesting. I am using H4350 - might have my brother try a couple mag primers and see what shoot better

 

[eaglemountainman]

Oh yeah - turns into $150 out the door. Probably not wortH it. I have enough to get by for a while now

Agreed. I only posted because there are lots of guys who are desperate for primers and have been looking for quite awhile.

They also had em last week, with a zero hazmat fee.

 

[ocurtis]

Agreed. I only posted because there are lots of guys who are desperate for primers and have been looking for quite awhile.

They also had em last week, with a zero hazmat fee.

I'll keep watching and maybe they get real.... no hazmat fee and $5 shipping!

 

[35WhelenAI]

Start lower in charge weight as the load is worked up by your brother with magnum primers, and let us know how the hunt goes!

If accuracy is "worse" with magnum primers, I would wager it's because the primer was changed but nothing else about the load was changed, and thus a variable is introduced. If the same gun, same bullet, same powder, etc were used to develop two loads side by side, with magnum and standard primers, you could flip a quarter as to which would be more accurate, or be so close as to say they are the same. And goes without saying pressure would be a non-issue because each load was worked up taking into account the signs of pressure.

 

[North country]

I was always told half a grain less powder for using magnum primers in standard calibers. But yes they are fine to load. Also more dependable in extreme cold

 

[35WhelenAI]

Work up the load with the magnum primer! It's good practice when changing a physical component in anyones book of sound reloading practice. On top of that, dropping a half grain is changing two variables at once when loading a half grain less and changing primers. Makes me wonder why "magnum primers aren't as accurate"...