horsemen61
Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2011
- Messages
- 6,785
^^ So it just drops in?
Your first pierced primer? Hard to believe. Pierced primers are common with the 223 in NRA competition. Competitors are trying to push the round because the ballistic coefficient is inferior to the 6.5's.
Yoyu might be able to see little dimples inside the firing pin indentations. Whenever you have a pierced primer in the 223, the gas release removes a bit of the firing pin tip.
View attachment 852558
That shows up as a dimple, you can see two in the primers at 6 and 7OC in the picture. Most of these cases I could get the primer to fall out by tapping the case head against a hard surface. Only the crimp is keeping the primer in the pocket.
This one was interesting
View attachment 852559
My bud had a load so hot, that this flowed into the firing pin hole in the bolt. We did not know what it was at the time, but we figured out, it is the primer anvil! That is his firing pin under the case head. Lots of gas release.
AR15 firing pin are relatively cheap to replace, but I doubt you can buy a pocket full of Savage 110 firing pins. It is very easy to ruin a firing pin with pierced primers. A little bit goes each gas release.
I recommend cutting your loads until it stops. It does not matter what the previous load did, or how the previous primers worked, or any other previous activity. What matters is that you are having this phenomena now, and cut your loads, now.
If I’m not seeing any other pressure signs (no heavy bolt lift, no primer pocket or case head expansion, primers still have a radius at the edge) why suspect the load? Couldn’t it be one, or a combination of:
Yeah, first one.
I looked at the firing pin under an eye loop and couldn’t see any signs of damage.
If I’m not seeing any other pressure signs (no heavy bolt lift, no primer pocket or case head expansion, primers still have a radius at the edge) why suspect the load? Couldn’t it be one, or a combination of:
Weak spring
Excess clearance between firing pin and hole
Thinner primer cup with the CCI400
I gotta tell you, the number of AR15 firing pins that got ate up on my AR's when Winchester changed from the good old nickle plated WSR to the current brass colored WSR. I had to cut my loads a lot. Then I bought CCI #41's and was able to use my old loads without any problems.
Assuming you measured velocity, did you notice any significant change in velocity?
What does all this mean to the reloader?
– Cases that utilize small rifle primers and operate at moderate pressures (40,000 psi) can use CCI 400, Federal 200, Rem 6 1/2, or Win SR. Such cases include 22 CCM, 22 Hornet and the 218 Bee. Other cases that use the small rifle primer can use the above primers only if moderate loads are used. Keep to the lower end of reloading recommendations.
– Cases that utilize small rifle primers and operate at higher pressures (55,000 psi) should use CCI 450, CCI BR4, Fed 205 and Rem 7 1/2.
90g Berger VLD, 24.2g Varget, 2,725 fps
Hodgdon's website only has data for 90gr Sierra bullet, but for it, the maximum charge of Varget is 22.3 grains (and that's a compressed load). Unless I'm missing something, it seems that using 24.2 grains is overcharged.
The pin strike sets my case shoulder back .006" when measuring head to datum before and after, using a dead primer, Savage Axis 223.Weak spring
The pin strike sets my case shoulder back .006" when measuring head to datum before and after, using a dead primer, Savage Axis 223.
Found this out on a defective CCI 400 primer that fired on the 4th pin strike , using different brass.
The 2nd strike made it .013" set back when using the same case. The extractor type makes a difference.