primer recommendation

[poker2112]

loading 223 plinking rounds.....55gr fmj bullets..... i have cci#450 magmun small rifle and federal #205 small rifle........ which one should i use for plinking and save for shtf rounds ? thanks

 

[jeepmor]

I used the 450 magnum primers because that was all I could find a few months back. I loaded them with Varget about 1 grain lower than max recommended loaded. I was thankful also, the max load would not fit. And working with magnum primers that burn hotter, max loads should be avoided unless you work up to them. 26.5 grains were the most accurate out of my Ruger HB 223, so I stuck with it. 27.5 is the max recommended. Please check these numbers yourself from a manual, I'm going from memory and don't have the manual in front of me.

 

[kir_kenix]

i personally do not like magnum primers. they always seem to inconsitent velocity wise. however, they might make excelent hunting primers because of extreme cold tempertures sometimes encountered.

 

[jeepmor]

i personally do not like magnum primers. they always seem to inconsitent velocity wise.

Learn something everytime I log on here. Nice tidbit, many thanks. But as stated, sometimes it's all you can find of late. It has gotten better recently.

jeepmor

 

[Nhsport]

On the recomend of one of the manuals I switched to the 450 magnum primers with ball powder (win 748) in my ar service rifle loads and they seem to be real consistent. Truthfully the load I started with (pretty mid range) I didn't have to hardly work up to and it is working so well that I didn't try much of anything else.

 

[taliv]

jeepmor, maybe i missed it but did you mention what bullet you were using with those powder weights? i can't normally get that much powder in a 223 case. my 25g loads are compressed with 69g bullets

 

[mugsie]

This may be a little long but it's worth the read.

I was loading 55g FMJBT over 27g of H335 for my .223. I was using CCI small rifle primers and seeing tremendous over pressure signs, to the point my primers were blowing out! Hogdon recommends small rifle primers on the bottle. Speer recommends magnum primers whenever using ball powders. I called Speer, spoke to a very knowledgable person and took their recommendation - use a small rifle magnum primer. I did so, working up to the 27 grains because I still wasn't too sure about a mag primer when a slmall rifle had already blown out primers. They were right on the money. No more over pressure signs and the rifle shoots great. I used this combination in both a Savage bolt action and a Bushy AR. I am very pleased with the results.

So, in answer to your question - for ball powders, use small rifle magnum primers. Work up slowly of course, but I think you'll be very pleased with the results as well.

Good luck - stay safe, and shoot well.....

 

[FieroCDSP]

From my still somewhat limited understandings of powder burn-rates, those over-pressure signs were from the powder burning too slowly and building the pressure too slowly. If you build pressure fast, the case has less time to stress and less wear will occur. The magnum primer increases the burn rate so the pressure spikes faster, and the bullet is fired before the case can start to re-shape.

At least, that's my understanding. I could be wrong.

 

[threefeathers]

I use WW primers for my plinking loads with TAC. I use Magnum primers with TAC, 335, 748, with serious loads. But I use Bench Rest primers with Varget which has become my Match powder.