Winchester primer color

tightgroup tiger

tightgroup tiger

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I was loading some 9mm luger cases a few minutes ago and needed to fill some primer tubes and did a Hard Stop!
I opened a new box of primers from Winchester I bought recently, and they are a different color than they have been in the last 53 years of me using them.

Has anyone seen these before or are these missing the red foil?

winchester primers.jpg The older Winchester primers on the right and the new ones I just opened on the left. winchester primers new.jpg

They look like they have already been fired but they do have the primer compound in there, it's just a different color from the yellow with red foil I'm used to.
I'm not using any of these until I find out what they are and if they are screwed up. Lot # is UDL005G.
This crap always happens on a weekend where I have to work 12 hr days the next 3 days before I can call Winchester.
 
Load a primer by itself and shoot it. I don’t use Winchester primers, but it could be some kind of new “friendlier” chemical compound. They certainly look used though
 
I just got back from the range, where I bought these primers and we checked theirs. The brick we opened are black also and look like mine.
I told them I emailed Winchester and they want to know what Winchesters reply is. I told them they would be my next phone call.

Charlie98 said:
It's very possible they are making their retail primers at Lake City, now, since they are running the contract there. Different machines, different ingredients?
Click to expand...

I want to know what I'm buying and where they are coming from so I can make my own decision as to whether I want to continue to use them.
I'm not going to blindly start using them without knowing, for all I know they may be unsafe to use with my recipes, especially my Titegroup 9mm +P recipies.

At $80.00/k, if they changed something, they need to tell us what these are and how they differ from what they were selling. The primer cake looks totally different, more of it, and totally different texture and color.
When I get a response from Winchester I will post it here.
 
tightgroup tiger said:
I just got back from the range, where I bought these primers and we checked theirs. The brick we opened are black also and look like mine.
I told them I emailed Winchester and they want to know what Winchesters reply is. I told them they would be my next phone call.



I want to know what I'm buying and where they are coming from so I can make my own decision as to whether I want to continue to use them.
I'm not going to blindly start using them without knowing, for all I know they may be unsafe to use with my recipes, especially my Titegroup 9mm +P recipies.

At $80.00/k, if they changed something, they need to tell us what these are and how they differ from what they were selling. The primer cake looks totally different, more of it, and totally different texture and color.
When I get a response from Winchester I will post it here.
Click to expand...

Well... I don't expect Winchester to tell you everything they've done different... they are marketing them as, in your case... small pistol primers... and I expect that's what they are going to tell you. I remember when they moved away from the nickle plated ones... they simply marked the box 'new and improved' (my sarcastic interpretation, it actually said something like 'new finish, more sensitive' or something...) but certainly didn't tell you anything... they are primers.

FWIW, as far as your +P 9mm loads, I'd back off them, and particularly with TiteGroup, and work back up... it does appear something fundamental has changed with their primer manufacturing, and prudence dictates.
 
tightgroup tiger said:
They are in the new red and white box and they are not match grade primers. I have a full case of the new red and white primers and they are not black underneath, they are red.
Click to expand...
I got some WSR mil spec other day they are red, could just be overrun from LC plant made different specs?
 
I haven't either until I saw these.

TexasJD, I tried to quote your post but there is no quote option for some reason When using my phone.
You said about green primers, I'm worried about the same thing.
 
Just looking at my Winchester small pistol magnum primers and they look similar to the OP's
Could the Magnums and standard have different colors
 

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Last edited:
My post above is from the Blue box ,
OP is it possible that your picture of the difference in color is one is standard small pistol and other is magnum small pistol ?
 
tightgroup tiger said:
opened a new box of primers from Winchester I bought recently, and they are a different color than they have been in the last 53 years of me using them.

They look like they have already been fired but they do have the primer compound in there, it's just a different color from the yellow with red foil I'm used to.
Click to expand...
Your observation is correct. Winchester has used red colored sealant along with moisture barrier "foil" and could have changed the color of sealant. Perhaps that maybe due to $145 million military contract they received? https://www.guns.com/news/2022/03/29/winchester-lands-145-million-army-ammo-contract

index.php


Winchester did change. Remember when they came in white boxes and were nickle plated brass? Then they went to blue boxes and cups were regular brass?

In recent years, Winchester added "Match Grade" primers in red boxes.

162225.jpg
 
JO JO said:
Just looking at my Winchester small pistol magnum primers and they look similar to the OP's
Could the Magnums and standard have different colors
Click to expand...
Apparently,
That looks like them, that's the best explanation yet. I wonder if they screwed up and put small pistol magnums in the "standard small pistol primers" boxes?
We'll see what Winchester says on Monday.
 
I personally would load as. Usually. I don’t think Winchester would Change primer composition and sell primers that would cause any pressure situation without labeling the primers as sufficiently different? But let us know what they responded back to you
 
I recently bought some of the latest Winchester SPP and also thought they looked strange. They loaded and fired normally though.
 
Mine are red, like the ones in your 1st pic.
They are from the blue box, approx. 10yrs. old.
 
I have a bunch of the older Winchester primers in the white sleeve and red.Winchester banner on top. Those primers has a silver color. Then they switched to the blue box. I'm not sure when they switched to the brass color primers but it was during the blue box time. I did notice they now sell them in a red box. I don't own any of them. I don't think I have bought Win primers since 2009 or 2010.

Anyone notice a difference between the new, older and very old primers? I didn't notice a difference between the white and blue box primers.
 
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