After 30 years of metalic reloading a friend donated his old PW-800B to my fledgling shotshell reloading. I am needing to load 12 ga. 1 oz target loads (WW AA hulls & wads) but only have CCI 209M primers. Is there a rule of thumb for powder charge reduction if substituting magnum primers for standard or is it a total no-no?

the following shotshell primers I consider interchangable:
multi hull 209
nobel sport 209
winchester 209
CCI 209
cheddite 209

all others I tend to be used per recipe only.....specifically the Federal 209A and some fiocci primers.

I don't truly understand it but shot shells seem to be much more primer sensitive than rifle loads.....

I wouldn't use the magnum primer unless the recipe calls for it.

With some loads such as low pressure target loads in the 5-6,000 PSI range you may get away with it but when pressures are normal to 11,500 PSI we can get too much.

The above list of primers comes direct from my steel loading manual.....I have always included the standard Remington primer in that group but the book does not so I didn't.

the best rule in shotshell loading is load the recipe and don't substitute!

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
...the best rule in shotshell loading is load the recipe and don't substitute!

+1 That is what we went by for decades and never had any kind of mechanical problem.

I had always thought that was the rule but I haven't loaded shotshells since the 50's in the basement with my father.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
I don't truly understand it but shot shells seem to be much more primer sensitive than rifle loads.....

the best rule in shotshell loading is load the recipe and don't substitute!

The answer to this is two part. First swapping components in shotshells can cause major pressure differences generated by the reloaded shells.

Secondly shotshells don't often exhibit excessive pressure signs like metallic cartridges. Excessive pressure signs in shotguns are often blown barrels.

In CCI's own words;

quote:

The CCI 209M is a true Magnum primer designed for heavy charges of slow-burning propellants. That makes the 209M a superb choice for waterfowl loads.

For target loads you are using fast burning powders that generate sharp, quick pressure spikes.

Like the other guys said; "Follow the recipe!" Primers are pretty cheap compared to the cost of shot and powder. For a box of my 1oz. loads the shot costs $1.78, the powder costs 90 cents and the primers cost 80 cents. Please shell out the few extra pesos for the right stuff.

That's good advice, but not to worry. There are literally hundreds of published target recipes for CCI magnum primers.

I can't imagine that you'll have any trouble finding target load recipes, but if you do PM me and I'll try to help.

Thanks for the offer; I'll do some searching to see what I can find first. I have a bunch of AA hulls and WWAA12SL wads. I'm trying to stay at 1 oz/1200 fps. For powder I have on hand WW Lite, BLue Dot and Unique. Not being a shotgun reloader, I had no primers and these CCI 209Ms are all I have found around town.