Whats your favorite primer ? and why ?
In the past I haved used winchester mainly due to it is easy to get around here.

Don't really have a "favorite" per se. I use what works best in any given load. Work up with CCI 200/250 and if no good results will change primer after trying other things like seating depth, powder charge, etc. Primers often seem to make a fair amount of difference in smaller capacity cases. Regards, Eagleye.

I use only federal match primers. Never been let down.

I too rely mostly on Federal Match primers for my rifle loads. For whatever reason, I use almost all Winchester primers in my pistol ammo for such things as .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 44 Magnum, etc. Go figure!

Back to the Federal Match primers in rifles, though. I have had great results using the Fed 210M primer to get better accuracy and reduce flyers in such cartridges as the 22-250 Remington and the 6mm Remington.

I have had similar good results with the Fed 215M primer. In fact, in my own 7mm Weatherby Magnum I did a rather extensive study whereby I loaded several different loads with Fed 215 and Fed 215M primers. After an afternoon at the range, I came home and measured groups. I found an average 28% reduction in group size using the Fed215M primers!

So, if you are that interested, you just have to try different primers and see what happens. I have had a number of 22-250 Remington rifles, all have shot best with the Fed 210M except for one that sits in the safe right now.
For whatever reason that rifle clearly shoots best with the Winchester WLR primer.

In regard to small rifle primers, I just cannot tell much difference in the guns I own. I shoot not only rifles but competition pistols that use small rifle primers. I just cannot seem to tell much difference. I have a large stock of Remington 7 1/2 primers, so I just use them.

So, if you like CCI, just use them, they work. If you have a good stock of Winchester, or Federal, or whatever, for the most part they all work! But for that last minute detail on your reloads you MAY want to try different brands.

R F

Winchester wlr in my 7-08AI and federal 210m in my 280AI.

Unless someone is getting specialized, I look at them as interchangeable. Specialized I mean such as a Weatherby loading, or Ultra Mag.

I think each primer is a little different, but when you are loading for a run of the mill load, like we all hunt with, the difference is negligble. Sort of like putting high test or regular in a VW, neither one matters to it, but it sure makes a difference in a 427 with 3/ 2 barrels on it.

Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

I pretty much use only Federal primers of one kind or another...I buy them by the case and they have always suited me fine..but all primers today seem to be just fine.

I've always used CCI 250's in both my 264 Win Mag and my 270 Win. But just recently I tried some Winchester WLR primers that my brother had bought. With 3 or 4 different charges of H4831 (in the 270) I loaded up 5 of each with both the CCI primers and the WLR's. The WLR loads had an extreme spread in velocity of 1/3 to 1/2 of what the CCI loads gave. So I am switching to the WLR for use in the 270 with H4831. It could be that the standard CCI large rifle primers would also be more compatible with that particular load, as the WLR's seemed to be. But I will stick with the WLR's for now, until I get a chance for more experimentation.

Just now I have CCI, Federal, and Winchester primers in my shop. Usually start with CCI and will switch to Federals or Win if I feel it would change anything for the better. But mostly I stay with CCI.

Federal. Give me most consistent accuracy and they are consistent in size. Everything from small pistol to mag rifle.

I use any brand. I have only a few primers that failed to fire and they were WW. It could be because I have used more WW then any other brand. I kind of prefer Remington now, but I dont think it really matters.

I use exclusively CCI for the very sound reason that is what the gun shop where I trade carries. I have tried others because of varying circumstances but a shooter would have to be better than me to detect any differences in the end results.

Winchester WLP (For Standard or Magnum Loads) in my 44 Special.

CCI's of the appropriate designation for everything else. Sean

I keep a supply of every primer I can get my hands on and usually try all appropriate ones towards the end of any load development. This applies mainly to large rifles. I start out with Federals and usually end up with them in about 75% of loads. In small rifle I start out with Federals and have always ended up with them.

In pistols I exclusively use CCI, in both large and small.

Federal Benchrest/Match, BR/Match Magnum.

Just feel better when I use them. Velocities seem to be more consistant.

The appropriate size and type Win. primer is the first thing I use, almost without fail.

I may try another primer after doing all the other stuff, I may not if all is well.

Win. just seem to go in the case better than anything else, CCI is tight in some brass, Fed. primers are softer and get mangled easier. This is most likely due to the brass more than the primers.

I only use Fed primers in pistol loads if required due to light strike issues, loading ease is better with Win. and easy is fast, fast is good.

They all work, none can be said to suck, and switching often does not show any real effect on the target, though the chrono will show a small difference.

Just my .o2

Travis F.

Ive used CCI extensivley and never had a problem with them, but latley Ive been considering the fact that the primer is the least expensive component in reloading. Ive got some Federal gold match that Im going to test over the chrony and into paper against some run of the mill cci's. I tried that with Winchester WLR's and the only difference I saw was a considerable drop in velocity with the Winchester primers.

If I can gain 1/4"-1/2" on paper by spending an extra dollar on primers then Im all for it.

Federal 210
WLMR
CCI 250
Remington 9-1/2

Federal

TBF, you mentioned that Win. primers go in the case better than anything else. I noticed that too, just recently when I tried the WLR primers after using only CCI's for several years. The WLR's went in so easy that I wondered if they might just fall out. This was on 270 Win. cases that had been reloaded a few times with CCI primers. The latest batch I loaded up was with new 270 Win. cases, and the WLR's still went in easy but with just enough pressure that I wasn't worried about them staying put.

I have had good luck with CCI BR-2's with certain powders and with Federal 210M's with other powders in the cartridges I shoot. For a match load primers absolutely make a difference depending on the powder used. For instance, H4350 EXT has always worked better with the CCI BR-2 in my 308 Win. with the 175 gr. MatchKing. Conversly the Federal 210M has always worked better with VithaVouri N540 behind the 155 Palma MatchKing from the same rifle. And I have tried them all. Those are just two examples. I develop my hunting loads the same way. So after a lot of testing I am convinced primers do make a difference. So my favorite primer is what works the best in the load I am developing, and I have no alligence to any brand or type of primer.



May I be half the man my grandson thinks I am....RiverRat

Alcan

Fed-210. The WLR primers are undersized and tend to flatten (for me w/W-W brass) even with mild loads. I gave up on them. I like CCI-350's for max loads of WW296 in my 45 Colt