I'm helping a friend work up loads for his new Shilen barrel in 25-06 Rem. I gave him a ladder list of loads using RL22 and 120 grain Partitions. He used Fed 215's because "That's what I've always used." We shot them and got a nice cluster at around 54-55 grains. The next week he used WLR primers, and the results were not so good. Velocities in both instances were safe and as predicted. No sign of excess pressure, etc. Any thoughts?

Could you let us know what type of caes you were using and also the powder. Keep in mind, not all components will work together well. Your in the test phase. You change one component and it throws everything out if alignment. This is the constant we all go through when developing loads. Winchester primers work well for me, but the same can be said about Federal. Suggest you stick with your first load and tweek from there.

He is using RL22, a very slow burning powder; yes, mag primers will make it burn better and in this case, produces a more accurate round.

I have two 25/06's they like to run at full throttle. rl22 is slow and may work better with a mag primer. I use AA 2700 and 8 1/2- 120 staynless win western primers. I didn't have any good results with WLR or federal primers.
I have had good results with H414 and 9 1/2 rem primes. 87 gr bullets.
Dave

I light 63 grs of RL22 in my 280PDK with a CCI non magnum primer. Has worked fine for years.

I normally use std. primers in std cases, and mag primer in magnum cases..sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it doesn't make any difference..

Bottom line in handloading is only the target tells the truth as to accuracy.

The magnum primer will help ignite RL-22 faster developing a more consistent burn rate.

Brice- I've found that 215's to be a constant primer but hotter than other brands. I also think that WLR primers are not as hot as the 215's. It sounds like your pals rifle likes the hotter primer. I have had some luck trying Rem primers if the load liked hot primers. Might be worth a try.

I would imagine that the Federal 215 primer is hotter than the WLR primer. Personally, I would consider the Fed 215 a magnum primer. I bet Winchester's WLRM's would compare more favorably and may even be a bit hotter than the 215's.

The unplated-> brass color WLR & WLRM primers that I have measure undersize and fit loose in good primer pockets.

I've used quite a bit of RL-22 in the 25-06 and 270 and always had excellent results with CCI-200 standard primers. Each rifle and load combination is its own story and will ultimately tell you what it wants to shoot.

John Barsness's article on primers in the June 2105 Handloader Mag is a good read.

To confirm that each rifle has its own likes. in my 2506 Ive tried most of the different primers and my rifle prefers Winchester large rifle giving 5/8 inch groups. I have not however tried the Federal 215 in it.

In the second test, using the WLR (standard) primers, I was careful to keep all factors the same except for the primers. Same new Nosler cases, same powder lot, etc. I read an article years ago, may have been in Precision Shooting, on primers. The Federals were the hottest. It has been said that the F215's were developed for the Weatherby cartridges. I also note that Federals are the primers of choice for nearly all BR competitors.

The difference is that the different burning rate of the primer changes the pressure curve of the load. In this case if the 215 primers are "hotter" the load is generating more pressure and evidently closer to the sweet spot for the barrel. If you increase the powder charge a couple of tenths you might find the same results with the WW primers. In this case as long as you have an ample supply of 215 primers I would just shoot and enjoy. However, inquiring minds want to know and the fun is in figuring out what it takes given a different combination of components.

Any of the above . . . or it could just be that a single group is an insufficient sample to determine the overall accuracy of a load. The results could be reversed when comparing only a single group against another single group. Statistical noise, it's called.

I always thought CCI was hotter than Federal.
I've never had any problem with Federal 215 primers either.

As usual an interesting and informative collection of responses. Thank you.

We ran another test to see if we could replicate the first. While the protocols weren't perfect, I think the variables were such that the results are pretty reliable. The Federal 215s again outperformed the WLR (Winchester Large Rifle) standard primers. Just for giggles and grins we will try to test some Federal 210s (standard Federals).

Changing the primer is the same as changing anything else in the load recipe, it makes it a whole new animal.

To RMiller: Yeah, you're right. We get pretty complacent about primers because it often makes little difference. I've gotten in a rut with Federals 'cause they usually work very well.

However, my M70 375 insisted on Win. primers in order to shoot nice little groups. Why will my buff rifle shoot 1/2" groups and one of my varmint rifles is only good for 1.5"?

I always use magnum primers in my 25-06.
It is, afterall, a magnum type performer.
I have had my best results with Fed215's and brass coloured WLRM primers.
I use RE22 and RE25 in my 25-06, RE25 is outstanding with Nosler 115gr Partitions, 3263fps with this powder and bullet. Yes, this velocity is high, but my pressure trace II tells me pressure is safe.
The 25-06 is one of my favourite cartridges.

Cheers.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I normally use std. primers in std cases, and mag primer in magnum cases..sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it doesn't make any difference..

I generally do too, but have noticed that when using ball powders (like Ramshot Big Game in my 7-08's_, magnum primers significantly tightened up things. Otherwise I'd never use mag primers in std cases with extruded powders.