You gents might start watching your favorite online supplies dealer. my supplier just got in Federal 215 primers so they might be coming available soon, at least in limited quantities.

thanks for the head's up.

I got a notice from Midway a few days ago on Fed215Large Rifle Magnum Match (gold medal). But they were already sold out before I got to the website.

I've also relooked at the brisance chart that circulates on the web from time to time.

It seems that the Winchester were not as hot but they were more consistent. I've just ordered a box (1000) of Winchester LRM's.

-- Brand/type - - - - Power Average - Range - Std. Dev

1 - Fed Match GM215M - 6.12 - - 5.23-6.8 - .351

2 - Federal 215 LRM - - 5.69 - - 5.2-6.5 - .4437

3 - CCI 250 LRM - - - - 5.66 - - 4.5-7.4 - .4832

4 - Winchester WLRM - - 5.45 - - 5.1-6.0 - .2046

5 - Remington 9 1/2 LRM- 5.09 - - 3.5-6.75 - .6641

6 - Winchester WLR - - 4.8 - - 4.1-6.0 - .4300
-
7 - Remington 9 1/2 LR - 4.75 - - 3.7-6.25 - .5679

8 - Fed Match GM210M - 4.64 - - 4.0-5.6 - .3296

9 - Federal 210 LR - - - 4.62 - - 3.7-5.5 - .3997

10 - CCI BR2 - - - - - 4.37 - - 4.0-5.0 - .2460

11 - CCI 200 LR - - - - 4.28 - - 3.8-4.8 - .3218

12 - KVB 7 LR Russian - 4.27 - - 3.8-4.8 - .2213

13 - Rem 91/2 (30 yrs old) - 4.16 - - 3.8-4.8 - .3427

PS: Wideners has Fed 215 in stock (magnum, but not 'gold medal'). Check the standard deviation above. Similar to the gold medal.

I picked up 15000 from my supplier so will add them to my inventory. I'm pretty good now.

Sportsman Warehouse in CO Springs has Fed 215's on the shelf every time I visited for the last couple of months. Just picked up another brick today, $34.99

A forum member here and elsewhere, who is well respected in the shooting/gunsmithing world says that Fed and Fed Gold Medal are the exact same primers with the difference being the Gold Medal are hand sorted by visual appearance for greater consistency. I use whichever I can get my hands on in my 375 H&H and larger.

I have a friend that works at Federal. He said that it won't be long and most of their stuff will be showing up in force. They have shipping priorities that are really the only hold up as lines for 22 shells, primers and other such stuff are slowing. The warehouse is full.

quote:

Fed and Fed Gold Medal are the exact same primers with the difference being the Gold Medal are hand sorted by visual appearance for greater consistency

Yes.

Primer filling is done by hand at Federal. They pick the most accurate fillers (people with eye droppers) to work on the Gold Medal line. Does this make a difference? Not in my guns but a bench shooter may see a difference.

This sounds like a joke in this day of automation. But it does explain the backlog of primer orders.

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
This sounds like a joke in this day of automation. But it does explain the backlog of primer orders.

I thought the same thing as you, this has to be a joke. When the Gold Medal primers first came out there was a couple of printed gun rags that reported the same story. Not internet stories.

Maybe Winchester is automatized and gets a lower standard deviation because of it?

I don't know, my feeling is that a primer should start the explosion and not be a part of the explosion. It shouldn't contribute to the over all pressure. But in real life that may be a dream.