it's been years sense i've reloaded . as a kid my dad used cci primers and imr4350 powder. for you .243, 7mm, .270 and his 30-338 which he built . i haven't seen where many reloader us either cci primers or imr 4350 powder on this site is there any thing wrong with this or it there just better products today. i plan on reloading for my .243 and my 7mm RUM what powder and primer are the best to use?

It depends on the weight of the bullet and what you are using them for. My Lyman reloaders manual shows IMR 4350 used in a 243 Win. The 7mm RUM is newer than my manual. I would recommend picking up a new manual to find a common powder lithat is listed for both calibers with your choice of bullet weights. Try www.hogdon.com. They have rifle data and a link to IMR powders. Good Luck!

thanksfor the reply i pickup nosler's reloading guide and have looked at the power companies web sites for reloading info . but what company mahes the best primers ?

I think the most of the crowd these days uses either Winchester or Federal 215s in magnums. By no means is this a complete list, but you can't go wrong with the above. Also stick to what the reloading manual says. If you change primers from a proven max load you should reduce charge by 8% or so and work back up.

You'll get as many opinions on preferred primers as there are brands. It is probably safe to say: all the regular primer brands are good, and there is not ONE brand that stands out. If there are any differences for your particular guns/loads, nobody will be able to tell you beforehand what they might be. If any difference at all, it will have to be established through testing.

I personally tend to use Federal primers quite a bit, but I have also used CCI in the past (in fact still do) with good results.

Your 7mm RUM might benefit from a Federal 215 Mag primer, as that is about the hottest primer available, and the RUM has an awful lot of powder to ignite. For the other cartridges you mentioned, there should be no particular requirements as far as brands are concerned. So if you like CCI (Federal, Remington or any other brand), pick the right primer type for your case, and have at it.
- mike

CCI primers tend to give me less accuracy in my Mags. For instance, a rifle that usually shoots consistant .4-.5" groups w/ Fed. 215s opens up to +1" w/ the CCI mag primers. I've had much better luck w/ Win and Fed primers. You may find them to be very accurate.

CCI pistol primers don't work well in two revolvers I load for, they are just too hard but, Fed and Win work well in those two.

After those few mishaps w/ the CCIs, I've steered away from trying them again.

From the data I've seen on 7RUM, it seems like the 4350 may be alittle too fast. You might have good luck w/ it if you intend on shooting light bullets.

Good Luck!

Reloader