Starting to reload 300gr North Fork cup points and solids for my .375 H&H. North Fork suggested trying either Reloader 15 or Reloader 17 but suggested using Large Rifle Primers not Magnum Large Rifle. When I contacted them, they said either should work, but suggested the Magnums would increase the pressure a little. So far, my rifle seems to like the RL 15 slightly better than the RL 17 with no signs of increased pressure. With the RL 17,at just under maximum suggested load and using Remington 9 1/2 M primers, I had one round that would not go off even with two firing pin strikes. (Not encouraging while working up a load for a DR hunt.) Any thoughts or suggestions?

For what it's worth, I use magnum primers for my 25 06 only. All the other rifles get Winchester large rifle.
The caliber list is 405 Win, 45-70, 30 06, 308, 375 Whelen. The 308 is the only one that shot jacketed bullets, all the others are full power cast bullets using medium powders.

Jim

Why are you hunting doctors? "DR hunt". Wouldn't hunting lawyers be more socially responsible?

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Why are you hunting doctors? "DR hunt". Wouldn't hunting lawyers be more socially responsible?

And more socially acceptable!

Dud primer. Not all that uncommon these days.

Hope it was only a dud primer. Some of the DR's I know, deserve to be hunted as DG.

Edod, primer selection is more about the powder then the bullet. Stick powders seeem to prefer standard primers, ball powders are more likely to need a magnum primer.

quote:

Originally posted by Edod:
Starting to reload 300gr North Fork cup points and solids for my .375 H&H. North Fork suggested trying either Reloader 15 or Reloader 17 but suggested using Large Rifle Primers not Magnum Large Rifle. When I contacted them, they said either should work, but suggested the Magnums would increase the pressure a little. So far, my rifle seems to like the RL 15 slightly better than the RL 17 with no signs of increased pressure. With the RL 17,at just under maximum suggested load and using Remington 9 1/2 M primers, I had one round that would not go off even with two firing pin strikes. (Not encouraging while working up a load for a DR hunt.) Any thoughts or suggestions?

I used the same primers with the NorthForks that I used in working the load up with my standard bullet. Right now, I'm loading 225 gr. NF's in my .338 mag and use Rldr-22. The primer I'm using in the .338 is a Federal- 210 M largge rifle match. Personally, I prefer Federals when/if I can get 'em.
Think I'd re-work my load with another primer - shouldn't be too difficult and go with a Federal or, maybe a Win. Never had a problem with a Win. either.
Hoping to end up using a 150 NF in my .270 WSM and I plan to use Federals for that too.
Just what I do.
Bear in Fairbanks

I have shot several hundreds of North Fork bullets from .277 - .284 - .308 - .338 - .358 - .416. I have shot nothing but Fed 210M and 215M primers for the last ten years. I have shot them all over this country, Alberta, Alaska and Africa, hopefully much more in the future. Good shooting.

Edod:

I load the 300 grain North Forks in my .375 H&H, both soft and Flat nose solids, and have found that RL-15 works great. I always use Winchester brass and Federal 215 or 215M primers. I also load North Fork softs in my .300 H&H and my .458 WM and always use Fed 215 or 215M primers. No signs of pressure signs at 2450 FPS MV in the .375. Great bullets. I took one cape buff with the .458 450 grain Cup Points and another one with the .375 using a soft point followed by a couple of solids as finishers/insurance shots.

I use the non magnums in virtually everything. I recently did some loading for my 338 lapua and 338 norma magnums and didn't have any mag primes so I went with the 210m and got amazing results accuracy. I then got in my 215s and did the same tests. With identical weight charges group sizes were half as big with the non mag primers and the chagre weight and groups fluctuated accordingly ie 92 gn was the best with both primers relative to the other groups but the non mag 93 gn group was half the size. My 2 cents but this has happened to me on a few other guns like my 30 hart. For accuracy I won't be using the mags again for a DG gun though shaving an extra 1/4 moa to even half moa never seemed to matter that much to me as long as it held better than 1 moa and went bang each and every time.

RCG - I am quite happy with the initial testing I did with RL 15 and the cup points and the solids. I am quite impressed how much better my groups were than with the commercial Federal loads with the Barnes 300 gr TSX bullets.

djtjr- If the weather cooperates, will do some side by side testing the same charges of RL 15 and the magnum and non magnum primers.

Will assume my one dud was indeed just one bad primer.

Thanks for the responses.