Hello,
I have been searching and havent really found my anwser so here goes.
I have always used CCI primers but lately cant find any so I bought some federal large rifle primers.
My question is is there any real difference, and what have you experenced between brands of primers.
These are general hunting loads and target shooting loads.

Thanks

I'm just a hunter, not a paper puncher, but I've found little to no difference when switching between Fed 210 and CCI200 or CCI 200BR. Same goes with Fed 215M and CCI 250.

I've never noticed a great deal of difference. Especially if you're loading up hunting ammo.

I used all the different primers for years and found that when I organized my targets a trend, the more accurate loads had Federal primers. Now for the last 20 years I use only Fed Match primers either large rifle or Magnum rifle. I do use Remington Match primers on the smell rifle. As you can see I find the Match primers answer my accuracy needs, regardless of those that say it does not really matter. Without the primer hassle I am a happy loader these days. Good shooting.

I'm told that the match primers are no different than standard. They're just made on the newest machinery by the most experienced operaters.
Be that as it may, using them does tend to give one a warm fuzzy feeling.

I use almost no magnum rifle primers. I have not been able to tell switching from one brand to the other in my std primer loads.

To say there is no difference between standard large rifle primers and magnum large rifle primers is just plain wrong. When Wby brought out the 378 in the early 1950's they had some serious ignition problems with the then availible primers. Federal developed a hot magnum primer (FED 215)that was significantly hotter than any other primer then availible that solved the ignition problems on the 378. Living in Manitoba we see a bit of cold weather up here. I've hunted moose and elk at -40 deg temperatures.I've seen a couple things happen to groups in cold weather (0deg F and lower). I have one 280 rem that will shoot sub 1 in groups @100yds in warm weather with std LR primers. Below 0deg F those groups open up to the 3 to 4 in range. Changed to mag rifle primers and worked back up to the same load and the groups went back to 1in@ 100yds. There have been a couple primer tests done that compare pressure and velocity with different primers.The tests I have seen were all done at temps in the 60 to 70 deg F range. At those temps there may not be a huge difference. I have never seen a test that compared results when the test loads were fired in cold temps (below 0 deg F). Because much of my hunting is done in cold weather I do test the ammunition I'm going to use at those temps. Some new powders are less sensitive to temps Which may make primers less of an issue.I use mag primers in 06 sized cases that are going to be used in cold weather. All short mag cases get mag primers. All the long mag cases from 300 Wby and up thru the Rums get Fed 215 primers .

If you think they are the same. I cant remember the site but they had a picture of the flash taken at ignition of standard and magnum primers. In the dark just the primer, so you could see it. The mag. was about twice as big as standard the match was smaller than the standard. There is a difference.

I don't doubt that magnum primers are hotter than standard. My point was the difference between standard and MATCH primers.

Yes - there is a significant difference between various non-magnum primers... ESPECIALLY between "Match" and "Standard"....

My experience is that "Match" primers are quite a bit "cooler" than standard primers... and that they are especially squirrely when you are talking about cold weather or hunting - where you get all sorts of extremes....

The best answer is to shoot some over a chrono at a couple different temperatures and see what happens.... as my experience is that Primers can be SIGNIFICANTLY more temperature sensitive than the powder they are lighting off...

Thanks

Federal 215 Hotter
WLRM
CCI 250
Rem 9-1/2 M
WLR
Fed 210
CCI BR2
CCI 200
Rem 9-1/2 Cooler

COPIED & PASTED FROM YAHOO SEARCH

You will find that if you use standard large rifle primers in large cases, you will get some hang fire with the slower powders.

As a general rule, we use magnum primers in cases larger than the 30-06 size brass.

A while back I was demonstrating to a friend how this occurred, by loading the Remington 300 Ulra mag with standard primers.

We noticed a definite hang fire on every round fired that had a standard primer - Federal 210M.

THis never happened when we changed to the Federal 215 primer, using the same powder and charge.

Thank you, Saeed. A while back, there was a long thread that basically said "using standard primers in all cases was fine".
My other question is why would they make standard primers and "match" primers and make one hotter or cooler than the other. What is gained or lost? I've used just about every SR and every SRmatch primer made and haven't found any difference in velocity nor accuracy between them when comparing the same brand. The "warm, fuzzy feeling" factor is worth something however.

My understanding of “Standard” and “Match” primers is that there is no difference in power, flame, or component. Match primers are simply a higher quality controlled product.

“Bench Rest” primers on the other hand, such as the Remington 7 ½ are hotter than the standard 6 ½.

A couple of good articles on primers can be found at this site.

http://riflemansjournal.blogsp...le-primer-study.html

and for small rifle here:

http://riflemansjournal.blogsp...le-primer-study.html

I have started reloading for 9.3x74R. Most sources recommended a large rifle primer. From what I have read here, the magnum primer might be the better choice. Anyone reloading the larger "pencil" cartridges using magnum primers? I'm headed to Cabelas tomorrow.