I have been reloading for over a yr now, and it seems I am getting misfires once per 25-30 rds out of my rifle. This seems quite excessive. I could understand one per 100, but one per 25? The rifle is a CZ 527 American in .223 Rem, and the load is a reduced Blue Dot load using 11 gr of Blue Dot, 46-gr Win HP bullets, Federal cases, and CCI 400 primers at 2550 fps. At first I thought maybe the tiny amount of oil on my hands was doing something, so I stopped touching the primers barehanded and wore gloves. No effect. I don't seat them extremely hard, just so that they're flush with the base of the case. I've thought possibly the firing pin is too weak, but all the factory loads I've put through it fired fine. Also, when a misfire happens, I wait a minute, then recock the action and try again. Rarely this works, but usually I just end up with a real dud, and the primer shows a DEEPER indentation than fired cases, indicating a strong firing pin hit. All the primers I've used so far are from the same lot, and I'm going to e-mail CCI tonight. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I've shot thousands of rounds through my rifles, and never had a misfire. I use CCI primers almost exclusively. I think you are on the right track by contacting CCI. Might be a bad lot of primers.

There could be many reasons. I would make sure I am not setting the shoulders back on the case that would allow it to enter the chamber to far not allowing the fireing pin to hit hard enough. The firing pin might be to short or maybe dirt inside the bolt maybe slowing it down.The sear could be draging on something slowing the fireing pin down. Do the primers have a good even dent in the middle. The primers could have been contamanated some how. Or you could have a bad patch. But I have loaded more rounds then I can remember many 10's of thounsands A bad primer is a really suprise when I get one it does happen not to often. Some one gave me some herters primers once a whole 1000 had 75 percen miss fires out of the first hundred still haven't load the rest.

I'm betting you got a bad production lot of primers, or else they got damaged somewhere in shipping/storage.

I buy primers by the case -- so 1000 primers in a lot would be all together. If some are damaged, the whole lot is probably damaged. Maybe they got wet somewhere.

Anyhow . . .

I'd buy a box or two of CCI fresh . . . from the other side of town if possible. Run them and see if you get misfires.

I think contacting CCI is a good idea.

Geo, just a thought. You say your seating your primers flush with the case head. Primers should be just a touch below the head when fully seated. You may not be fully seating your primers and the fireing pin is breaking the primer pellet and seating them fully when first trying to fire them. Check to see if the fireing pin is seating them deeper on your misfires, it "maybe" your problem. If you crush the priming compound it`s possible they won`t fire on the second attempt. I`ve used ~ 2000 primers / year for the last 30 and can`t remember more then half a dozen misfires. The majority also refused to fire on the second attempt. The others may be right about them being contaminated or a weak spring, what ever the reason I`d contact CCI and ask for their help.

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH SOME 30/30 RELOADS,I USE THE SAME PRIMERS FOR MY 22/250 AND NEVER HAD A MISFIRE.I FOUND THAT THE PRIMERS WERE NOT SEATING ALL THE WAY,ALTHOUGH THEY WERE FLUSH WITH THE CASEING.THE NEXT BATCH I LOADED I CLEANED THE PRIMER POCKETS AND PUT A LIGHT CHAMFER ON THEM,WHEN I LOADED THEM I SEATED THE PRIMERS TURNED THE CASING A 1/2 TURN IN THE SHELL HOLDER AND SEATED THEM AGAIN JUST TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE SEATED ALL THE WAY. THAT TOOK CARE OF THE PROBLEM.

I have been reloading for 40 years and have NEVER had a misfire! 1 out of 500,000 or more would be too many!

You are not seating your primers correctly, and you even state so in your message.

RTFM...

GEO,
Hard to tell without looking at the primers, but I think Ol' Joe hit it on the nose. Do they fire on the second attempt? If they do, the primers are being driven deeper into the pocket on the first try. If that is not the trouble, CCI's primers are harder than most, that coupled with a weak main spring will do it to you. Good luck.

I've loaded thousands of rounds over the years. The only mis-fires I've ever had were using CCI's in Ruger rifles. I cured this in one Ruger by changing to Federal primers, and the other by changing the striker spring. Try a different brand of primer.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to buy some new primers tomorrow. Unfortunately, I bought the current lot of primers in a 1000-primer brick, so if primers are the problem I have ~800 still around. Only going to get 100 new ones for now.

One question: is it possible to seat a primer TOO hard? I guess that's why I only seated them flush, as I was afraid a primer could be damaged by excessive force. I do clean primer pockets every other reload of the brass, but will start cleaning the pockets for every reload now.

Yes, it's possible to seat a primer too hard...but difficult. Just seat the suckers till you feel them bump bottom.

You don't state in your profile where you live. Humidity is the enemy of primers. Perhaps YOU have stored them properly while YOU had them...but who knows about before you. CCI aren't the best primers money can buy but they normally fire. I would say 1 misfire out of every 10,000 rounds would be acceptable...although not really even normal.

I'm not so willing to jump on you for doing something wrong. I'm betting on a bad bunch of primers...probably improperly stored somewhere along the road to your house.

The fastest, easiest way to figure out what's going on is buy some other brand of primers, which I think you are about to do. Now SEAT THEM till you feel them bump bottom.

I think you're just trying too hard here, Geo.
Relax.

A new brand of primer and seating them to the bottom of the pocket will tell you a lot. 99% of the time a primer will detonate even if it isn't seated all the way to the bottom if you've got a good strong firing pin strike.

Let us know what you find.

Hold on! I have a CZ-527 American in 223 and it would misfire, due to a light strike with CCI primers. I switched to Federal primers and the problem is gone. I should get it fixed. Wolff doesn't list a spring application for a CZ-527, and it looked like a PITA to remove the firing pin to get measurements. Federal primers work great, their brass is another story!

BTW, I love my CZ!

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely try some Fed primers this weekend, maybe that will do it along with a little more muscle when seating them and a squeaky clean primer pocket. I've had no problems whatsoever with the Fed brass I use (saved from shooting their American Eagle ammo) but then I've also been using strictly reduced loads of Blue Dot powder. I too have heard their quality is lacking on full-power loads. Thanks again.

Spray the bolt with WD40. oil build up can drain into the bolt when the gun is sitting in the gun rack after cleaning, it dries out , gets gummy.Sometimes, shipping lub with the oil gumms thing up to. After cleaning your rifles, stand them on the muzzle for 4 or 5 days, put a paper towel under the muzzle. May not be the problem, but worth a try.

I agree with all that has been said . Just my opinion, get a lee handtool , you simply have more "sense" of how the primer is seating. Then one other thing , I dont know if I am a bit upfront here , but I wouldnt use WD40 , as this builds up a sort of sticky substance after a while , works great on cars but keep it away from guns .That is why they good invented lubricants for firearms .

Regards
Rufdie

Primers MUST be seated just as deep as you can push them by feel without deforming the primer cups... The anvil has to be seated to where it touches the primer pellet, and they are shipped WITH A LITTLE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE PELLET AND THE TIP OF THE ANVIL. For safety!!