Has anyone on here tried the Peterson SRP (small rifle primer pocket) brass in their .243 Win.? I have a .243 and have always used the normal LRP brass in it, but am wondering whether there are accuracy advantages in using the small primer pocket brass. This is the primer size used in almost all the smaller high-precision cartridges like the PPCs.

quote:

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.

I'm not sure how intelligent I am, but I am full of doubt that the small rifle primers will result in any meaningful improvement in accuracy in a .243.

A "lighter" primer spark is thought to reduce the influence of the inherent variations in the primer flame from one primer to the next. The smaller the case and the smaller the charge, the more impact this would theoretically have. A "light" primer is also sufficient for faster-burning, easily ignited powders as are often used in benchrest settings.

With a case as large as the .243 I *doubt* (there's that word again) that there would be such advantage with a lighter primer -- especially if you are using hunting loads charged with slower, harder to ignite powders as are suited to the .243. In fact, in very cold weather with slow powders there is a possibility of getting hangfires with SR primers.

Bottom line: Shooting light bullets from the bench the SRP's might be okay. Shooting heavier bullets for hunting purposes I would stick with the LRP's.

But I'm far from cocksure about this.

I have to agree 100% with Stonecreek on this.

It's been tested pretty extensively by the "big boys" so you might be setting yourself up for hang-fires with a "slower" powder and bigger bullets (which the 243 likes and colder weather associated with deer hunts). For sure if you decide to go that route and discount my "opinion", use a stout SRP like BR4 or 450's.

One of the advantages of a SRP is the ability to push the pressure limits and still have a tight primer pocket but, IMHO, the 243 exceeds the case capacity of a SPR effectiveness.

It would be awesome with faster burning powder and lighter bullets, say, shooting prairie dogs and rock chucks in the spring through early Fall.

Last thought, your ES and SD might go to hell under less than ideal conditions and loads with a SRP in a 243.

I do use the SRP in cases up to the 47mm (20 x 47) and they're fine if you uniform the flash holes.

Just my 2 cents, for free.
Zeke

And now I know something I didn't before...good discussion.

This is an interesting thread because I ended up with a certain 6.5 along with 8 boxes of Berger ammo and I am almost certain by looking at them, have SRPs. Wondering why??? They are definitely accurate.
Carry on........

Try it and see, I have my doubts anything will improve, but load up 10 and test it..

I like Stoneceek's reasoning.

Speaking only for myself, I doubt my limited shooting skills or the inherent accuracy of my rifles and reloads would confer any advantage in accuracy offered by the SRP over LRPs.

My .243 shoots everything north of 65 grain bullets very accurately with Superformance, which is quite slow burning.

Just my uninformed opinion.

Here is a pretty good read on the subject.

http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=2662

I'd use the heck out of them because it would give me something to blame my bad shooting on.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
I'd use the heck out of them because it would give me something to blame my bad shooting on.

I have a client that is using 6XC with SRP with excellent results. He is using CCI, I think, because that seems to be the most available. .243 may need a SR mag because of its added volume. It might be worth trying. LRP is not nearly as available as SRP. For what it's worth , the CCI #41 is equivalent to SR mag, just a thicker cup. Shouldn't matter in a bolt gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:
Here is a pretty good read on the subject.

http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=2662

That's a great read, Wstrnhuntr. I've read other articles by Laurie Holland, and he really knows his stuff re rifle accuracy. His conclusions mirror those expressed above by Stonecreek. Taking this from his longer article, here are his relevant conclusions:

"The issue is that with small primer ignition – only just sufficient to light up a 308 Win case-load of powder consistently – the primer flame may be on the feeble side (and further restricted thanks to the small diameter flash-hole) when the powder kernels and case-walls are very cold. Put simply, if too much primer energy is sucked up by these cold components, there may be insufficient remaining heat to raise powder kernels’ temperatures to that needed for reliable ignition. Possible problems are complete failure to fire (misfire); partial failure (hangfire); or apparently satisfactory operation but where velocity spreads stretch and/or average velocity is significantly reduced."

He's discussing the use of SRP with the .308 Win., but I imagine that this applies equally with the .243 Win.

The old trials and tribulations of the 22 Cheeta Mk.I and II come to mind.

Based on the old Remingtion 308 Basic brass which had a small rifle primer pocket.

If memory serves....reliable ignition was somewhat temperature dependent. Powder column height also seemed to play a major role.

Hope this helps.

243 size cases need a large rifle primers.

quote:

He's discussing the use of SRP with the .308 Win., but I imagine that this applies equally with the .243 Win.

I would think it applies even moreso to the .243 since the powders used in the .243 are typically slower and a bit harder to ignite.

There was an article a number of years ago, I think in "American Rifleman", about two guys who worked up loads in a 7/08 with SR primers. They lived somewhere warm and everything worked fine. Then they went on a deer hunt in Colorado in cold temperatures and had a number of misfires. I assume the results would be about the same with a .243.

Lapua makes .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor brass with small primers.

The .308 is for Palma shooting supposedly.

I got smaller SD’s with this stuff but I’m not using ball powder and it’s only being used for paper punching. Can’t say what it does with cold or such.

I haven’t had any ignition issues with it, either. That being said, while it groups well, I can’t say it’s any better or worse than large primered lapua as far as group size- maybe just my ability there…

My shootingis varmints and big game with all my rifles and they all shoot an inch with any, large or magnum primer. claim and is been accepted that magnum primers are a must for ball powders and I shot hundreds of rounds with large primers and never had a misfire or accuracy changes to amount to anything..There is so much BS out there in balistic la la land its scary!!

Part of the benefit some refer to is the additional brass around the primer pocket leading to longer brass life and primer pockets staying tighter for more firings. I have no first hand experience of that. I've also seen anecdotal complaints of poor ignition in cold temps with 6.5CM SRP brass. I've not seen this anywhere in respect to the 6.5x47L but may just have missed it.

I recently acquired a 6mm CM. I would have chosen LRP brass but none was to be had so I took SRP brass. So far only eight strings down the tube, but loaded with H4350 and CCI400 primers the ES is extremely low (mostly single digits). I'm not suggesting that good reloading practices don't achieve this quite frequently and also in LRP and magnum cases, but in my very limited experience with it I have been happy with the results. This is with new brass that has not been fireformed. I would not hesitate to try a SRP 243 Win case.

My F-TR-shooting friend tells me the primary reason they use this brass is because it lasts longer.

The primer pockets don't become loose as soon.

They do not believe it makes any significant difference in accuracy.

quote:

IMHO, the 243 exceeds the case capacity of a SPR effectiveness.

A whole lot of 308 Palma shooters would disagree....


.

I use Remington URBR(Small Pocket308)brass for 22-250,243,6.5-08,260Rem,7mm-08 & 308 NRA OTC & LR Match rifle's.

Zero Ball or Hodgdon powders were or have been burnt for various reasons.

Our Winter Solstice Match(Dec21)temperature cut off is -20F ambient.

I've NEVER had an ignition issue to date & have fired 10's of thousands of rounds down range.

For those who have actually been there & done it-
The flash hole diameter will eliminate any issues w/ignition.

hint-
My 308 Palma load runs 47grains of IMR4064 or N135 in the Remington URBR case behind a 155/156gr VLD projectile & Fed 205 primer.