Found a box of 1000 Fed. 215 primers. One key ingredient down on the next phase of my double rifle journey; reloading.

Are these the right ones.

Generally, however my 450-400 likes the CCI magnums. If you get great results with the 215's don't change a thing.

I use Federal 215M's (the match version of the Federal 215) almost exclusively in my double rifle reloads. I am sure I have used thousands of them.

Mike:
To keep my reloading bench as uncluttered as I can, I shoot only LRM primers in everything. They work fine on all of my nitro rifles from .350 to .600 and black powder (both black and smokeless) from .450 to .577. In the bore rifles I use 209 shotgun primers from 12 to 4 bore.
Cheers,
Cal
PS.What .405 do you have?

A Winchester 1895 built in 1923. To be clear, I do not have it yet but pick it up on Tuesday.

Mike:
In my single barrel days (which were also my Winchester days) I owned 5 .405s and loved every one. Not powerful by double standards but by American game standards it has tremendous knockdown. I took a .405 on my first Zim trip in 1994. Not comfortable to carry one handed due to the magazine, but lots of cool Afrian and India history behind the design.
Post a pic when you get her.
Cal

I pulled a Kenneth Anderson book off the shelf to re-read about tigers, leopards and .405's. Maybe I will go shoot some buffalo in Oz with it one day.

Thank you gentlemen. Before I say yes, is there any difference between 215 and 215M (match) one manual says 215 and the other specifies 215M.

Just greater consistency with the match grade primers in terms of manufacturing tolerances and performance. For double rifle purposes the difference is negligible. For reloading purposes the 215 and 215M are interchangeable.

The label on my Federal Primer box says "Match (in gold) Large Magnum Rifle"
The Federal Product code is GM215M and this is my go-to primer for heavy loads in my .405 WCF and .45-90.
Example: When I began loading 400 grain bullets in the .405, I was using CCI Large Rifle Magnum primers and ran low so tried the GM215M and measured 25 fps higher velocities. That alone moved my 400 grain loads from 2050 to 2076 with only 1 fps standard deviation.
So, I bought a few thousand of them.

Mike,
There are ranches in Texas not far from Houston (Hondo for instance) where you can try your .405 on some large critters such a water buffalo, bison, elk, etc.
However, if you do decide to hunt Australia , I can put you in touch with a friend down there who has done it with his .405. He has also done it on another friends ranch at Hondo.
It is very effective on the big stuff even with standard 300 grain NF bullets at 2250 fps.
The factory Hornady 300 grain bullets are good on hogs, white tails, mule deer black bears, etc.
For heavier game, a premium bullet will stand up better to heavy bones.

Are the Fed 215M primers slightly smaller than others. I used them for loading my 6.5-06 with once fired 30-06 and new 25-06 brass, worked okay but not a lot of resistance when seating?

I use CCI 250M primers in my 404 and these are nice and snug. The Feds came with the 6.5-06 and were my first experience with them.

I trust both Federal and Winchester primers.

Eagle27,
I have also noticed that the Federal primers seat with less effort than others I have used. I have been told that the Federal primers are the softest ones on the market. Somewhere, I have a list of primer types and their relative hardness. A Cowboy action shooter put me on to Federal primers years ago when he was smoothing out the action of my new Miroku 1886 45-90. He explained that the competitors set their trigger pull and hammer strike as low as possible and used Federal primers because they would reliably fire with less hammer impact than any other primers. At that point, I began using the Federal match Large rifle magnum primers in all my long straight cases.

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:
Mike,
There are ranches in Texas not far from Houston (Hondo for instance) where you can try your .405 on some large critters such a water buffalo, bison, elk, etc.
However, if you do decide to hunt Australia , I can put you in touch with a friend down there who has done it with his .405. He has also done it on another friends ranch at Hondo.
It is very effective on the big stuff even with standard 300 grain NF bullets at 2250 fps.
The factory Hornady 300 grain bullets are good on hogs, white tails, mule deer black bears, etc.
For heavier game, a premium bullet will stand up better to heavy bones.

I think Tony Black who posts here also hunted buffalo in Oz with an 1895 as I recall. I will have to ask him about that at DSC.

I own and use both match and "regular" 215's. Been mixing them up and using either in all my doubles. Never noticed any difference between them.

CCI primers have always been a little more difficult to seat than about any other brand. Don't know if it is the thickness of their cup or overall diameter.

Everyone thank you for the info. Primers have been purchased. Snowwolfe, I need to get out your way so you can show me what to do with them.

Mjines: I have shot two deer with a 405 and Hornaday spir point intelockt. They did not exist and neither round struck heavy bone or even a rib. Both deer did fall within 40 to 50 yards of the shot. Fine for deer and a safe boar and black bear, but for something in the high 300 to 800 pound range I would want more bullet. The hornaday 405 spire point have a lot of lead exposed and a short thin jacket.

How Brittany Boddington got the Hornaday spire point into a water buffalo, I will never know. And I like intelockets in my 375s all pass throughs; even after striking heavy bone on boar and elk.

If I was to try the .405 on buffalo in Oz or elsewhere, I think I would be using the 300 grain Woodleigh RN bullet.

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch44:
Generally, however my 450-400 likes the CCI magnums. If you get great results with the 215's don't change a thing.

Agree with Dutch. CCIs in my 450-400 but nothing except Fed 215 in the 500NE.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
Everyone thank you for the info. Primers have been purchased. Snowwolfe, I need to get out your way so you can show me what to do with them

Be glad to help. We have a 50 yard range and 75 yard gong within 100 yards of the reloading shop.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
If I was to try the .405 on buffalo in Oz or elsewhere, I think I would be using the 300 grain Woodleigh RN bullet.

Barnes has a component bullet in the banded triple shock. It is a 300 semi spire point. If you are a flat point person there is Northfork 300 grain. I know you are looking at a vintage 405, so I will let you and others more knowledgeable than I decide if these bullets are an option in a vintage rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
If I was to try the .405 on buffalo in Oz or elsewhere, I think I would be using the 300 grain Woodleigh RN bullet.

Barnes has a component built in the banded triple shock. It is a 300 semi spire point. If you are a flat point person there is Northfork 300 grain. I know you are looking at a vintage 405, so I will let you and others more knowledgeable than I decide if these bullets are an option in a vintage rifle.

I used Barnes 300 grain TSX's in my .405 1895 Winchester on a bison almost 2 years ago. The bullets performed wonderfully.

I shoot 215s or 215M, no significant different under any circumstances..in all my doubles and magnum calibers..I use 210s or 210Ms in any 06 or smaller case until you get to the 209s for very light calibers. I shoot only Federal Primers..

I have had no noticeable shooting difference between Federal or CCI primers.

Dave

The Federal is the hottest primer out there, it was developed for the double rifle Im told by the Federal folks, but proved to be excellent in belted magnums..

I think today they have developed a even hotter primer for the doubles and it may be on the shelves as we post, if not its supposed to be on the way Im told..Don't quote me but it seems like they called it the 216...Anybody heard of it besides me.

I believe the 216 is even hotter than the 215 but is not available in component form to reloaders. Unless thing's have changed. Federal Factory 470 come loaded with 216 primer's.

Atkinson is right, 215, especially GM215M is the hottest primer available for reloaders.

I use Federal GM215M in .375 H&H and 8x57 Mauser with great success. SD is really low. Why in Mauser? Because when I was developing loads, I just wanted to use the same primers and powder in both calibers.


I bought thousand of them, still have few hundreds. Can't find them anymore in my country. All are sold.

Jiri

Thank you gentleman for the updated info.