CCI primers vs. others

[palmetto99]

OK, I had a few of my .38 special rounds fail to fire in my model 60 this past weekend. A couple of reloading old hands were able to give some input. The primmers might have been high. But, one point that was brought up was that CCI primers (I use CCI #500 for 9mm and .38) are considered "hard" compared to other brands (or they were in the past). It was suggested that I might try Federal. Any input?

As an aside, when my FTF rounds were tried in a different revolver, they did fire. I think my model 60 (which has had a trigger job) has a problem with reloads. I've had problems with factory relaods in the 60 before. So, maybe a combination of "hard" primmers in the reloads and a maybe light strike are the problem? The old 60 has never failed to fire with factory.

[Dragon88]

Originally Posted by palmetto99

my model 60 (which has had a trigger job)

That's your problem right there. Yes CCI are a little harder than others, but any properly functioning pistol should be able to ignite any brand of primer. Unless of course you intend to make your revolver unreliable in the interest of a light trigger, in which case Feds will help a little.

[mtgianni]

SA or DA? I have had no problems with cci primers in my loads. These days many of us have to use what primers are available. Many S&W's have a harder DA strike than a SA strike. It may need some mainspring adjustment if it continually misses.
I find a high primer will usually tie up a cylinder so it doesn't rotate. A slightly high one may seat with a hammer fall and not get set off. A second try with the gun will let you know if that is the case. Most mod 60's are not target guns so you will want this to work every time. IMO this needs a little more work to determine if it's the guns or the loads but since they fired in another gun I would suspect the gun is in need of a slight tune up.

[epj]

In a recent ad for CCI primers they made a statement that the primers had been reformulated or some similar term to be more sensitive. I just bought a couple of thousand CCI primers, but they had the same old packaging they had for years. The primers shown in the ad were in a different package. This might have been on the Powder Valley website. If not, it was some similar website. Anyway, perhaps CCI is making their primers a bit softer these days. Anyone have any experience with this?

[ken158]

Hard primers and trigger jobs are the common denominator here. A trigger job on a J frame is more difficult to accomplish sucessfully with the coil mainspring which I suspect is the major culprit in your FTF.

[alwslate]

I would vote for high. In my reloading I haven't found CCI primers to
be hard to ignite but very hard to fully seat. They do seem to be oversize.

[JohnK]

I occasionally had FTF problems, with my revolvers (all have had spring kits). Yes, CCI's.

Hand priming to the BOTTOM of the primer pocket, with an RCBS hand primer tool, COMPLETELY eliminated the problem. It is very easy to feel the seating, with this tool.

If the primers are just slightly high, much of the hammer strike, is taken up, by seating the primer.

[ArchAngelCD]

I feel CCI primers aren't really harder than others but the others are softer. I put it this way because, like said above, and revolver in proper operating condition should set of any primer. CCI primers are used in all Speer, CCI and Blazer ammo so they can't be overly hard or they would produce failures all over the world.

I like and use mostly CCI primers because they are reliable. I have been using a lot Winchester primers over the past 2 years, especially in handgun ammo because of the well known shortages. I've had no problems with them either but when I have a choice I buy CCI.

ONE NOTE, if you are going to use that M60 as a SD gun I would highly recommend replacing the springs with a stock spring set to insure reliability. The fact you said factory ammo sometimes fails to fire concerns me.

[palmetto99]

Thanks for all of the input folks.

Let me restate, never had a failure with factory ammo, but have had failures with "factory" reloads. The local indoor range that I visit sells factory reloaded practice ammo. I have had to double strike a few of those in the 60 to get them to set off. I imagine that the first strike is hitting a high primer and seating the primmer deeper in the pocket and the second is setting it off.

[Bullseye Smith]

CCI is the hardest primer - then Winchester - and Federal being softer than the other. Some match gun are built to run on Federal only. I try to build one to run on CCI and never have a FTF.

[Ceapea]

Some of the guys at my gun club have had the trigger on their S&W wheelguns re-worked to be EXTRA light for PPC shooting. They can now only use Federal primers. What's cool is, their gunsmith can tune your trigger (to the lightest it can be and still function) to whatever primer you want to use.

[David Sinko]

It is my experience that in the last few years both CCI and Winchester primers have become more sensitive, at least regarding their pistol primers. I don't think I have ever handloaded a single Remington primer so I can't comment on those. I still have a bunch of the old Winchester plated primers and whenever I lighten the springs on a new revolver I always make sure it fires those old Winchesters with complete reliability. The practice of crush fitting the primers in the pockets so that excessively lightened springs will fire them has caused me to break two Lee Auto Primes and fracture the crank on a Dillon 550. All my revolvers are now sprung to fire all brands of primers and reloading has become much more simple.

I would never lighten the spring on a J Frame. If the pull is really heavy I'll lighten the rebound spring, but never the mainspring.

Dave Sinko

[5-Shot]

Count me among the owners of a mod 60 that will not reliably fire CCI's, even with a brand new hammer spring. It's 100% with everything else I've tried.

[Ceapea]

Originally Posted by 5-Shot

Count me among the owners of a mod 60 that will not reliably fire CCI's, even with a brand new hammer spring. It's 100% with everything else I've tried.

I wonder what primers the major ammo manufacturers use. My model 60-15 shoots anything...including several boxes of handloads that my buddy loaded for me. He only uses CCI primers. I too have started loading and also only use CCI. No problems in several boxes of my stuff either.

[chief38]

I have always heard that the CCI primers are the hardest and so I have always bought Federal, Winchester and Remington. A few years ago my friends father passed away and he brought over all his old reloading equipment and reloading supplies to give to me. There were a few thousand small CCI pistol primers and I let them sit there for a while before using them because of the rumers I have always heard. Well just recently I was running low on my regular primer inventory so I decided to use the CCIs. I loaded almost 2000 bullets (for range practice) and figured if I had a few FTF.......so what. Well I can now report that I have gone through over 1600 rounds so far and have not encountered a single FTF. Not to say that they aren't a little harder than the other brands, but I can not look anybody in the eye and say I have had ANY problems what so ever with CCI. By the way, some of these bullets were fired out of my designated "target only" guns (action jobs) and I had no problem with them either. Go figure!

chief38

[Crimp]

I've never used anything but CCI primers in handgun loads for the last several years in 380ACP, 9mm, 38 spec., 357 Mag, 40 cal, .45ACP and 480. That includes a Mod 60 S&W. Over many thousands of rounds, I have never had a CCI primer misfire. I would have the revolver fixed.