How come Federal packs their primers in such a large box? While I'm on the subject, why stack the primers on their sides? I recall 40 years back primers packed like that, but everyone else nowdays had them lying flat and mostly the same side up. Makes loading primer tubes a real PITA. I have always read and heard that one should avoid touching the primers, but it is almost unavoidable with the Federals. Is there some trick I'm missing?

How come Federal packs their primers in such a large box? While I'm on the subject, why stack the primers on their sides? I recall 40 years back primers packed like that, but everyone else nowdays had them lying flat and mostly the same side up. Makes loading primer tubes a real PITA. I have always read and heard that one should avoid touching the primers, but it is almost unavoidable with the Federals. Is there some trick I'm missing?

From what I was told when I called Lee, it is due to the primer compound used which is more sensitive then say CCI. DOT rules require more space between them to avoid detonation when shipping.

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Still Running Against the Wind

http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0018791210620a.shtml

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If you are loading primer tubes, you need a primer "flip tray". They are made by RCBS, Hornady, nearly all reloading mfg.'s. The tray has little concentric rings in the base of one side, and you shake it and all the primers flip over. Then you put on the lid and flip it over and they are all lined up to fill the tubes. TAkes longer to tell about it than to do it.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Took the words right out of my mouth! I was wondering why would a flip tray care how they are packaged

What I've found is that the primer packing tray that Fed uses is larger than my old style round RCBS flip tray can handle. Routine I've settled with is to dump the Fed primers into a 5" funnel while holding it over the flip tray. Can then get them oriented properly to use pick up tubes. Kevin

No one, I repeat, NO ONE, is better than improvisation like an American! Necessity, the mother of invention!

Way to go Kevin.

I have a Dillon primer flip tray and it is almost big enough to get the whole Federal primer tray into. I just put the packaging as close as possible as I can to the outside edge and gently pull the sleeve off of it. When I get to the end of the tray I pick up the packaging slide it so that more of it is over the tray and finish pulling off the sleeve.

I usually do this on a table so that dropped primers don't fall on the floor, although.........

Wolf primers come so when put in a flip tray they don't need flipped for putting in primer tubes, real handy!

I use the Dillon metal flip tray which fits the federal packing, I assumed they all did, my BAD!

I use an older RCBS tray(smaller size), I've found it easist to dump half the package in the middle of the tray then rotate the package and dump the other half. You should not spill any.

Maybe I'm missing something here. I have a Dillon metal flip tray. Works just great with CCI. WW, etc. Those primers come packaged flat, not standing up on their edge. I don't care if the primers are up or down in the box, or mixed for that matter, it's the one standing on edge that give a problem.

These days, I'd just be glad to be able to get the primers when I needed them regardless of what they were packed in.

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Pete

Good point.

Remington's are on their sides as well but the packaging is even smaller than WW, CCI, Wolf or others packaged like them.


FWIW

And why when you use a primer flip tray is there always one primer that will not flip?

I tried shaking the primer flip tray last night, as someone suggested in an earlier response. Indeed, SOME of the primers ended up either right-side-up or upside-down. Out of 100, approximately 40-50 remained on their edge, despite repeated shaking.

I remember the old Remington primers. Still have part of a box laying around. Haven't used them since the '70's, when I was loading 20 rounds at a time of rifle cartridges.

Some time ago, I believe Federal had an incident in shipping, probably more the fault of our brown-shirted friends than theirs, but following that, their primers were packaged in the bigger containers. This is a big drawback when you are trying to store them in metal .50-caliber cans (my normal practice). I do not know of better primers than Federal 100s and 150s, so I put up with the nonsense, but wish they were packaged like Remingtons. I do buy Remingtons too, so appreciate the fact that Remington has not followed Federal's lead.

I've often pondered over those big Federal boxes too...
but I must be getting lucky in my old age...
just bought, from tiny gun shop in Radstock, 1000 S/P and 1000 L/P Federals for use in my Heritage Pistols and Taurus LBRs...
and I live in Somerset County, UK

DCC

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DCCUK

I used CCI for years; not just because it makes quality products, but because of the relatively "green" packaging. Simply put, CCI had the smallest plastic tray. The downside was that a primer flip tray was a must and it took a lot of panning to get them upright.

I now use Winchester primers. They ALL face up, so it is a simple matter to invert them for feeding into the primer tube. The tray is not too large, even for my old Lyman primer flipper.

I don't follow the "shaking" and "panning" comments.

When I use a flip tray, I just dump the primers on the tray and let them fall how they may, knocking over those on edge -- again, it doesn't matter which way they fall. Then, taking a primer tube I pick up only those primers that are "cup up", then after that I put the lid on the flip tray, flip it over, and pick up the remaining primers which are all now "cup up."

Takes longer to tell it than to do it.

If there's "shaking" and "panning" going on, I don't see why.

Noah

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Nicht mehr als 30 Zeichen

Probably because someone read the instructions!
http://www.leeprecision.com/cg.../instruct/PT1023.pdf


You shake or pan to orientate the primers in all one direction. With the Lee AutoPrime, the little dimples work great. With the Dillon and the "swirl" pattern of the device, they don't flip so nice. Your method would work much better.

Although, since I now use Wolf primers almost exclusively, all you have to do is dump them out as packaged, right side up for pickup tubes!

How come it took the Russians to get that part right?

I have a couple older Autoprimes with concentric rings and they don't "flip" the primers much at all. I use a dental pick to orient the primers when using my Autoprimes.

When using the Dillon SDBs and their tubes, I use the method I described in my post above. As I said, it's faster to do then to describe.

I've not seen Wolf primers in these parts. I'd like to try them.

Noah

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Of course right now, their not available anywhere!

I was at an Indy show a couple of weeks ago and they were going for what our local gun store is selling Federals for!

Made a mental not on the supplier and they won't get any of my money, not that I have that much anyway!

The brisance is about the same as Winchesters, maybe Federals. They light off like Federals. I haven't had one problem in my one lightened trigger gun.

When they become available try Graf's or Widner's. Either one has been good to me.

Now that I've read your method, I may try it. Sounds simple enough.

Lucky me! I got my flip tray used, no instructions. Never even knew "shaking and panning" was an option. Figured if it is called a "flip tray" and it has two sides it was pretty self explanatory. I never could understand the grooves.

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It's around here somewhere!

Thanks Skip!

Noah

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I've always used a RCBS square flip tray upon which the Federal package works fine. I recently purchased a Lee Classic Turret press to speed up the process over the Rockchucker, and I've found that the size of the Federal tray isn't compatible with the tray of the Safety Prime. Winchester, Remington, and Wolf all fit fine (and so would CCI if I had any), but that Federal tray is just too big. Oh well, improvise as always.

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