Argentinian primers

[NFrameFred]

Powder Valley and a few other sites have been selling small pistol primers that are labeled as being produced/manufactured in Argentina. While I'm all for additional sources of primers during these times, I'll pass on some personal experience . . .

Unlike most U.S. commercial primers of the last several years that all seem to be nickel/silver colored these are brass/bronze colored like the old Alcan and other older offerings. Don't know if that has anything to do with it but my personal testing seems to indicate the primer cups may be thicker or on the hard side and not as sensitive as even the CCI's I've used in the past which I find to be harder than Winchester's and of course, Federals (which have the reputation of being more sensitive).

Loading a number of 9mm's and testing them in various pistols I get a good number of mis-fires from 'light primer strikes' (mostly on striker fired pistols that previously digested all the reloads using Winchester, CCI and Federal primers that I fed them). Many times a second strike will ignite the round, many times it will not. Just a word to the wise that especially if you're loading for only one or two pistols it would pay to test small batches for reliability before loading up a bunch of rounds.

I hope they correct this and continue to import them, hopefully increasing the supply allowing prices to drift back toward more reasonable prices.

 

[chief38]

I stick to Federal, CCI, Winchester or Remington. To me the reliability and consistency is well worth the extra money. The days of bargain primers are long since past!

 

[NFrameFred]

I stick to Federal, CCI, Winchester or Remington. To me the reliability and consistency is well worth the extra money. The days of bargain primers are long since past!

That's not the issue - these are not particularly a 'bargain' as they are priced about the same as the trickle of available brands we're using here in the states. The point (to me) is that we're still seeing no great influx of primer availability after all this time from the the 'Big Four' you mentioned and what is out there from them are not available in quantity or at prices that are not very attractive or conducive to allowing us to buy in the quantities that we were used to.

In the past I've used eastern European block primers with good success and it's called free enterprise - the more product that is available the lower the price.

Rather than going off on that tangent I simply wanted to offer a heads up to some reloaders whom out of inability to find their favorite brands might be tempted to take a chance on trying these from a supplier that has a good reputation here in this country.

 

[Skeet 028]

A friend bought 5000 of them and he has had no problems...so far. We talked about them a couple nights ago. He does use them on a 550 loader too. He told me he paid 360 dollars delivered. I just opened my last 1100 SW/Alcan primers. Last SPPs priced under a dollar a hundred...87 cents...sad day

 

[Skeet 028]

Got to say also...I watched a you tube? video of a fellow reloading primers...not my idea of fun...even if it does work

 

[twodog max]

I bought 1000 of those just to try them and see what they were like. I found them to be a little difficult to seat fully but if I took care to really watch what I was doing they worked well. They may be hard cups I do not know.
I tried them mostly because I have yet to see domestic primers available at reasonable prices and was exploring alternatives.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I have had good luck with the S/A primers. I did, however, just get a bunch real cheap from a buddy who bought them and was not happy with them. He said he was getting misfires from them and he would have no reason to lie to me, though it could have been marginal firing pin hits causing his issues. I have no way to know first hand. My favorite is Winchester when available, which right now is hardly ever.

 

[jag22]

I've gone thru more than a thousand with no problems. Main reason I bought them was because the Ginex I got were very hard to set. I guess I'll save the Ginex in case of another primer shortage (or this one gets worse) but hope I don't have to. When things get back to normal I'll go back to my preferred brands.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

The Ginex that have and have used caused no problems here,

 

[CactusCapt]

I bought 5K of the Argie SPPs and just started on my second thousand- no problems whatsoever in 3 different S&W revolvers (2 Ks and an N).

 

[mikld]

I purchased a brick of SA primers (Servicios y Aventuras) brass colored just like my Winchester primers. I have not done a side by side velocity test. I loaded and fired 100 in various 9mm loads and saw no appreciable difference from my CCI or Winchester in general shootability. I use a ram prime often and seating showed very little more, if any, pressure needed to seat them. In all the first 100 9mm handloads using SA primers I had one FTF. And I haven't determined if the problem was gun or primer related. I have some 32 H&R, 38 Special and 380 loads using SA primers just waiting for a range trip. So far, so good.

None of my guns have any intrinsic "light strike" problems and in recent past, only one, a 9mm revolver that I did a trigger job on and got a few light strikes with CCI primers (replaced stock hammer spring, fixed)...

 

[Liftrat]

I bought 2k when Norma had them on sale, and wish I'd bought more. Not a single problem with them so far, in 38sp, 357. 9mm and 40S&W, but, like twodog max, I do make sure they're seated well. The lack of domestic primers at realistic prices is getting to be disconcerting.

 

[Racer X]

I bought 2k when Norma had them on sale, and wish I'd bought more. Not a single problem with them so far, in 38sp, 357. 9mm and 40S&W, but, like twodog max, I do make sure they're seated well. The lack of domestic primers at realistic prices is getting to be disconcerting.

I have a few thousand as well. As long as you haven't lightened your hammer spring or striker spring, I imagine they work just fine, when seated properly.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

While I also try to use only CCI, Winchester and sometimes Remington primers I did try others back 2 shortages ago.

I used Wolf and Tula, Magtech, S&B and Fiocchi primers with good success. I have never tried the current batch of Argentinean primers and I have heard many complaints about them.

 

[MDF4]

So far only a couple FTF with the S/A primers on a 92FS but they did fire on the second try. Something worth noting; a few weeks back after receiving 500 Starline 38 SP brass I decided to do a comparison using CCI-Rem-Win-Fed and SA primers. Starting with CCI and using my T7 press the primer seemed harder than usual to seat. After a close inspection some of the brass had some tiny pocket burrs. I used my primer pocket tool from there on and all seated well. When I get the time I'll use the Labradar for a comparison on three 686s' identical loads with W231 and 158g SWC. We'll see.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

I prefer Federal but my LGS had CCI SPP.

Beggars can not be choosy.

 

[rockquarry]

Foreign primers may be fine, but after 58 years of handloading, I've yet to have a problem with any American-made primer. I think it's worth it to spend a little more and get something that's not of questionable worth.

 

[Model19man]

I bought a thousand when Norma had them on sale. I am still using primers I bought when Dukakis was running for president so it might be a while before I break into them.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

I bought 3K to avail myself of the FREE $HIPPING and to give them a try...

There have been a couple that required a 2nd strike to go off in a 9mm application. Seem to seat rather easily (compared to Ginex) and I can determine no difference in actual performance. I really don't see a whole lot of differences in various primers UNTIL one starts to approach maximum loadings or attempts at long-range bench- type accuracy levels. I doubt if anyone really blew up a gun just by a change in primer selection using a previously proven load?

Cheers!

P.S. By the time these are all used up I can hopefully find some domestics in the good ol' 5K servings...? My beef with the more recent availabilities was the typical full-bore shipping & HM charges for a 1K order!

 

[minconrevo]

I bought a few, then bought a few more. In my Dillon 550 they will dependably fire first strike IF FULLY AND EXTRA FIRMLY SEATED. In my case, that means seating them per a normal US made primer, then while still on the press, FIRMLY reseating. They dependably work great in 1911's with steel firing pins, striker fired semi-auto's still in factory guise and even S&W revolvers in unaltered factory action status both DA & SA.

That two step seating process is a bit tedious but worth it (maybe) to save 4 cents a reload.