CCI Small Pistol Primers Failed to Ignite

[daverich4]

Have you lightened your mainspring tension lately?
CCI primers are among the hardest in the industry. I switched to Federal primers for revolvers with lightened trigger pulls for just that reason. Failure to ignite the primer.

My experience has been exactly the same. I load on a RCBS 2000 with the primer stop removed so I can feel the primers bottom out. When shooting single action with both a Model 14 and a 15 they go bang every time. When shooting double action (which has a shorter hammer stroke) I get a noticeably light primer strike every couple of cylinders full. Sometimes pulling the trigger again makes them go, sometimes it doesn't. I have yet to have a light strike in either of those guns with Federal primers.

 

[just plain joe]

Since 1972 I have used CCI, Winchester, Federal, and Remington pistol and rifle primers in many thousands of hand-loads. I cannot remember the last time I had a "failure-to-fire". Most of what I would think to say has already been said in the prior postings.

Just make certain that you seat the primer a little below flush. You should be able to feel this by passing your finger over the primer/primer pocket. In this way a part of the primer, I believe it is called the "anvil", is stressed and provides more reliable ignition.

If you don't remember anything else from these postings, PLEASE, don't ever try to re-seat the primer of a loaded cartridge.

Hope this helps.

JPJ

 

[Krogen]

We've all heard for years that a failed first strike followed by a successful second one indicates a poorly seated primer. The theory goes that the first strike completed the seating and the second fired. I submit that the primer cup isn't seated any deeper by the first strike, but that the anvil may be. The anvil is dislodged and contacts the bottom of the pocket and the pellet is then compressed the firing pin indentation and the bottomed-out anvil. So, the second strike is now successful.

 

[moxie]

I don't clean primer pockets because I don't think they need it. I tried it when I first started reloading but as mentioned above, the amount of "dust" generated didn't seem to make the effort worthwhile.

I hand prime with a Lee Autoprime.

I use CCI, Winchester, Federal, or Remington, whichever is cheapest at the time.

In 27 years I've never had a failure. Not once. Pistols, revolvers, and rifles.

 

[cl998]

I have been having this issue with a Performance Center 327 2" snubby (357mag). Oddly the light primer strikes only happen when I am using the 8 shot moon clips. If I load straight into the cylinder I dont have a problem. A second hit always seems to ignite them, even with the moon clips.

And of course it is only an issue with my reloads, Hornady factory loads seem to ignite without issue. I will pay more attention to the primer pockets but some of the brass was new starline.

Now, my 627 V-Comp fires the same rounds in moon clips without a problem.

 

[Calliope]

Primer pocket fouling doesn't seem to build up from multiple uses. I've never cleaned a pocket and some of my .357 brass has seen dozens of loads. I wonder if the primer flash blows out the fouling from the previous load.

Some pockets can be quite deep. I have a dial indicator and cartridge gauge setup to measure my finished rounds and some primers are as much as .010" below flush when seated.

After having issues with some Tula primers not going off, I switched to priming with an RCBS Ram prime on top of my press. It gives you great feel of the primer bottoming out and no more failures with Tula or CCI.

 

[oldfart64]

A lot of reloader's say...I never clean the pockets. I always clean them so no crud will stop them from seating all the way to the bottom of the pocket, easily. I just don't understand the " never clean " philosophy .
Gary

I believe it is called laziness.. IMHO

 

[Calliope]

I believe it is called laziness.. IMHO

You dig up a 2 year old thread just to call people lazy?

Weak.