Tell me about CCI primers

[itotorica]

I been reloading with Winchester small primers for 20 years, but at the last gun show they were at 40.00/1000. Found CCI 500 small pistol for 30.00/1000 so I bought them.Any thing I shoud know about them?
Thanks

 

[moxie]

They work just fine!

 

[Raider]

IMO CCI is as good as any primer thats US made.

Charlie

 

[pownal55]

it's all i use, never a problem.

 

[Beaver]

I have used CCI almost exclusively for the last 10 years. The only one that didn't work I put in backwards. I think that is hard to do.

 

[n4zov]

Guess I will be the one to rain on the parade, but I do not use CCI if anything else is available. It has nothing to do with their performance because they work as well as anything on the market. My problem is with their fit in the case. I use a hand priming tool and CCI's are noticeably harder to seat in most cases than other brands. I believe this is due to some very slight variation in the diameter of the primer cup. I use Remington primers because I normally use their brass, but the actual performance of all primers is about the same in my experience unless you involved in competitive shooting

 

[flat top]

Have used CCI as long as I can remember in my handgun s....never a problem.

 

[BSkerj]

It is the only one that I use..never had a problem. I have heard that they may be a little harder than Rem. or Win.

 

[44forever]

I use CCI if I can get them.

They are "harder" than most others and as a result some "tuned" guns with lighter firing pin falls can experience failure-to-fire. Some match guns are specificly set up to have just enough force to fire a specific brand of primer (usually Federal - the "softest" brand) to keep the triger pull as light as possible. I am confident that if my springs are strong enough to fire the CCI's, they should fire anything I can get.

I would definitely recommend the CCI primers if you are loading very high preasure pistol ammo.

 

[Iggy]

Been using them for 40 years or so. So far, so good!

 

[rkrcpa]

I'll jump on the bandwagon. Except for some Winchester primers recently, CCI is all I've used for thirty years.

 

[Scrapper]

I had some my dad bought in 1977 they still worked and they we're stored in the washroom in a heavy duty metal filing cabinet. All the reloading stuff was stored in there and kept fine.

 

[TSQUARED]

CCI primers are excelent for general use in semi auto pistols. In revolvers with lightened DA triggers their hard cup will cause inconsistent ignition - I reserve Federal primers for that application.

 

[flat top]

I have done a good number of trigger jobs, and for guns that "must work" under all conditions, especially those that are used for CCW/defense, backup for dangerous game, etc, I use CCI Large and Small Rifle Magnum Primers in empty cases to insure consistant ignition. If my trigger job will bust those, I know that the gun will never fail to fire a CCI Large or Small Pistol Primer, or any other............

 

[Noah Zark]

Guess I will be the one to rain on the parade, but I do not use CCI if anything else is available. It has nothing to do with their performance because they work as well as anything on the market. My problem is with their fit in the case. I use a hand priming tool and CCI's are noticeably harder to seat in most cases than other brands . . .

I used CCI primers exclusively from the late 60s through about the mid/late 80s, and sometime in the late 70s or early 80s CCI started making their primers about 0.0005" larger in OD and maybe a few thousandths longer than primers from other manufacturers. It was a royal PAIN to seat those primers, and the best I could do for priming was a Lee Auto Prime. So I switched to Federal for a time, then to Winchester and I haven't looked back.

Noah

 

[45cal]

They are at the top of my list,had to use other brands as of late.
Pmc are the worst I have ever tried.

 

[kennyb]

i use them all at points...cci does just fine

 

[38-44HD45]

I've shot many thousands of CCI primers over the last 40+ years, with mostly good results. As pointed out above, they tend to be harder to ignite than most other brands, so I never use them in a tuned revolver, reserving those for Federals or even Winchesters. Additionally, the primer feed on my Dillon 550 doesn't like them, as a result of their being a little bigger and longer, as also pointed out above. My preferences, when I can get them, are Federal for all rifle use, Federal for revolver loads, and either Federal or Winchester for semiauto pistols. For hot numbers like 9x23 or .38 Super loaded to Major, I use only Winchester small rifle primers. I still have and will use some CCI primers, both in rifles and in handguns, but they are down the list at least two clicks, but still above Remington!

 

[chief38]

I have used Winchester, Federal & Remington primers and other than the fact that I do not care for the brassy color of the Winchester's, there is no difference in actual performance.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Wish I could find some :-(