What is the best brand of primer

[ineoin]

Hi Everybody,
Just looking for opinions of the reliability and success of using different brands of primers.
Thanks

 

[tbury]

The brand you find in stock, these days. I have used Win, Rem, CCI, Federal, Alcan and I have not had problems with any brand. I tend to like Win large Pistol when I can find it as I do not need magnum primers if I use ball powder. I would use Wolf if that was all I could find. A lot of people like to stick with one brand as a way to reduce variables in their loads but when push comes to shove use what you can find.

 

[mtgianni]

Hi Everybody,
Just looking for opinions of the reliability and success of using different brands of primers.
Thanks

Since 1978 I do not believe I have ever had a load fail to fire due to a properly cared for primer. I have had some that had gotten wet that failed. This has included Alcan, CCI, Federal, Winchester, Remington, Fiocchi, Tula, Wolf and maybe a few others. I have never run an accuracy test on primers that would not be tied in to a specific powder. Get what you can and work with it.

 

[fyimo]

I like Federal primers but as was already said today you buy what you find because the shelves are usually empty.

 

[Twoboxer]

The best primers are the ones you can get

Seriously, your question is too broad. Without reference to specific situations of interest, all of the major manufacturer's primers are functional and fit for the intended purpose.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Even though all the primers sold today are probably just as reliable as any others I use mostly CCI primers and my second choice is Winchester. I prefer to stick with American made primers but I'm sure the foreign primers like Magtech, Fiocchi and the Russian primers like Tula and Wolf are just fine too.

 

[Cdog]

I'm a Winchester man. I've not had any failures with any brand though.

The Winchester's just deliver the performance I count on for benchrest, varmint, deer, and any other precision app I have.

I do use CCI type 41 and 34 or equivalent in my selfloading rifles.

 

[photobiker]

Like everyone else said they all go bang. The only difference I know of is hardness. Federal are the softness and I believe CCI are the hardest. This only matters if you you have done some improvement to you firearm and it now uses a weaker firing pin spring.

 

[kwselke]

Currently I have Winchester, Remington, and CCI primers on hand. I never really worried about one brand being better than another. Generally I buy what brand I can find that conforms to the size and type primer I'm looking for, and if more than one brand is available I'll go with the cheapest US brand.

 

[Rule3]

They ALL work. There is some anecdotal beliefs that some are better than others but for the average Joe shooter as long as they go bang is all you need. As mentioned Federal are softer for those with real light trigger actions.

At the last craze 4 years ago I bough a bunch of WOLF. They work as well as any. If I can find Winchester I like those as I do not need a separate Magnum for Large Pistol. They do seat easier than the Wolf which are hard.

 

[bluetopper]

I prefer Federal primers, but I dislike their large packaging.

Tula or Wolf primers suit me just fine though.

 

[Waywatcher]

I like CCI 500 for small pistol purposes, and Rem 7 1/2 for small rifle purposes.

 

[UncleEd]

Regarding large pistol, I like Winchester since they are universal for regular and Magnum.

For small pistol, I like any of them including Magnum-rated even though I don't usually load hot Magnum loads.

One time I couldn't get regular so I bought a batch of Magnum. They worked fine in .38s though they are rated hotter (to ignite nearly full cases of slow powders). If I were to have used them with small cases like 9mm I might have backed off my load to perhaps, and I stress perhaps, see if the hotter ignition seemed to show signs of increased pressures.

 

[rdf009]

+1 for Winchesters, especially the small pistol primers. I have a couple Smiths that have been really slicked up for target shooting, and they don't always set off the CCI primers. Never had a problem with Winchesters, though. From what I've heard they're a little bit softer than CCIs.

Plus I like the looks of brass-colored primers, especially when loaded into nickel cases.

 

[strbrinky]

Definitely, whatever you can get your hands on, nowadays. I have used both Magnum and regular primers, and yes, the Magnums are a little hotter (enough to know the difference), but as long as you're not loading a max or close to max load already, you shouldn't have any problem not changing your current load just because you've only got Magnum and not regular primers.

 

[howlnmad]

Whatever brand that you can get your hands on today. I prefer Remington and CCI.

 

[photoman]

I've used more Winchester and CCI than anything else. I really don't think it matters that much but I'm not really looking for maximum accuracy with my reloading.

 

[kennyb]

i cannot tell any differance between any of them

 

[thetrio_94043]

I generally use CCI primers. I have used other like Federal, Remington, and Winchester but I do not think it matters a whole lot in pistols.

Maybe benchrest shooting but short of that, anything that is available right now is the "best".

 

[gregintenn]

I've used just about every brand I can get my hands on, and so far, every one of them have reliably ignited powder. That's about all I want in a primer.