Who makes the hardest primers?

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Hapworth

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Of the established ammunition manufacturers, who's known to have the hardest primers in their plinking ammo?
 
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Supposedly CCI are the hardest, with Federal being the softest. Winchester & Remington are somewhere in the middle. I have been reloading for 30+ years and have not noticed too much of a difference and so I buy either what us the least expensive of the 4 brands or what ever is available at the time they are needed.

Guys in my club say that the CCI's are finicky with super light triggers and springs, but in my own experience I have had no problems what so ever. I do have a few really slicked up and light triggers that I have used for competition, and again no problems with any of the American made primers.
 
chief38 said:
Supposedly CCI are the hardest, with Federal being the softest. Winchester & Remington are somewhere in the middle. I have been reloading for 30+ years and have not noticed too much of a difference and so I buy either what us the least expensive of the 4 brands or what ever is available at the time they are needed.

Guys in my club say that the CCI's are finicky with super light triggers and springs, but in my own experience I have had no problems what so ever. I do have a few really slicked up and light triggers that I have used for competition, and again no problems with any of the American made primers.
Click to expand...

CCIs besides being harder are also a tighter fit in my experience.
 
CCI primers are hard from my experience. CCI, Speer and Blaser ammo use CCI primers since they are all part of ATK. Federal is also part of ATK but since Federal has it's own primers there's no reason for them to use CCI primers in their ammo.
 
I stick to the 4 american brand primers and can't comment on the imported ones because I have no first hand knowledge, sorry. I would bet some of the Fellas here who use them will chime in.
 
Hapworth said:
Raises a question: what about the foreign makers? I've heard that Fiocchi has hard primers? True? Others?
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FWIW and purely anecdotal, but I was shooting a 629 about a month back when the mainspring strain screw started backing out. I was getting FTFs with my own handloads using Remington 5 1/2 standard LPPs, but had no issues with factory Fiocchi 44 mag in that same session.

I'd not want to definitely declare them "hard" or "soft" based on that one data point, but it does make me think that Fiocchi primers are softer than Remington.
 
I can only comment on what I have used and CCI are the hardest and I haven't used primers made outside the USA.
 
Ben_hutcherson said:
FWIW and purely anecdotal, but I was shooting a 629 about a month back when the mainspring strain screw started backing out. I was getting FTFs with my own handloads using Remington 5 1/2 standard LPPs, but had no issues with factory Fiocchi 44 mag in that same session.

I'd not want to definitely declare them "hard" or "soft" based on that one data point, but it does make me think that Fiocchi primers are softer than Remington.
Click to expand...
That's funny: I'm chasing down a light strike issue now (hence the thread -- I intend to assess remedial tweaks with the hardest primers I can find), and Remington primers popped where Fiocchi would not. I hate inconsistent data. ;)
 
I have a model 620 with the trigger tuned to 8 lbs. 0 ounces in double action so it should in theory be somewhat primer sensitive. However, I've run Federal, CCI, Speer, and Remington ammo through it and the only problems were with 2 rounds of Remington that didn't fire on the first strike. I also have started reloading using CCI primers exclusively for Small Pistol at this point and haven't had one single misfire. IMO that bit about CCI primers being "hard" is more myth than fact.

However, I have seen reports that Sellier & Belloit has gone to lead free primers and as a result some Semi Auto shooters are reporting problems. When someone shooting a Glock complains about hard primers I think that might be an indication of a primer that is about as sensitive as a rock. Out of curiosity I'd like to try some newer S&B in my 620 but I haven't seen any of this brand in revolver ammunition in in my area for about 5 years.
 
All centerfire primers have always gone bang in all of my guns since 1956. So I don't know if they are hard or soft. They just work. I always buy the cheapest American primers I can find. They all work.

Factory or my reloads. All go bang.

I have not used any of the Russian primers, so no comment there.

I'm not aware of any empirical "hardness" test for primers. Anecdotally, over a long time, CCI seems to have the reputation for being the hardest.
 
I have no scientific proof to the following statement but I do believe it to be true................

I believe that reloaded ammunition is more susceptible to FTF due to the fact that each time the case gets fired, resized, reloaded, tumbled and fired again the dimensions change slightly and the Brass becomes softer and softer from bending and pressure. The primer pockets have to affected slightly as well. Added to the mix is the fact that the primer pockets get scored, small pockmarks, debris, sometimes a residue of tumbling media and the primers will NEVER fit like they did when the Brass was virgin. So. IMHO reloading cases and rating primer brands is a bit different than using Factory ammo with the same brand primers we use.

Just my .02 cents of course............

Chief38
 
scooter123 said:
I have a model 620 with the trigger tuned to 8 lbs. 0 ounces in double action so it should in theory be somewhat primer sensitive. However, I've run Federal, CCI, Speer, and Remington ammo through it and the only problems were with 2 rounds of Remington that didn't fire on the first strike. I also have started reloading using CCI primers exclusively for Small Pistol at this point and haven't had one single misfire. IMO that bit about CCI primers being "hard" is more myth than fact.

However, I have seen reports that Sellier & Belloit has gone to lead free primers and as a result some Semi Auto shooters are reporting problems. When someone shooting a Glock complains about hard primers I think that might be an indication of a primer that is about as sensitive as a rock. Out of curiosity I'd like to try some newer S&B in my 620 but I haven't seen any of this brand in revolver ammunition in in my area for about 5 years.
Click to expand...

A while back I bought 4000 S&B primers (I prefer CCI but they weren't available at the time). I've since gotten a new stock of CCI but decided to use up the S&B before I crack open a new case of CCI. I've loaded about 3000 of the 4000 and shot them over the past month and have had zero problems. These are the Mercury free variety. Based on my experience I wouldn't hesitate to use them again (but I am biased toward CCI) Regarding your light strike problem. Depending on how the trigger was lightened, it should have no bearing on how hard the primer is struck. A proper trigger job involves addressing the sear angles and smoothness. If the pull is lightened by messing with the main spring (either pistol or revolver) it's not the way to accomplish a lighter pull. That's the way I've always done it.
 
chief38 said:
the Brass becomes softer and softer from bending and pressure.
Click to expand...

I am afraid I have to respectfully disagree. Brass becomes harder with work.
It's true the pockets can become larger (along with the whole cartridge base).
The reason we have to occasionally anneal the necks is they become too hard and start to crack.
I uniform the pockets once as I put new brass into service which helps keep the depth constant.
I have used CCI and Winchester primers for decades and still have no real opinion as to their hardness.
The Winchesters are "hotter". That can be measured.
I will tell you that rifle primers are thicker and stronger, hence their use in very high pressure revolver rounds.
I am currently investigating if there is any measurable difference
in performance between magnum pistol and rifle primers in the 445 SM.
If you want a really hard primer get rifle primers. If these are the large size
you will need to ream the pockets a little deeper with the large rifle pocket uniformer.

===
Nemo
 
IPSC competition shooters loading up the 38 Super to make Major some years ago before they lowered the power factor used to use rifle primers (small) and would still get blow ups from time to time as the pressure was exceeded greatly.
 
Be Careful asking a question like that !!

About a year or so ago I made the statement on this forum , that I thought CCI primers were harder than Federal primers.

Some guy got all fired up, wanted scientfic proof, what made me an expert, etc. etc. :eek:

I guess 40 + years of reloading. Reloading and shooting tens of thousands of rounds of ammo. Target and competition shooting for many, many years. Wasn't enough experience for me to have an opinion on primer hardness.
Even said he had probably been reloading longer than I've been alive. Dang he must be Old..

So, Now I refrain from discussing politics , religion, or primer hardness. :D

Fair Warning Primer Hardness can be a touchy subject. :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
old&slow said:
Be Careful asking a question like that !!

About a year or so ago I made the statement on this forum , that I thought CCI primers were harder than Federal primers.

Some guy got all fired up, wanted scientfic proof, what made me an expert, etc. etc. :eek:

I guess 40 + years of reloading. Reloading and shooting tens of thousands of rounds of ammo. Target and competition shooting for many, many years. Wasn't enough experience for me to have an opinion on primer hardness.
Even said he had probably been reloading longer than I've been alive. Dang he must be Old..

So, Now I refrain from discussing politics , religion, or primer hardness. :D

Fair Warning Primer Hardness can be a touchy subject. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
So, uh...which primers are hardest? ;)
 
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