Primer brands. Do they make a difference?

[outwest]

Say I work up a load with Federal primers and I switch to Winchester or CCI.

Will there be a difference in velocity or accuracy?

I ask because I have about 150 of each of these 3 brands.

Thanks
John

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[Longwalkhome]

If it's blasting ammo then don't concern yourself but if you want true accuracy then stick to the load you built. The answer is yes there is a difference in primers.

 

[Steel Head]

Speeds, groups and ES can change but usually it's fairly minor.

 

[Koda]

Is there a safety concern, do we need to work up a new ladder? What about magnum primers?

 

[Member 34319]

If I am loading bulk with forgivable tolerances, I don't care.

If I'm going nuts chasing small groups. I care. Usually make notes of what works best and stick to that for repeatability.

Last batch of 5k 223/556 bulk, I used wolf small rifle magnums. Zero noticeable difference in going bang in my ARs. Groups in slow mode (aka actually trying) are 1-1.5" at their smallest. Chronograph spread was sub 100fps. Not the greatest, but I don't measure meticulously for each round when loading my bulk stuff that I shoot mostly for practice. I just charge cases via a powder flow. I'm not at the top end either so I'm not worried about pressure problems.

 

[AMT]

Watch this short video and you decide.

 

[ddjchemist]

Few months ago I made a comparison between CCI, Federal, Win and Rem LR primers (using the exact same powder charge, same brass cases and same bullets) and I absolutely saw NO difference. However, it is possible that for some reloads primers can make significant difference, but I personally never experienced it. I only reload large rifle ammo.

 

[3MTA3]

Lots of discussion on primer brands here including a link to a very detailed write up: https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/best-primer-brands-for-consistency-and-reliability.397070/

 

[P7M13]

UR

 

[ColeInOregon]

My understanding is that in rifle/pistol reloading primer differences are negligible, you can even swap rifle and pistol primers in some instances. However with shotshell loading a primer swap can cause significant and dangerous pressure spikes.