Relative primer hardness

[nn3453]

Quick question. Does anyone know how hard primer brands (pistol) are relative to each other?

I know Federal is the softest, Remington in the middle, followed by CCI

Winchester seems to be harder than CCI based on my experience. How is Wolf relative to all these?

(I have a bunch of Wolf stocked up and need to know if it is going to go bang in one of my revolvers which has some trigger work done before I load. Not a competition job. Remington and Winchester fire fine).

[joelogic]

Just prime a case and fire it.

[stretch64]

Don't fire a primed case in your revolver. It will tie up the cylinder when the primer backs out.

[r08ert209cali]

this may help.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=145767

http://www.jamescalhoon.com/primers_and_pressure.php

[AJD]

Actually, they are all about the same hardness. The very small differences in cup thickness between pistol primers is not significant. However, there is a difference in compound sensitivity. Federal is considered to have the most sensitive primer compound. It is considered a "basic" compound that is easier to ignite compared to the compound used by other manufacturers.

Btw, in reference to the belief that CCI primers have long had a "harder" cup than others, this is a quote from Allan Jones in an article he wrote for Shooting Times:

I heard the old mantra, "CCI primer cups are Hard." I used CCI primers long before I dreamed I'd be working for the company, and I never had problems. I had talked to other handloaders who claimed to have had some trouble. Arriving at CCI/Speer in 1987, I found out the real story.

The metal cups were neither harder or softer than any other brand. However, the early noncorrosive primer mixes that Dick Speer and Dr. Victor Jasitis developed had one difference from many other primer products at the time-the dried pellet was rather brittle. This was not a problem unless the loader tried seating the primers too deeply; in that case tha anvil was forced almost to the cup, and the brittle pellet broke away from the anvil. With little mix under the tip of the overseated anvil, a misfire was lurking. I decided the reason I never had a problem was that I seated off-press with hand tools that let me feel the seating.

The mix that did not like overseating was retired years before I arrived in Lewiston. It just goes to show how old perceptions can linger even in the face of data and facts.

[Black_Talon]

All I know is that my 6.5 to 7 lb DA S&W revolvers will pop Federal SP primers 100% of the time, and will not pop WW and CCI SP primers 100% of the time.

[JTROKS]

In my experience Federal pistol primers will pierce or crater before reaching a known hot load with my 38 Super and 9mm. I shot a 38 Super in USPSA open division back when the power factor was 175. Winchester small pistol primers can get to 1425 fps with a 125 grain jacketed bullet with minor crater minimizing primer material flow to the firing pin hole. I've also loaded 9mm+p+ type of loads and same results with Federal primers. To prevent pierced primers I use small rifle primers.