Primer experimenting: they do make a difference

[ronas]

[Colt562]

Was it all iniform powder charges? I was just for going to say how I don't think they would matter but thinking about, some might pop/ignite/burn the powder faster or slower

[CSACANNONEER]

Of course primers make a difference. I know a top shooter who was curious about how much difference they could make. He tested old CCI Blue Box 50BMG primers against RWS primers and saw a little over a foot of vertical difference at 1000 yards. As far as consistancy goes, he set several world records with CCI primers but, RWS primers have set more. I can't tell which is more consistant since, I think the record setters shoot both very well and, it's just a matter of preference.

[Dark Mod]

I never shoot the kind of targets where i would notice a difference, but it doesnt surprise me that primers matter

[Dark Mod]

I never shoot the kind of targets where i would notice a difference, but it doesnt surprise me that primers matter

[Quinc]

You will have try Wolf magnums next.

[ronas]

Load was same for all except primers and brass. Large rifle primer brass was Nosler and small rifle was Lapua Palma.

Load info.
44gr of varget, 175 Nosler custom competion bullet
3.157" base to ogive
distance of ogive to start of lands=.025"
Group of brass and bullets were not weighted

You will have try Wolf magnums next.

I have in my TRG-22 tested the wolf sr primers, the copper colored ones and they were excellent. Same as the CCI 450 magnums. I believe the Palma team has used the Wolfs, copper colored ones.

Wolf made or makes three sr primers. The copper colored ones, silver colored ones, only difference is cup is harder on silver colored one. Both have same amount of primer material. The other one is aslo silver colored but has more primer material in it. I think it's consider a magnum primer. It maybe to hot for use.

Or course there are no uniform standards by which to judge primers

[CalTeacher]

Ive found the difference between primers is more important with rifle ammo at extended ranges. For pistol, brand has never made a difference as much ad standard v. Magnum...but only for some powders.

So you shot a 1" group at 200 yards and then shot a .988" group at 600 with the same load?

[Stoopy]

Ive found the difference between primers is more important with rifle ammo at extended ranges. For pistol, brand has never made a difference as much ad standard v. Magnum...but only for some powders.

So you shot a 1" group at 200 yards and then shot a .988" group at 600 with the same load?

He probably means .988 MOA.

[CalTeacher]

He probably means .988 MOA.

Seems like he was pretty specific with the inch measurements...calipers and all.

A misplaced decimal point perhaps?

That's a pretty healthy change in moa and could indicate that maybe the difference in group size may not be due to primers.

[bcrich]

That's what I thought, 600 yd group less than 1" damn your ready to win matches!

[huckberry668]

3/4" to 1.25" groups at 200 yards are really good even with 3-shot groups. It seems to me there are at least 2 factors - primer and brass. Large primer pocket vs. small primer pocket assuming the same brand is used for both. There may be a reason Lapua makes small primer pocket 308Win brass for Palma match...

1" group at 200 yards then a .988" at 600 yards from the same load would seem to show the test to be inconclusive... at least to me. Plus shooting was done from bipod.

I've shot my 308 rifle capable of .75MOA accuracy with Wichester LR, Fed 210M and Wolf LR primers using Lapua once fired & fire formed large primer pocket brass. Group sizes vary very little at 100, 200 and 600 yards (without shooter error) from my experience. This is confirmed on at least 3 bolt rifles.

[shooterbill]

A test of primers can't be done if the brass isn't the same. Using small primers and large primers change the results. Different brands of brass also. For your tests to mean anything to you, all your components have to be the same. I have tested small pistol and large pistol primers for 45acp. With same bullets and powder, I get over 100 fps faster with small pistol primers. I was shocked at how much difference.

[ronas]

I don't know if this will be of any help or not but I measured the group size in inches with a caliper for the load I shot at 200 yards which used federal 210 primer. It measured .611".

The best group at 200 yards measured .475" did not have any of those left for 600 yards. Those were using the lapua palma brass and the 450 primer.

I have been shooting the Lapua Palma brass with 175 SMK's or Nosler Custom Competition bullets for over a year using a TRG-22 and they have proved to be the most accurate. The new rifle is custom build and it is more accurate than the TRG-22 which is very good.

[bruceflinch]

Good Experiment!