Found Some Primers, Fed 215. Questions.

[Josh Smith]

Hi All,

Found some primers. Bought 1k Federal LPP and 1K LRP from the local friendly gunstore. (These are the folks who know me by name and have called me in on milsurps after I bought a complete Gewehr 88/05 from them for $37.50 OTD Good folks, family owned, and large. www.bassandbucks.com)

Anyway, the Federal rifle primers are the #215. They're not match, but they'll work. However, I have no experience with these.

My loads are rather mild, though not weak. 45 grains Varget backing 150 grain pills and 43.5 grains Varget backing 174 grain SMKs in 7.62x54r.

I have been using Federal 210. Just the standard, non-magnum Federal primers.

With any other rifle cartridge I wouldn't even ask. I'd automatically drop back.

However, the load data for 7.62x54r is so varied that I flat don't know.

According to Hodgdon, the starting load for 180 grain bullets is 43.0 grains. I'm only 0.5 above that with a lighter (174 grain) bullet.

With the 150 grain bullets, they list a starting load of 47 grains.

I'm loading 2 grains less than that as my standard load, 45 grains.

This is why I'm not 100% sure that I need to back off unless precision suffers.

Thanks again,

Josh

[Bill Steele]

Any time I change components, I work up a new load. Not as much for fear of breaking something, but more because things do move around occasionally when switching things like cases, primers, even different bullets of the same weight.

Recently I was trying some CCI BR2's in a tried and true load and they didn't work well at all, this in a load that worked great with WLR and Wolf LR. But I am loading this stuff for pretty high expectations group wise.

[FLIGHT762]

The Federal 215 primer is known to be one of the hottest (high brisance) primers available.
I would adjust your powder charges accordingly.

Web reference here: http://www.castingstuff.com/primer_t..._reference.htm

[Divernhunter]

The Federal 215 mag primers are the hotest one on the market. They were originally made for the Weatherby cartridges.
That said you will be fine as you are not at max load levels. I have used the 215 primers for many loads when I had plenty of them without problems. Some(most) of my loads were at max even. So I am sure you will be fine.

Load up and have fun.