looking for answers

[btmidwest]

This weekend I tried CCI mag small pistol primers in my ruger 77/22 Hornet and only half of them ignited.  I had been using win. mag small pistol primers with no issues what so ever.  Has anyone else experienced this problem?  Are CCI's that much tougher than winny's?  Do I possibly have a striker spring issue?  Any ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks,   Bill

[stimpylu32]

Bill

Your not alone on this , i have 3 diffrent rifles that i have to use something besides CCIs just for that very reason , and to answer your question , yes they are that much harder .

stimpy

[btmidwest]

Stimpy,   Thank You - I just recently purchased this rifle and was starting to feel scammed.  Hopefully switching back to winchester primers or the equivalent will solve the problem.  Do any of you have a favorite primer for the hornet? At the present I'm shooting 13 gr. of l'gun.

[mjbgalt]

i also remember reading something about using pistol primers in rifles, something about the height of the primer...that the pistol primers would seat too deeply in the rifle brass to get reliable ignition.

anyone else heard this? or i am suffering CRS again?

-Matt

[Slufoot]

i also remember reading something about using pistol primers in rifles, something about the height of the primer...that the pistol primers would seat too deeply in the rifle brass to get reliable ignition.

anyone else heard this? or i am suffering CRS again?

-Matt

You heard right, here are some measurements of some primers that I have.
CCI Small Rifle = .122"        CCI Small Pistol = .120"
Winchester Small Rifle = .120"        Winchester Small Pistol Magnum = .117"

These measurements are the height of the primers.

The Win. primers are shorter than the CCI's, although I didn't have a CCI SP Mag primer to measure, but this would only suggest that the CCI's are a harder primer since you are having ignition problems with them.

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot

[Graybeard]

I've used more CCI primers than all other brands put together over the years. They are my favorite in shotgun, rifle and handgun. I've NEVER EVER found one too hard to pop in any gun I've fired litterally 100s of thousands of them in. I think you need to look elsewhere for the problem.

[btmidwest]

Thanks Folks,  Maybe I should stick with SR primers and be done with it.  Thanks again,  Bill

[Tom W.]

The book says Small Rifle primers...

[ihuntbucks]

All I use for pistol and rifle is CCI and have never had any problem with them.I load .38/.357,.44 Spec/.44 mag,.40 S&W,.45 acp,.223,.308,.270,.7.62 x 54R,7.62 x 39,.3030,45/70,.3006,.35Remy.All with CCI and never used anything else.No problems......Rick

[LaOtto222]

I have been using small pistol primers in my Hornets. When I tried the small pistol Mag primers (CCI 550), I got some over pressure issues. I found the standard small pistol primers to be very consistent and do not have pressure signs until I get way up there in the powder charge. I have been using Remington 1 1/2 primers lately. I shoot mostly Remington primers, with some CCI and WW primers mixed in once in a while. I have a T/C 10", a Savage model 40 and a Handi 22 Hornet Super Lite and have had no issues with light primer strikes in any of them and I have shot CCI BR4, CCI 550, Remington 6 1/2, Rem 7 1/2, WW 6 1/2 (an old lot) and Federal 200's (another old lot). BTW Speer's new Manual #14 recommends using small pistol primers in for their loads and guess what; they are CCI 500 primers (not magnum primers). Good Luck and good shooting.

[btmidwest]

LaOtto222,   It was previous posts like yours that got me to experimenting - Thanks for sharing your experiences.  The honest work of others is always helpful.  It is a used purchase and there may be other issues/problems at work.   Thanks again,     Bill

[LaOtto222]

btmidwest - Just some thoughts...Make sure the primers are seated fully. If they are not seated down against the bottom of the primer pocket; the anvil will not have sufficient striking power against the primer pellet when the firing pin strikes it. This could not be the problem, just something to check. I use a RCBS hand priming tool. There are others out there that are good too. They give you a feel for when the primer is fully seated with out crushing it.You really do not need to, but I uniform all my primer pockets and clean them between firings. You really do not need to do this, there are many people with lots of reloading experience that do not uniform pockets or clean primer pockets. I guess it just makes ME feel better. Some primer/case combinations can cause some difficulty seating a primer fully. I find that uniforming gives me an even better feel for when I have the primers seated just right. You might look at the firing pin tip, to make sure it has not been burnt away or broken off. 22 Hornets are notorious for pierced primers, because people want to stoke them up too high. If it happens a lot, it can literally burn the firing pin tip off from gas cutting. Another thing to look at is some times the firing pin pocket (inside the bolt) gets a bunch of crud build up and will slow down the firing pin or will not let it extend all the way out. Then of course the firing pin spring itself could be weak.