Author Topic: Russian Primers (Read 429 times)

dozer · « **on:** October 23, 2003, 05:25:18 AM »

The new Russian primers are comparable to bench rest types. BPCR shooters who like primers to the light side may really like these. Tests are on castingstuff.com web site on the primer test page. They do not contain lead compounds. The cups are either a bit thicker or harder. When a supply is available, I plan on trying tham.
Doz

Tall Timber · « **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2003, 01:08:56 PM »

Dozer,
I tried the russian primers in some cowboy loads about a year ago and they were a joke. I gave some to a friend to try and his 45 colt loads were so weak that you could watch them in flight and he could have reused the bullets after they hit the metal plates. He was using 6.5 grains of win 231 powder and with american primers this load duplicates a stout bp load. When he shot the same load with the russian primers, they popped and were really comical to watch. I had about 300 primers left and I soaked them in water for a while and threw them away. The dealer that asked me to test them said he had heard the same thing from other customers. At the price of building good loads for these big guns, I wouldn't waste my time with these primers.
This is just my experience with the russian primers. If you want to try them, I would get 100 to check before you invest a lot in a big order.
Just my 2 cents,
Tim

John Traveler · « **Reply #2 on:** November 11, 2003, 09:45:32 AM »

I would be a little leery of "lead free" environmentally safe primers.

Lead Styphnate is used in primers to add long-term stability to the priming compound. That's the reason it is specified in military specifications for small arms priming compounds.

John

dozer · « **Reply #3 on:** November 11, 2003, 12:32:59 PM »

Don't get me wrong, I'm not promoting them, but they are supposed to have a better shelf life. Almost indefinite according to some other posters. I have been testing primers for my own interest. I don't even have a supplier for them as they were sent to me to test. There are some bench rest shooters using them and some black powder shooters using them (mostly those using the Swiss powder).
Doz