Primers in 223 Contender

[mkee]

What primers do you guys use for your loads in the 223 Rem Contender?  I've experienced some cratering of my primers (CCI 400) with loads 2 gr less than max charges in the Contender reloading manual.  Thanks.

[Thomas Krupinski]

For the Contender I have been using small pistol, Federal, Winchester and CCI.

[Bullseye]

I use CCI Large Rifle, have used max loads and the primers look fine.

[jimann]

I use winchester and federal match... I use the winchester only because I got a really good deal on them. I use the federal match, as that is the primer I like in my target rifles and I don't want to have a bunch of different primers around.  I have had some primer lots that had problems with punctures but the next lot was ok. I cannot remember any problems with the federal, but maybe that is C.R.S. and old age.
jim

[hkg3k]

I've seen primer cratering with some Winchester ammo and some of my handloads.  Figured is was a combination of a few things:

1  Large firing pin hole; maybe a little too large so that a large firing pin adequately ignites the large primers too.

2  Spring resistance on the firing pin to weak to contain a primer pushing back at .223 pressures.

3  Primers possibly too soft.

When I saw the cratering with factory ammo, I pretty much stopped worrying about my handloads and started considering why it might be happening other than my handloads/factory ammo was too hot.

[BCB]

mkee,
I use CCI-400’s, CCI-450’s and old Winchester Win 6 ½ -116’s.  Don’t know how you would use large rifle primers though!!!  Must be a custom case!!! And to add to hkg3k's comments, excessive headspace will also cause primer cratering in the Contender.  Good-luck…BCB

[ra]

I use Remington 7 1/2 and Federal small rifle primers in a 222 Contender.  The Federal primers will flatten and crater with a max load where the Remingtons will not. The cup on the Remingtons must be thicker, but the Federal's are a hotter primer because the same load is about 30 fps faster with Federal primers.

[haroldclark]

hkg -whatever his user name is has it right.  I shoot a bunch of 7mm TCU in 223 cases.  I have 4 Contender frames.

If I put the 7TCU barrel on a particular frame, it will crater primers so bad that I can hardly open the action after firing, but the same ammo with the same primers will not crater in any of the other 3 frames.

I have used Federal primers and Winchester.  Doesn't seem to make a difference.

Harold Clark

[sjf]

The easisest way to fix your problem is to switch to Remington 7 1/ BR's. The primer was made for the 17 rem which was having problems with preasure spikes blowing primers when it was brought out. It has the strongest primer cup made in small rifle primers. CCI also has one with a stronger primer cup for AR/M16's. I use the rem 7 1/2 almost exclusively in my 16.5" tc, 223. Works great with Benchmark/H4895/AA2520.