magnum primers in a 223

[mike4]

ok after all your advice on not using small pistol primers in the 223 i gave up.  i now have found some cci 450 mag primers and someone on another post said to use a lyman manuel to find a load for them.  i dont have a lyman manuel and called hodgen and the rep said that it is not a good idea and that accuracy will probably suck using them any suggestions on a safe starting load thank all of you.

[pozoutdoors]

What powder and bullet do you plan on using??? I use them with bl-c2. My Speer book calls for the mag primers with this power!!!!

[LaOtto222]

Magnum primers are generally used with hard to ignite powders or when powder volume is large. Since a 223 powder volume is not large, I would use a ball powder. W748, H335, BL C2 and AA 2520 all use a CCI 450 primer in the latest Speer Manual.

Starting loads in Speer Manual #14 for 50 grain bullets:
W748 - 26.5 grains
AA 2520 - 26.0 Grains
BL-C2 - 25.5 Grains
H335 - 25.0 Grains

Good Luck and Good Shooting

[Lloyd Smale]

the cci primer used in military ammo is a mag primer. It lights off the ball powder more reliably and has a thicker cut which reduces the chance of primer piercing. Also when you still could find wolf primers they recomended there mag for .223 ball type ammo for the same reasons.

[MZ5]

Try 26.6 of 748 over those CCI-450s and see how that does.

[carbineman]

All I use are magnum primers for everything rifle usually Remington 7 1/2 and Remington 9 1/2M. In 9mm I use 1 1/2 Remington or WSP's.

I only use ball or spherical type powder and have had zero problems.

[mike4]

thank you all for the information it may be a while before i can test any but i will let you know thought they wouldent work the way the rep at hodgon talked. thanks again

[LaOtto222]

Just some food for thought - Why would Magnum primers be made if they can not or should not be used? Remember these are small rifle primers. 22-250 and 243 use large rifle primers, so the Magnums were made with the 222 family of cases and hard to ignite powders in mind.

[MZ5]

FWIW, there is a first-level person at Hodgdon who often says ...peculiar? things like this.

[LaOtto222]

Some thing else of interest - Remington developed the 7 1/2 primer at the same time it developed the 17 Remington (a 222 family case) in 1971. They are also using this primer in their 17 Fireball also for factory loads. The Remington 7 1/2 has a thicker cup than most primers. The Remington 7 1/2 is the Remington equivalent of the magnum or bench rest primer made by CCI. The CCI BR4 and CCI 450 have the thicker cups too. This is to handle the higher pressures and harder to ignite powders. I use almost exclusively the Remington 7 1/2 in my 223 and 221 Fireball cases. I have deviated from it when I can not get them and use CCI BR4 primers, but for now, I am OK on them.

[gypsyman]

Sierra manual state's that use of a magnum primer is ok, just start your load off at the bottom of what is recommended for powder, and work up from there. gypsyman

[skarke]

Wolf recommends using their SRM primer for 223 auto.  It is a harder cup, but, otherwise equal to their standard primer in power.

Plus, they are VERY consistent and reliable.

[Lloyd Smale]

tell you what. Right now id use about any rifle primer i could find. there is absoultely nothing for sale up here. Pretty soon im going to be down to loading .223s with pistol primers as i have a stash of them!!!!