Author Topic: AR-15 Primers? (Read 2706 times)

Cheesehead · « **on:** July 08, 2010, 01:13:56 PM »

Is it necessary to use hard military type primers when reloading for the AR-15. I have a quantity of Federal Match rifle primers I would like to use.

Cheese

Dee · « **Reply #1 on:** July 08, 2010, 01:27:24 PM »

As long as the brass has good tight primer pockets you should be ok. Load 20 and try them.

454Puma · « **Reply #2 on:** July 08, 2010, 01:50:02 PM »

I heard about a couple of times- I'm new the the AR scene but am loading for it. Right now I'm using CCI BR4's for my loads and have had zero problems- I guess the worry is slam fires? Keep your bolt clean especially the firing pin/bolt area an you should never have a slam fire! In all my military use never experienced one, but that was using Mil ammo an the primers are susposedly harder then commercial primers!

Dee · « **Reply #3 on:** July 08, 2010, 01:57:24 PM »

I have been shooting the AR15 since 1976 and have never seen, nor talked to anyone whom has seen a "slam fire", and in my 20 years as a Police Officer, 18 1/2 years of those were as a weapons instructor. I have seen thousands of "rounds a day" and have never seen one, and only saw one malfunction in the AR, and that was an officer had a dry bolt and when it got hot, it quit. What I have seen, AND EXPERIENCED, is stretched primer pockets where the AR blew the primer out of the pocket during cycling and locked the bolt cluster up, causing one to have to tear the rifle down to free up the bolt.

SD Handgunner · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2010, 03:23:05 PM »

I have been loading both CCI-400's and Remington 7 1/2's without issue. I don't know how many thousands of rounds I have fired and haven't had an issue with either of the above mentioned primers.

I even went so far as to do an accuracy test and chronographed the same load with both primers and could not detect any difference worth talking about.

Larry

Cheesehead · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2010, 03:33:19 PM »

Thank You all very much for your replies. My AR is in 6.8 SPC and I have been using #34 CCI hard primers. I want to save these #34 primers for my M1A since it has been know to "rapid fire" standard primers.

Cheese

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #6 on:** July 09, 2010, 01:56:42 AM »

me either and during the primer shortage i went through a whole case of federal match mag pistol primers in my ars and they worked just fine.

Quote from: Dee on July 08, 2010, 01:57:24 PM

I have been shooting the AR15 since 1976 and have never seen, nor talked to anyone whom has seen a "slam fire", and in my 20 years as a Police Officer, 18 1/2 years of those were as a weapons instructor. I have seen thousands of "rounds a day" and have never seen one, and only saw one malfunction in the AR, and that was an officer had a dry bolt and when it got hot, it quit. What I have seen, AND EXPERIENCED, is stretched primer pockets where the AR blew the primer out of the pocket during cycling and locked the bolt cluster up, causing one to have to tear the rifle down to free up the bolt.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #7 on:** July 14, 2010, 09:19:56 AM »

Cheesehead , to change the subject what mags do you use ? I just finished a 6.8spc and some say standard alum. mags work others say the followers need to be replaced and others say steel 6.8 mags only .

Cheesehead · « **Reply #8 on:** July 14, 2010, 05:20:52 PM »

Bushmaster mags in the 26 round capacity and C-Products in the 10 round, both perform well. These are steel mags, never tried aluminum. Tell me about your 6.8.

Cheese

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #9 on:** July 15, 2010, 12:24:34 PM »

C-products 6.8 mags (17 round) came today. They are SS .
Gun- mil spec. recivers , some how very tight , luck I guess . BBL. 20 inch heavy . Upper is a flat top , gas block also flat top with a short rail. hand guard is alum free floated , it goes out to the gas block and has 4 three inch rails on the end . SDtandard pistol grip and 4 position large stock again nothing speical . I used a riser from brownells and the heavy duty rings ( med height) , For testing it has a 3-9 40 mm obj. vari-X 2 . I will shoot it then decide on optics depending on how well it shoots. No need putting a dimond stud collar on a pig . Looking for a hunting gun here.

Cheesehead · « **Reply #10 on:** July 15, 2010, 12:37:24 PM »

Whatcha hunting with it?

Cheese

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #11 on:** July 16, 2010, 02:29:19 AM »

Deer . Shot it last night - needs adjusting won't feed over 2 in a row.

Cheesehead · « **Reply #12 on:** July 16, 2010, 03:16:00 AM »

Quote from: SHOOTALL on July 16, 2010, 02:29:19 AM

Deer . Shot it last night - needs adjusting won't feed over 2 in a row.

Is this with all ammo types?

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #13 on:** July 16, 2010, 07:02:15 AM »

No, just tried the Hornady . Will reclean it , look for any problems and try over the weekend. I tried both the 10 round and 17 round mags from C products , both had same results . It is a gun put togather from parts so some adjusting and attention should help. I will try the Remington ammo next but its $1.00 more a box ! Got to wonder also if the tight reciver fit has anything to do with it .
what do you have ? what mags ? what ammo works best ?

Cheesehead · « **Reply #14 on:** July 16, 2010, 07:40:59 AM »

I have C-Products and Bushmaster mags. I have shot nothing but hand loads from mine. I have a Bushmaster M4. The only failure to feed was with 130 grain Corelockt and that was only one time.

The most accurate bullet has been Remington 100 grain PSP.

Cheese

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #15 on:** July 16, 2010, 07:43:38 AM »

Thanks , I am looking for brass now , seens out of stock most places . There seems to be two primer pocket sizes . Which do you like ? Does it matter ?

Cheesehead · « **Reply #16 on:** July 16, 2010, 09:46:36 AM »

I use Remington brass with large rifle primers, but there seems to be 2 schools of thought on that subject. I have heard you can run higher presures, meaning hotter loads with small primers, but am unsure. I have had good luck with Rem brass. The shortage is temporary. I could help you out with 100 pieces if need be or just buy factory stuff till you have enough emptys.

Cheese

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #17 on:** July 19, 2010, 02:50:27 AM »

I got 150 factory rounds , 75 with large pockets and 75 with small. Didn't get to shoot this weekend had to put up some fence for my cows . I want to pull the gun down before shooting to see if there is anything wrong that is easy to see like trash or such.
Thanks for the offer !

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #18 on:** August 03, 2010, 11:59:24 AM »

Well the C-products mags were tried - fail to feed . Opened the lips and tried several times . Opened to the point the back corner split . Bullet was 115 corelok and 110 Hornady . Any ideas ?

Cheesehead · « **Reply #19 on:** August 03, 2010, 02:50:10 PM »

mmmmmmmmmm

C-products mags have worked for me. Return them and use Bushmaster mags.

Cheese

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #20 on:** August 04, 2010, 02:52:14 AM »

Haven't found any yet . puter won't let me go to online sites , getting fixed soon though. Also heard magpul now has some out that work.
thanks

the c products ones for the .223 work well

teddy12b · « **Reply #21 on:** August 06, 2010, 04:44:32 AM »

Quote from: SHOOTALL on July 16, 2010, 07:43:38 AM

Thanks , I am looking for brass now , seens out of stock most places . There seems to be two primer pocket sizes . Which do you like ? Does it matter ?

If you're looking for brass, you gotta try gunbroker.com. I buy once fired brass on their all the time and I get it for around half off. Might not be a whole lot out there in 6.8, but it's definately worth a look. I just got serious savings on some 308 brass.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #22 on:** August 23, 2010, 04:47:55 AM »

Thanks , still having mag issues . Just order another one to try. Maybe better to get gun running first $:-\$

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #23 on:** October 18, 2010, 10:47:09 AM »

Well it was not mag issues at all nor was it feed ramps on the M4 rec. it was a sticky chamber and to small a gas port in the bbl. . I fired 20 rounds with 2 ten round mags. Both failed to go into battry on the 8th round all others fine. Both just needed a nudge on the FA . I think some break in and lube is needed since this is less that 30 rounds thru. the gun. Thanks for the help. Back on track the local gun show had arsenal primers for 23 bucks a thousand last weekend. They are for military ammo.

teddy12b · « **Reply #24 on:** October 18, 2010, 11:23:54 AM »

Quote from: SHOOTALL on October 18, 2010, 10:47:09 AM

Both failed to go into battry on the 8th round all others fine. Both just needed a nudge on the FA . I think some break in and lube is needed since this is less that 30 rounds thru. the gun.

Sounds like the same thing I went through recently. I bought a DPMS 308B and was getting all kinds of failures for the bolt to fully seat and chamber a round at first. I had to dump on the oil and run a lot of rounds before the rifle smoothed out. Now, it cycles just fine. Could have been a rough spot in the chamber for all I know, but now it's functioning just fine. Dump on the oil. When in doubt with an AR, just dump on the oil even to the point where it just gets rediculous.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #25 on:** October 18, 2010, 11:32:55 AM »

That's what I'm learning. To be honest I never had a thing for AR's . Long time ago had two and traded them in for something else. With all the AR fever going on I tried to put a parts gun togather and have learned quite a bit. It has been trying but fun. Also the 6.8 helps fill the idea i can hunt with it

. Now days its hard to break in a gun with the cost of ammo so high and hard to find. At least 6.8 is.

teddy12b · « **Reply #26 on:** October 18, 2010, 12:12:12 PM »

That's why I ended up selling the 6.8mm SPC I used to have. Ammo was just rediculous, and I even reloaded my own. Now several years later the selection is much better, but it still isn't cheap. I can't say much about all that, now that I'm trying to get a 308 setup, but the extra, range power and reloading selection makes it all worth it.

Cheesehead · « **Reply #27 on:** October 18, 2010, 01:08:56 PM »

I have done very well at the battle rifle competitions with my 6.8, I do not understand all the problems you guys are having. I shoot a Bushmaster with Bushmaster and Cproducts mags. I bought 1000 pieces of Remington brass and and assortment of Remington bulk bullets. Clean the gun every 200 rounds, especially the chamber, followed by a light coat of oil, flawless performance.

Cheese

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #28 on:** October 19, 2010, 09:51:54 AM »

Cheesehead mine is a parts gun and it seems some of the parts needed a little attention . Its getting better now which is good since deer season is in a few weeks here. I really don't see alot of brass for sale seems the by-word is OUT OF STOCK . So I buy rem 115 FMJ and use it to break in the gun then will reload the brass . Any suggestions on bullets for deer ?

Cheesehead · « **Reply #29 on:** October 19, 2010, 11:20:59 AM »

I am taking 130 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips into the deer woods. I have not taken a deer with the 6.8, but this is my plan. I also have some 115 grain Corelokt Ultras for deer.

Cheese