MAG PRIMERS

[scope eye]

HI can I use mag primers in non mag rounds ie: 30-06. 308. 270. 25-06 ect, and what are the pros and cons.
tanks Dean

[EFBell]

Yes of course you can use them but you may not find any improvements if thats what your looking for. You will have to work up loads from scratch again. Cant just switch them in to a proven load. If you have a bunch that you have little use for (like I do) it's one way to get rid of them. I have 4 magnums and don't use them in any of them.

[Uncle Jack]

Magnum primers work well with highly graphited spherical (Ball) powders. As stated, if you are changing to mag primers from a known recipe, start a few grains below max and work up.

uj

[tammons]

I dont have much experience with magnum primers, but from what I gather they tend to affect accuracy to some degree.

Really not required until you have start having ignition problems which might be in extremely cold weather, magnum loads with slower powder.
I will say if I was doing something critical like going on a once in a life time Elk hunt or a Brown bear hunt, Africa etc, I would probably prefer
magnum primers just as insurance.

I have loaded a couple of different magnum rounds with both regular and magnum primers, and I decided not to use the magnum primers.
I got pressure signs early.

That said wth normal primers, magnum rounds, IE 270 weatherby magnum and 375 Ruger with H4895, H4350, RL15 and IMR4350 I have never had any misfires, but I also dont live or hunt in an extremely cold place.

[wbm]

The A-Square test on magnum primers and chamber pressure is a must read. Here is a sample of what their research revealed.

A short summary of the A-Square test of primers in the Remington 7mm Mag. as published in "Handloader" magazine.

160 grain Sierra boat-tail, 66.0 grains of Hodgdon H-4831 and Winchester cases.


Winchester WLRM (magnum) 3045 fps, 67,600 psi

Winchester WLR (standard) 3024 fps, 64,400 psi

Federal 215 (magnum) 3036 fps, 61,400 psi

CCI 250 (magnum) 3039 fps, 61,500 psi

Remington 9½ M (magnum) 3041 fps, 59,300 psi

CCI 200 (standard) 3011 fps, 54,800 psi

[Smokey262]

Interesting that the pressure went up so much, yet almost nothing on the velocity.

[wbm]

Interesting that the pressure went up so much, yet almost nothing on the velocity.


Ain't it though!

[EFBell]

Your lighting more powder quicker causing a spike and less burn progression. Looks like the best choice would be the good old CCI standard primer in this case. Thats my 2 cents anyway

[Bark]

Been going to bring this subject up myself as I have a brick of CCI250's I've been going to test in a 308 Varget load.I had remembered reading an article in Handloader a couple years back on "building the ultimate 308 load" and in doing a google search found this http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html Scroll down the page a bit for an interesting read.At the time I was looking for info on using the mag primers in place of LR the 250's were all I had.If anyone has the complete article from Dec '08 Handloader I'd appreciate a link or copy.I'm going to give the mags a go behind a walk-up from 45 Varget pushing a 155 Scenar.We'll see. Old Grumpy Bark

[scope eye]

Thanks for the replies thats spot on I have a lot of them and only use them in my 300 win mag, love the rifle just not my best plinker and at the rate I am going will take 12years to use them up.