Winchester Primers

[fiver]

don't seem odd to me, I didn't have any for a long time.
then I got one cheapass Norinco for like 80$ maybe it was 120$ not sure airc,,,, then picked up a Rossi a year or two later, and got a Dan Wesson 357 in a trade.
I was in my 40's before I bought an auto-ordinance 1911 and added in some more Dan Wesson's in various calibers.

 

[CZ93X62]

Cultural deprivation is an awful thing. Truly.

 

[300BLK]

S&W revolvers have a strain screw for the mainspring. It can be backed out to lighten the double action trigger pull, but also lightens hammer fall. Try turning it IN 1/4 or 1/2 turn before changing mainsprings.

Back when I shot PPC(late 80s) Dillon recommended Federal or Winchester primers in the 550. I never had trouble with either of those, but it sure didn't like to seat CCIs. They came out with some primer seating upgrade after that.

 

[CZ93X62]

My 2 pet irritations on S&W wheelguns--filed down strain screw tips, and clipped rebound slide springs. The Sign Of The Shade-Tree Gunsmith. Revolvers carried in harm's way need to have OEM springs. I didn't open up sideplates on personally-owned S&W firearms, but I had free rein on Department-owned S&W Model 64s. Invariably, misfiring sidearms (using issued carry rounds) showed one or both of these modifications when the armorer inspected them later. The Powers That Be started handing out stern sanctions to anyone caught carrying such a firearm--modified parts or Wolff replacement springs. 3 days off without pay. It only took a couple such fangings for the word to get around. This applied to agency-owned guns--if you carried your own sidearm and it misfired on factory ammo, it got red-tagged and could only be re-instated after a visit to a certified armorer that issued a factory-backed certificate of reliability. Again, a couple such examples sent the message succinctly.

This wasn't "sprung" on the deputies by surprise--it was put out at daily briefings about 3 months before taking full effect, and memos were posted, and all of the usual acknowledgements were documented. Bureaucracy.....hijo la. The range rats weren't nasty about it--we just said "Hey--this is your life and the lives of others in the mix here. The sidearms gotta be RIGHT--they gotta be reliable." Couched in terms like that, the whines and moans were minimized.

 

[Rex]

My strain screw hasn't been screwed with and it is in tight. I've owned the piece since it was new.

 

[Charles Graff]

When I read threads like this, I start to think something is wrong with me. I have loaded and fired over a millions rounds with every kind of American made primer and have never been able to identify a brand or size that is unreliable. I posit that unreliability can be traced to firearm, primer pockets or loading technique. I have always seated every primer by feel until it is in contact with the bottom of the pocket, but not crushed. This is how I have done it since 1958. I usually prime off the press and when I use a press it is a vintage Pacific upstroke press with low leverage and I can feel the primer seat very well with that old press. I do not own or use progressive reloading presses.

 

[Charles Graff]

This is something that just cropped up in the last few months and these are the first Winchester primers that I have used. First thousand were Winchester Magnum primers because I bought the box without my glasses on. Second thousand are standard primers and are a bit more reliable than the magnum primers. I only own one handgun (I know this seems odd to most every one else).
I will check the end play and Wolf makes what they call a standard spring that is only about 12 bucks. We'll see what happens.

Rex...If you want to buy a "standard" spring, buy it from the maker of the firearm. I have learned over the years, that aftermarket spring, lightened springs and jacking with firearms ignition system is a very foolish thing to do. You don't have to believe me and can listen to the various keyboard gunsmiths all over, the Internet, but I have been at this a very long time.

 

[Rick]

When I read threads like this, I start to think something is wrong with me. I have loaded and fired over a millions rounds with every kind of American made primer and have never been able to identify a brand or size that is unreliable. I posit that unreliability can be traced to firearm, primer pockets or loading technique. I have always seated every primer by feel until it is in contact with the bottom of the pocket, but not crushed. This is how I have done it since 1958. I usually prime off the press and when I use a press it is a vintage Pacific upstroke press with low leverage and I can feel the primer seat very well with that old press. I do not own or use progressive reloading presses.

Yep, can't argue with that at all. While maybe probably not millions of rounds but after 35 years of competition it sure is whole bunch. In all that time I have had one FTF that I can definitely blame on the primer. Got home and tore the round down and . . . No anvil in the primer. One primer in all that time. Pretty reliable I think.

 

[Charles Graff]

Yep, can't argue with that at all. While maybe probably not millions of rounds but after 35 years of competition it sure is whole bunch. In all that time I have had one FTF that I can definitely blame on the primer. Got home and tore the round down and . . . No anvil in the primer. One primer in all that time. Pretty reliable I think.

Yep, I have had a few (very few) individual bad primers, but I could not trace them to a lot or make. I have also mis-seated a few (again very few).

 

[CZ93X62]

My strain screw hasn't been screwed with and it is in tight. I've owned the piece since it was new.

Well, good on ya. I hope you figure out what or where the lapse is.

 

[462]

I visually check every primer, before seating it. Once found a Winchester primer -- can't remember if it was a rifle or pistol -- that didn't have any paste.

Then there was this, and, no, I will not disclose the brand, though some of you may recognize it:

 

[RicinYakima]

Like Rick, I have had one FTF from a bad primer, also no anvil. I have had many FTF from messed with or worn out guns. Did I tell you I'm cheap and love to play with old guns, some junkers? Guy I know loaded a carton of small rifle magnum match primers into 9mm cases for his P-38. He was very unhappy when he had 10% misfires even with second strikes. Took him a whole winter to disassemble that mess.

 

[fiver]

I used to do that to my BIL on purpose.
my Norinco would fire them no problem though.

I wouldn't want to speculate on how many billions of primers have been made.
0.5% would be on the way high, high end for mistakes from them, it's probably one of the few items made that has such a low percentage of error.

 

[Rex]

686
Darned if I know.
Tried to correct spelling and lost the whole thing.

 

[Rex]

What I was trying to say was that the people at Wolff Spring Co. told me that if the piece was a later 686 it probably needed a longer frame mounted firing pin and a longer strain screw. Mine is an earlier dash 4 however. Not knowing what else to try, I cut a piece of eleven thousands stainless shim stock that I could just squeeze between the frame and spring. I know that isn't much and I may have to pry the spring back and stick in more but yesterday's 50 rounds went off just fine. Maybe????????

 

[fiver]

yep,, you just needed to hit them harder.

 

[Charles Graff]

What I was trying to say was that the people at Wolff Spring Co. told me that if the piece was a later 686 it probably needed a longer frame mounted firing pin and a longer strain screw. Mine is an earlier dash 4 however. Not knowing what else to try, I cut a piece of eleven thousands stainless shim stock that I could just squeeze between the frame and spring. I know that isn't much and I may have to pry the spring back and stick in more but yesterday's 50 rounds went off just fine. Maybe????????

If it were me, I would use factory springs. My exprience with Wolff and other after market springs has been sketchy.