Winchester Primers - fail to fire

[Roy Allain]

Crush fit

When 308 brass is die-formed to 6.5 there should be a slight crush feel when the bolt is closed on this UNPRIMED formed brass. This brass fit indicates zero headspace. It can then be primed,filled with powder and bullet to be fire-formed. It is possible that the brass could be over-formed in the forming die with the result of excessive headspace that prevents the firing pin from properly indenting the primer. I hope this helps you, Ted

Ted, I form the brass with that in mind. I always check the formed brass with the firing pin removed to insure that I can feel the fit without the firing pin spring pressure.

Thanks.

 

[Wilbur]

Had to look up "Penefite"....

I tried everything I suppose, to see what it did. Didn't find anything that would so much as help when things went bad. Conversely, when things were going good I didn't need anything but powder, bullets and primers.

What I was asking....is this a new lot of primers or some you have been using successfully along the way. If the latter, you could have a primer "hickey" trapped in the firing pin hole of the bolt. Worst case you would have to get a new firing pin spring. If it's a new lot of primers, they're too tough or something - get some new/different ones. No need to fix a good rifle just so it will shoot some dumb primers.

 

[Greg Walley]

A logical fallacy

#1, this has zero correlation with FTF and #2, primer leaks are the reloader's fault NOT Winchester's!!

Primers leak because they've been fired too hot.

period.

This is just silly, both the connection and the implication.

al

Not true. These primers leaked because they were defective. The propellant charge wasn't excessive, and the primer pockets were tight. The same exact cartridge cases with different primers and hotter loads (with the same lot of propellant) did not leak.



Greg Walley
Kelbly's Inc.

 

[alinwa]

Not true. These primers leaked because they were defective. The propellant charge wasn't excessive, and the primer pockets were tight. The same exact cartridge cases with different primers and hotter loads (with the same lot of propellant) did not leak.

View attachment 14961

Greg Walley
Kelbly's Inc.

And this is connected to the failure to fire, how?

Is there a correlation? If so, the posts here do little to show it.

Are you implying that the anvils are somehow defective, blocking the flash hole and causing leakage above and beyond the chamber pressure? Greg you are a method guy, are you saying that the primers pictured are from this incident and that tight-fitting primers leaked without any sign of casehead expansion?

"Defective" covers a lot of ground but "FTF being connected to primer leakage" needs a cause, a logical progression of cause and effect for me to see a connection.

Are the cups too soft causing the leakage? And if so, how is this connected to the FTF?

Al

 

[alinwa]

Roy did you delete something from your posts? I cain't for the life of me find where you mentioned primer leakage..... is there another post connected to this one?

I see a link to some primers with holes in them, another animal entirely and probably from factory defects, but I'm still in the dark as to connection to your question.

IMO the op's FTF problem is because the primers weren't seated deeply enough for the anvils to work properly.

I will say that having worn out 6-8 primer seating tools and currently owning 8 or 10, they do wear out and some (Hornady/Cabelas and RCBS) will fail to seat to proper depth when worn. Some (no names mentioned) Have trouble pre-loading primers right out of the box. I've found it important to seat primers deep enough to "seat" or perhaps "prime" ("sensitize".... "arm".... "cock") the anvil. Wolf primers are conspicuous in their need to be seated .003-.006 BELOW FLUSH for this to be accomplished.

Several makers offer adjustable depth tools for exactly this reason.

And probably most on this board have experienced the old "ream that primer pocket until she's all shiney, each and every reload" only to find that primers no longer function properly IMO this is specifically why several of the primer pocket reamer mfgrs have elected to make their tools non-adjustable for depth.

When my ES is in the single digits I'm happy that my primers are correctly seated.

al

 

[Brian Adams]

Dennis, I'm sorta leaning this way. That would explain it. The bolt, firing pin & spring, etc. are ok. I remember when I inserted the primers, some were WAY TO HARD TO INSERT INTO THE POCKETS. They may not have bottomed out. They were so hard that I could not feel the primers properly.

I agree that the primers firing on 2nd or 3rd attempt almost certainly indicates they weren't seated.

Forgive me if this is out of line, but do you uniform your primer pockets with something like Sinclair's tool?

Brian