Match primers for hunting loads?

[OntarioHunter]

Will large rifle Federal Gold Medal Match Grade primers work okay for hunting loads? I have found some in these difficult times but unsure if they will cause problems with my 165 gr 30-06 reloads. Very expensive but at least they are available.

 

[whiskeydog]

good to go...my understanding of match vs standard primers is that match primers go through a more stringent inspection process...otherwise they are identical. most primers i use are match grade.

 

[klampson]

I’ve used match primers for years in my hunting loads, you are good to go.

 

[Salmonchaser]

One more for good to go if you need it.

 

[Redmt]

What I heard from an unreliable source is that the only difference is the guys that put them together are the best of the best and most meticulous in the inspection.

 

[blackbeard]

What I heard from an unreliable source is that the only difference is the guys that put them together are the best of the best and most meticulous in the inspection.

I heard the exact same thing from a Federal ammo guy

 

[MThuntr]

Shoot them. Match is all I use in my 280 and 300win. Great consistency in my loads but haven't compared them to others.

I can't claim to know they're any different than the other primers except they have different boxes.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Shoot them. Match is all I use in my 280 and 300win. Great consistency in my loads but haven't compared them to others.

I can't claim to know they're any different than the other primers except they have different boxes.

And a different price tag. These are $15 per brick. I also have found a few places up here with CCI military primers. Very cheap (relatively speaking) but I am wary. We had problems with CCI primers when Dad was loading fifty years ago. And I had one hang fire in my shotgun that blew the sleeve on my coat apart when I ejected it. Reload duds were so frequent back then it was common practice to just pump in another automatically. I seem to recall someone else took CCI over since then.

 

[Redmt]

I can't claim to know they're any different than the other primers except they have different boxes.

Don't forget about them being 50% more expensive.

 

[MThuntr]

Don't forget about them being 50% more expensive.

I bought a case when they were on sale and had rebates in 2019...I believe I paid $29/1k at the time and I'm set for life.

I believe it was a promotion from Federal since there was what they call a "gun slump" and needed to push product. In hindsight I wish I would have bought as many as they would allow

 

[MThuntr]

And a different price tag. These are $15 per brick. I also have found a few places up here with CCI military primers. Very cheap (relatively speaking) but I am wary. We had problems with CCI primers when Dad was loading fifty years ago. And I had one hang fire in my shotgun that blew the sleeve on my coat apart when I ejected it. Reload duds were so frequent back then it was common practice to just pump in another automatically. I seem to recall someone else took CCI over since then.

CCI primers have worked great for me and never had any issue in the 20 years I've been reloading. CCI did change hands a few times and are now under the same umbrella investment company as Federal (Vista Outdoors) but I believe made in totally different factories.

CCI Military primers have a very hard cup to reduce/prevent slam fires so I think I'd avoid them if I had other options BUT I'm not sure it really matters. I've never loaded CCI 209 primers but their mag primers are supposed to be good for heavy field loads and muzzleloader ignition for Blackhorn 209.

 

[Redmt]

I have another friend who's not loading much anymore. I asked him if he would sell me 1000 large rifle primers. He was going to give them to me but eventually settled at 30 bucks. He felt he was taking advantage of me. I told him he definitely wasn't.

 

[OntarioHunter]

CCI primers have worked great for me and never had any issue in the 20 years I've been reloading. CCI did change hands a few times and are now under the same umbrella investment company as Federal (Vista Outdoors) but I believe made in totally different factories.

CCI Military primers have a very hard cup to reduce/prevent slam fires so I think I'd avoid them if I had other options BUT I'm not sure it really matters. I've never loaded CCI 209 primers but their mag primers are supposed to be good for heavy field loads and muzzleloader ignition for Blackhorn 209.

Thanks. Yeah, if the other outfit still has the match primers I will go ahead and pay the money. I think the military stuff would be fine for working up some preliminary groups at the range when experimenting with different loads. Then a dud won't be a big deal. Paper targets never run off.

 

[Don Fischer]

Will large rifle Federal Gold Medal Match Grade primers work okay for hunting loads? I have found some in these difficult times but unsure if they will cause problems with my 165 gr 30-06 reloads. Very expensive but at least they are available.

Why wouldn't they. Any primer's job is to start the powder burning. Any primer that will do that will work. Some loads, for whatever reason, like one primer better than other's, not a clue why. I have lot's of primer's and the ones I find in my best loads are very old Herter primers, go figure! But when changing primer I always back the load up a bit. I change any part of the load and I start over with it. Thing called pressure which I have no way of measuring. I doubt changing a primer with out starting over will blow up a rifle by itself but not willing to experiment with it and find out I might be wrong either.

 

[TheTone]

CCI primers have worked great for me and never had any issue in the 20 years I've been reloading. CCI did change hands a few times and are now under the same umbrella investment company as Federal (Vista Outdoors) but I believe made in totally different factories.

CCI Military primers have a very hard cup to reduce/prevent slam fires so I think I'd avoid them if I had other options BUT I'm not sure it really matters. I've never loaded CCI 209 primers but their mag primers are supposed to be good for heavy field loads and muzzleloader ignition for Blackhorn 209.

Parent company for cci has changed but the primers are still made in the same place they have been made for decades

 

[Gunner46]

The joy and benefit of handloading is that you can tweek to your hearts content. I've a skrunk 2"+ groups down to hiding all three under a dime by simply switching primers and seating depth. Match, Mag, Std doesn't directly relate to better. Treat your rifle like the she's the one you want in your life forever......listen to what she wants/needs, not what you think may be better. It's more that you tune into your rifle than it will ever tune with you......

 

[OntarioHunter]

Two hundred of these primers are on the way. Cost = $102.00 @ $14.99 per each tray of 100 + tax + hazardous shipping via courier @ $68. Ugh! These are certainly hard times. But at least I'll now have enough primers to get my remodeled war horse zeroed in again and some long range practice to shoot African Barbary sheep in August.

 

[TheJason]

Ouch. I bought a brick of CCI 250s for $115 shipped.

 

[ImBillT]

The only difference between a Fed210 and a Fed210M is that the new guy packages his primers in a blue box, and the guy who has been working there a while packages his primers in a red and gold box.

 

[mtmuley]

The only difference between a Fed210 and a Fed210M is that the new guy packages his primers in a blue box, and the guy who has been working there a while packages his primers in a red and gold box.

I had a bunch of 215M's. Turned them into more 215's. Some guys will go to great lengths for the "match" primers. mtmuley