Hard Primers causing failure to fire

I have been using CCI primers in my 9mm reloads. I'm getting some failure to fire in my M&P 2.0 9mm pistol.
The FTF when loaded into my taurus 92 will fire.

Who makes softer primers than CCI?

CCI are (or at least were at one time) considered to have the hardest primer cup. I believe Federal are still considered the "softest" primer on the market. When I was shooting PPC competition I used a very light hammer spring (10# in a GP100) and Federals never failed to ignite.

That's interesting. I frequently use small RIFLE primers in my 9mm and .40 S&W ammo with zero misfires. Has your S&W been modified?

recumbent said:

I have been using CCI primers in my 9mm reloads. I'm getting some failure to fire in my M&P 2.0 9mm pistol.
The FTF when loaded into my taurus 92 will fire.

Who makes softer primers than CCI?

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That just doesn't sound kosher to me, something else is causing FTF , such as a weak striker spring, or buildup around the striker.

Could they not have been seated deeply enough? When that happens they will often seat deeper from the first strike, and then fire on the second.

Are they getting a good hard strike from the Smith?

I did a search and others have the same problem. The striker spring is 5 lbs. I found a company that sells 6 lb springs for $3.50 each will be ordering 3 of them. I'll also check the striker channel in the slide for debris when I install the 6 lb spring. I have over a 1000 rounds loaded with the CCI primers.
The pistol has an Apex Match barrel will try the factory barrel again.
Thanks,

Just curious. What do you use to install the primers with? I ask because I'll get FTF from my Ruger #1B at times if I use my RCBS primer seating device, but if I use the primer seater on the press I don't.

Tom W said:

Just curious. What do you use to install the primers with? I ask because I'll get FTF from my Ruger #1B at times if I use my RCBS primer seating device, but if I use the primer seater on the press I don't.

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I use a Lee hand held auto prime. I use this for all my reloading and don't have any problems in my other guns.

I seat all my primers with a RCBS hand held priming tool. Use CCI primers almost
always never had a problem. ps

No offence, but your hand primer isn't the cause of FTFs. About 99% of primer failures for new reloaders is improperly seated primers. Primers have to be seated all the way to the bottom of the pocket to fire with the first strike. Before you start fiddling with your guns, just seat all the primers all the way to the bottom, and then add a little more pressure to make sure they are bottomed out. Disregard any "below flush" measurement, just bottom them out.

I tried hand primers (3 from 3 different manufacturers) and none seemed to fit my hand, which surprised me as I've been making a living with hand tools for 60 years, but I would have to reset the tool in my hand after each squeeze and for the first time in my reloading career, I got FTFs. I went to a ram prime, and have had 100% successful primer seating for the last 20+ years...

I am 62 been hand loading on my own since around 17 or 18. Even match loading 3006 and 308 back then. Used and using CCI, Remington, Winchester and Federal primers in thousands upon thousands of rounds and many different calibers. Never had a failed primer. I had miss seated primers that failed to fire. On rimfire rounds I put a lighter then factory spring in a 10-22 and that caused many failure to fire.
Check your primer pockets and seating of primers 1st. Cleaning the action correctly. 2nd consider any changes you made on the gun. I have also read Fed primers are the softer or easier to fire but never found others to be a problem as stated. I think if the primers are the real cause they may have gotten contaminated causes failures.
2 easy ways to know help know about seating depth. Move a finger across the case bottom. You will feel if there are too deep or most common to high. Or sit the case primer down on a known flat surface, a high primer will make the case wobble. A proper seated the case will not.

Three different people from my weekly shooting group own STI guns and have around 2 or 3 rounds per 100 that won't ignite using CCI small pistol primers in 9MM. They all state that the guns will reliably ignite Winchester small pistol primers, so they've all switched over.

They're all highly experienced reloaders with factory stock guns.

No offense taken, but I've been handloading since 1970. I don't have the ftf with my hand guns, just the #1. And that isn't very often. But it still perturbs me. Fortunately it has only happened at the range, never while hunting.

Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug.........

To answer the original question: Federal.

I've been reloading since the early sixties. I shoot a lot of older and breakaction guns. Many of them have lighter hits on primers. Some I've had springs replaced, others, i just work with.
I've tried lot of different primers. CCI and some Normas and unlabeled European primers that I found were the hardest. Federals are definitely softest that I've found and easier to ignite. In some of my rifles I've used pistol primers to get ignition. When using pistol primers, I stay with low pressure loads, just cautious.
Bfly

I have seen FTF several times with reloaded.380 and 9mm with CCI primers from several experienced reloaders. It seems to only affect certain makes of guns (A Khar .380 comes to mind) and some striker fired models. Switch to another brand of primer: Federal, Winchester, Remington or even Tula. CCI is just harder. It seems odd that they would vary from Federal with same ownership.

32Magfan

Hi,

My experience with CCI primers is in the shotgun world: most of my metallic ammo gets Winchesters. CCIs were known to be hard, and caused some problems with firing pins in certain target guns. Some of the Perazzi trap O/U models had one firing pin which was angled more than the other and almost all problems were with that barrel. Federals were the ones my gunsmith boss recommended to anyone shooting one of the guns which exhibited problems.

I've had no problems with CCI shotgun primers, but they're all shot in either an 870 or earlier Browning Citori, neither of which is known for problems in the FTF/misfire department. Makes me wonder if those 5 or 6 lb striker springs are enough, when 10-16 or maybe even 18 lb ranges are used in so many hammer fired guns from the factory.

Rick C

UPDATE
I replaced the factory 5 lb striker spring with a 6 lb striker spring. Took the M&P 9mm 2.0 to the range today.
I shot 200 rounds of my reloads and not one FTF.
The 6 lb spring fixed it.
I'm a happy camper.....

Glad the problem is solved for you - as others have said, make sure the primer is fully seated.

Now as for the Federal primer being "softer" - not so, as the cup is exactly the same as most others - the priming mixture is very sensitive and that's the reason those Federal boxes are so huge and their primers will ignite in about any cartridge within any firearm.

I have to agree with mikld, I was having some misfires using any and all of the Lee and the RCBS handtool. I switched to the ram prime in 2014 and have not had a problem since. I use a Lee Challenger press with the handle repositioned for the best leverage and shortest movement to work the ram prime. I do one case at a time and I can feel the primer bottom out each time. It's slow but accurate. Bob! :wink: