Winchester Primer failures last week.

[Bayouhunter]

This past month I had 3000 small pistol primers and 2000 large pistol primers received from an order. Loading several hundred rounds for 40 s&w and few hundred more 41 Magnum and 44 magnum. At the range I had one 44 Mag LP fail completely.
Then SP In the .40 fizzled just enough to get the bullet out of the cylinder and into barrel. Very little powder was burnt and actual poured out of the cylinder when I opened it. Powder was AA #5
I hand prime using a hornaday primer so never touch my primers. Inspecting the cases, primer and seating depth of the primers in question didn't reveal a problem. Good deep strikes on each primer. The .40 was a lubed bullet and the 41 Mag was a powder coated bullet.
Just curious if Anyone else has experienced any issues with the Winchester primers lately? Or is it just something Ive done wrong and I haven't identified yet?

 

[Rick Courtright]

Just curious if Anyone else has experienced any issues with the Winchester primers lately? Or is it just something Ive done wrong and I haven't identified yet?

Hi,

Only problems I've had with Winchester primers in the last several (maybe as many as 10?) years could be traced back to one of three things:

--Use of std primer in a load using slow burning powder which should have had a magnum primer (296 in .357 Mag--fixed by change of primer);

--Not enough crimp to allow a good burn to get started (also 296 in .357 Mag, plus 748 in 7.62x54R--fixed by adjusting crimp die); and

--Bad primer seating due to failure to clean primer pockets well enough to ensure good solid metal to metal contact between case and primer (9mm--fixed by replacing worn primer pocket tool with new one.)

In other words, operator error.

Rick C

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have been reloading since 1955 and the primer failures I have experienced could be counted on one hand and have a couple fingers left over. I am a cowboy action shooter as well as a hunter ,plinker,target shooter so I go through quite a few.
Failures can be caused by many reasons, the least of them is by handling them unless your hands never get washed.proper seating, firing pin strike, storage, are
Just a few.
I hand prime also. One of the things I do is to dump the primers into the hand primers loading tray and inspect them for missing anvils or priming pellet.Very rarely will one not look right and find it's way into the trash bin.
I use CCI,Winchester,Federal mainly and Remingtons if nothing else can be found.
I used to use an RCBS hand primer that single fed and had to finger load every primer one at a time. I cant remember ever having a primer that would not fire using that method. You may have gotten a bad lot of primers. A call to the manufacture should clear that up.

 

[Bayouhunter]

Thanks guys time was short for me before leaving for work the evening I had the L Primer fail.
Im be back home in 3 weeks and my next reloading session then will have me inspecting the primers before priming my cases. I've probably shot 5000 rds all hand loads in the past year without issue. But I may have missed something I'll have to police myself a little more to see if it's me or the primers.

 

[daveg.inkc]

I use Winchester LP in .41M,.44M,.45C, .45ACP. I have old and new Lee Auto prime. I clean each pocket with Lyman tools. I have never had a Win primer not go off. Clean and chamfer every primer pocket.

 

[Divernhunter]

I had 2 fail and of course that had to when check sighting my rifle in Africa.
The other 700+ I fired from the carton worked fine. Those 2 made me nervous to start with but no others failed. I fired about 35 rounds in Africa. Everything but one animals were one shot kills. The one took another shot since I shot too high the first time.
Brought the 2 home and took the rounds apart and noting was wrong---had powder.
These were very carefully assembled ammo. The primers just did not work. Tried then in another rifle and they still failed.
I have spoke to several people who have had more recent Win primer failures also.

 

[pruger45]

I've been handloading for over 48 years and I have never had a primer fail!

 

[Johnnu2]

Sometime last year I heard of a 'recall' of Winchester primers (I can't remember exactly which size they were). I called Win. and the nice lady told me that they didn't have a formal recall, but there were certain lots that were 'suspect' for some reason. Because I had some of the 'suspect' primers, she sent me shipping cartons and mailing labels, and even had a transport company come to my house to pick up the package. A few months later I received a check for the 2,000 primers (for more than double what I told her that I had paid for them). FYI, J.

 

[peachhead]

I've had two Remington SPs fail in the last batch of 38spl I loaded. Those are my first ever. I will say that they might have been old but I don't think they were that old.

 

[DeletedMember275]

I've experienced a (very) few primer malfunctions over the years that I've been reloading (since 1976). Maybe 2-3 that were actually attributed to the primer itself. I don't remember the make(s) of primers or any other details. I also experienced two (2) rounds of factory-loaded military Match ammo where the lacquer primer sealant killed the primers. Those two rounds had particularly heavy applications of lacquer, and the primers were D-E-A-D! One round of .45 Match Ball and one round of 7.62 NATO M118 Match, both current issue at the time.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Sometime last year I heard of a 'recall' of Winchester primers (I can't remember exactly which size they were). I called Win. and the nice lady told me that they didn't have a formal recall, but there were certain lots that were 'suspect' for some reason. Because I had some of the 'suspect' primers, she sent me shipping cartons and mailing labels, and even had a transport company come to my house to pick up the package. A few months later I received a check for the 2,000 primers (for more than double what I told her that I had paid for them). FYI, J.

I saw that also and I remember checking lot numbers to see if I had any. My supplies were older and not on the list. I would suggest the OP look for that thread on Winchester primers.

 

[DGW1949]

Here's a link that contains a couple of phone numbers which you might find useful...hope it helps:
http://www.winchesterguns.com/support/current-recalls-and-safety-announcements.html

DGW

 

[Paul B]

I'm off Winchester like a dirty shirt. I had 10,000 large rifle tprimers that had a lot number that was in the list of primers that burned through. Call Winchester and they said they'd reimburse me for the primers. I finally got the check last week. $60. For 10K primers? They've sold me their last product. Now if I can only find some CCI primers. They very scarce in the parts. :x
Paul B.

 

[eric conrad]

Powder Valley shows CCI in stock. www.powdervalleyinc.com
Eric

 

[daveg.inkc]

Natchez shooters supply has CCI primers. New ad in mail today. 1-800-251-7839

 

[Jimbo357mag]

...I had 10,000 large ripe times that had a lot munger that was in the list of primers that burned through.

I had to read that 3 times until I finally understood what you were saying. ...large rifle primers ... lot number... :mrgreen:

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

...I had 10,000 large ripe times that had a lot munger that was in the list of primers that burned through.

I had to read that 3 times until I finally understood what you were saying. ...large rifle primers ... lot number... :mrgreen:

Jimbo, would mind sharing ? Lost me !!!

 

[Jimbo357mag]

This is what Paul B wrote. I had a hard time understanding.

I'm off Winchester like a dirty shirt. I had 10,000 large ripe times (large rifle primers) that had a lot munger (lot number) that was in the list of primers that burned through. Call Winchester and they said they' reimburse me for the primers. I finally got the check last week. $60. For 10K primers? They've sold me their last product. Now if I can only find some CCI primers. They very scarce in the parts. :x
Paul B.

 

[Clovishound]

My buddy and I had a spate of failures in Winchester SPP a few years back. I switched to CCI and Federal and have had no failures since. I did buy a few Winchesters during the shortages and had no failures from them, but I still avoid Winchester if I possibly can.

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

This is what Paul B wrote. I had a hard time understanding.

I'm off Winchester like a dirty shirt. I had 10,000 large ripe times (large rifle primers) that had a lot munger (lot number) that was in the list of primers that burned through. Call Winchester and they said they' reimburse me for the primers. I finally got the check last week. $60. For 10K primers? They've sold me their last product. Now if I can only find some CCI primers. They very scarce in the parts. :x
Paul B.

Thank you !

 

[Paul B]

This is what Paul B wrote. I had a hard time understanding.

I'm off Winchester like a dirty shirt. I had 10,000 large ripe times (large rifle primers) that had a lot munger (lot number) that was in the list of primers that burned through. Call Winchester and they said they' reimburse me for the primers. I finally got the check last week. $60. For 10K primers? They've sold me their last product. Now if I can only find some CCI primers. They very scarce in the parts. :x
Paul B.

Thank you !

This damn Apple computer has a spell check that is freaking insane. I've caught the error and fixed it, I hope. Damn thing does some weird things at times. What I write looks OK and after I send it, good god gertie what the hell happened. I catch it most of the time.
Paul B.

 

[daveg.inkc]

I just bought 100 Starline brass, .44 Rem. Magnum. Deburred, flared, primed with Win LP. They have never FTR for me. I wanted a brick of Remington 2.5's today, Bass Pro only had a few loose 100 packs. Main thing is a clean primer pocket,, no greasy fingers either.

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

I turn off "auto" spell check and just tap on words I have doubt of. I miss a few that way but at least it is still in english when it gets printed.

 

[sliclee]

The price of winchester large pistol and the rest of them was always $25 a case. A case is made up of 5 sleeves of 1K primers
ergo 5K per case. Since clinton was president the price went up sharply and heavy tax was added.
Once, in my 70 some odd years of reloading, cowboy shooting I had one fizzle on a WLP and I stood there looking at it.
No one there ever saw it happen.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I finally got the check last week. $60. For 10K primers?

The price of winchester large pistol and the rest of them was always $25 a case. A case is made up of 5 sleeves of 1K primers.

--------------------------------------------------
That should be $300 for 10,000 primers. You got screwed.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2900619596/winchester-large-pistol-primers-7

 

[5of7]

Out of the several hundred thousand handloads I have produced during a little over 60 years of handloading, I have had exactly one squib load that I was able to determine was the fault of the primer.

In that case, it was a CCI 400 that lacked an anvil.

I have used mostly CCI primers, but also a LOT of Federals, Winchester and Remington primers.

Hey, I am not disputing the premise that the opening poster got some bad primers, but that has not been my experience. 8)

 

[SweetWilliam]

I've been handloading for over 48 years and I have never had a primer fail!

I was beginning to think I was the only one. 30yrs here without a failure.
Started out with shotgun loading and have since giving that up. But still going strong in metallic loading.