Primers

[darchell]

What primers whould I be using to load the 204? I have a few hundred small rifle CCI primers however, I have noticed many sites indicating to use magnum primers. Is the magnum primer needed or reccomended?

[greystone]

CCI BR4 and 450, Remington 7 1/2 and Federal 205M will all work in a 204. Primers are hard to find tho. I'm glad I stocked up. There's probably other primers that work but these come to mind. Dave

[jo191145]

Its primer cup thickness thats the most important consideration. The thicker the better unless you load light.
From the CCI collection CCI -400's have the thinnest primer cup. These should get you to book max with most powders without popping. They'll look like your pushing crazy high pressures but they should hold.
No quarentee on that though. All rifles are different.

Any thing else from CCI is a thicker cup and preferred in a high pressure round like the 204.

Fed 205's, Rem 7.5's and Wolf magnum are also on the list of good primers.

[futuretrades]

i know there are a lot of guys here that know a lot more about primers than i do. but i have used only winchester small rifle primers. never had a problem with them, get good groups, and seems to be very consistent ignition. load 223 and 204 for over the last 5 yrs. just my experience.
i will not use win brass, but i prefer their primers. jmho

[jo191145]

future

You are right. Win primers will take you to book max in a 204. I've used about 4000 of them in 204 and 223 with no complaints.

[Jim White]

future

You are right. Win primers will take you to book max in a 204. I've used about 4000 of them in 204 and 223 with no complaints.

Have you ever noticed a difference between the Winchester nickle plated vs the brass primers? The reason I ask the WIN primers I've always used (and I've had good luck with them) were nickle (silver) and my supply of those is dwindling. I still hve several Rwmington 7 1/2's and some CCI's.

Thx

[Jim White]

What primers whould I be using to load the 204? I have a few hundred small rifle CCI primers however, I have noticed many sites indicating to use magnum primers. Is the magnum primer needed or reccomended?

If your loads are near max and are showing pressure signs (and not all primers exhibit the same) I would take notice. What you don't want to do is blow/pierce the primer. Also, take a look at your bolt face and make sure you don't have signs of gas cutting around the firing pin hole.

HTH

[jo191145]

Have you ever noticed a difference between the Winchester nickle plated vs the brass primers? The reason I ask the WIN primers I've always used (and I've had good luck with them) were nickle (silver) and my supply of those is dwindling. I still hve several Rwmington 7 1/2's and some CCI's.

Thx

Jim The only Win primers I've used are silver. They're pretty old also. I quesstimate they're from the early eightys.
In all my primer tests they usually come in third place for accuracy. F205 M or OLD CCI 450's are usually the most accurate with a given load. I have a new lot of CCI-450's that bounces in and out of third place with the Wins.
Coming in last place is CCI-BR4's and Rem 7.5's.

These results are for my lots of primers. They will not reflect well on what others get for results. Different lots can give different results. At least for me.
I'm thinking my lot of BR4's might be one of the bad batches that caused them to shut down production. If theres any truth to that story at all that is. In every load I've tried them with they give me huge vertical dispersion.
I see the same vertical with CCI-BR2 LR primers also.

[Jim White]

In every load I've tried them with they give me huge vertical dispersion.
I see the same vertical with CCI-BR2 LR primers also.

Having been frustrated on load test day I see what you mean. Always check to make SURE that;

1. The gun barrel is-not touching anything.

2. If your scope has critical eye relief, make sure you’re all lined up (sight alignment).

3. Make sure your scope DOES-NOT have any parallax. If it does, adjust it out. If it can't be adjusted, get rid of it and get another one. Along this line, make sure your reticle is in focus.

4. If your strike point is too far from dead center, be very careful of scope canting. On this line use a target/sticker or what ever to make sure you have a good solid view of the target. I like those Birchwood Case 2" or 3" stickers for 100/200 yards. The 1" is just too small for me to get a precise shot. The 1.5" is OK, but it’s a little bit of a struggle. As far as the strike point I adjust off of dead center because I don't want my aiming picture (which is dead center) being distorted due to bullet holes.

5. When you're squeezing the trigger, make sure you're not milking the pistol grip. As a FYI, with all things being equal (loads, gun, and shooter) for every 0.008" of movement at the muzzle correlates to 1" @ 100 yards, 2" @ 200 yards and so on.

6. Don't be afraid to try different powder, cases etc... Unless your limited by magazine tey varying the lengths. It may help.

7. If possible, always clean from the breech and always use a bore guide. A dinged crown, however slight causes problems.

You may be doing these things anyway but thought I would toss them out there to help out.

HTH

Jim

[jo191145]

Jim

I simply fire my primer tests round robin style all at once. thats the only way to preclude all the variables.

[Jim White]

Jim

I simply fire my primer tests round robin style all at once. thats the only way to preclude all the variables.

Here's something I discovered when I shifted from .308 to .223 in my competition days. "If" your testing different powders especially from different suppliers, some will need several shots to settle down before any good data can be obtained.

Don't have clue as to why.

Jim

[jo191145]

Changing bore condition Jim.
This should not apply to primers but one never really knows do they.

[Jim White]

Changing bore condition Jim.
This should not apply to primers but one never really knows do they.

I wouldn't think merely changing powders would cause that either. Anyway, Good Luck!

Jim

[jo191145]

When I use the term bore condition I'm referring to the physical fouling condition of the bore. Not the physical condition of the steel in the bore.
All powders burn differently. We all know that. Some burn sooty some burn clean. Fast powders tend to foul more heavily in the first half of the barrel. Slow tend to distribute the fouling more evenly. Powder fouling comes with various lubriscocity. Some create a smooth/slick bore condition. Some feel rough. Some attenuate copper fouling some promote it.

Throw all these factors together and you have "bore condition". If theres one thing the long throated 204R has taught me over the years its that this bore condition is instrumental in accuracy.
We can all develope loads that will shoot small groups from a relatively clean barrel then fall apart. For firing long strings in competition or rat fields without cleaning you must find the powder your gun likes.
Why does your gun like that powder and not others? Bore condition.

Mixing various powder fouling during load development is not recommended.

[Ray P]

jo191145.........very well put!! When I did a lot 1000 yard benchrest shooting I learned the same thing......... The number of rounds you plan to shoot between cleanings and "Best" powder your barrel likes. Thanks for wording it that way. Each and every barrel has its own personality.
I use mainly Remington for all my shooting need, 7-1/2's in the 204,9-1/2's in medimum calibers and 9-1/2 M's in my 300 wby and 338 Lupa.
Later
Ray P