Primers
 

I've notice in many of your 16 gauge 2 1/2 Cheddite shells reloading data which
you have been so gracious to share many of the loads use Cheddite or Nobel 209 primers. Thank you!!
Is their a reason and why you selected those primers over Remington and Winchesters.
I've always used Remington 209 primers in my 12 and 16 gauge loads with 2 1/2 shells similar powder charges and the same wads and wondering if my pressures are higher.

I, too, would like to know. I was just wondering who makes Winchester Hulls? Cheddite? Who makes gun powders? Is it just Alliant and Hodgdon? And who makes primers?

It is generally believed that Continental hulls have slightly larger 209ish primer pockets than US hulls. And, that primers made by Cheddite or Nobel are correspondingly larger to fit.

However, many reloaders use US manufactured primers with no issues. Personally, I find Cheddite products not worth bothering with. Especially the primers, which have thin cups that tend to pierce occasionally in older double guns with more "robust" firing pins.

I would avoid any supposedly oversize primers if I planned to use the case again.

I'd use Remington primers in a heart beat if only they'd be competitive with their prices. Last time I checked a brick [ 5000 ] was over $200 where as Win was around 135, Fed about 140 and Cheddites 120. Reloading at moderate pressures [ less than 8000psi ] I treat the Rem, Win, Cheddite, Rio, Nobel, all the same. CCI 209M and Fed209A are hot primers and maybe a grain less powder if subbing them in. Usually Rem primers have a bit lower pressures, but not always. But like I said, at moderate pressures a jump of 500, or even a 1000psi jump wouldn't hurt anything. I use to go through 30,000 primers a year, so prices made a difference. But then I started checking if any primers were getting pierced and one of my Parker and a Remington hammer gun were piercing the primers. No more Cheddites, no more problem.

Primers
 

Thank you Paul for sharing your thoughts on primers. I shot about 10,000 per year and 90% of those are in Brownings with Winchester primers. I save my Remington primers for my 2 1/2 shells either 12 or 16 gauges but Remington has become very proud of their primers. Hence my question about primers and now I believe I'll just use Winchester across the board.

I had an issue with win209 primers in my 2.5" loads. For some reason the firing pins would stick on make the gun harder to open. These were English guns. I switched to the cheddite primers and didn't have an issue.

Ken

The guys on other reloading forums claim guns with firing pins that hit on a angle are the ones that will pierce Cheddite primers. Some Brownings and the K or P guns. They can buy and replace their primers without much expense or trouble. I can't with the old guns made in the 1800s.

I've found that Win primers almost fall out of Cheddite hulls. Only hull like that I've used is Rio, but I had to buy a box of the larger primers to reload them. Don't think I've bought any Rio ammo since they started a factory in Texas.

I used to feel bad to put big primers in small primer pockets and discard the empties. However, I don't feel bad any more, because no one picks up empties any more, except their own.