Primer Question 5.56/.223

[bigsarg99]

Where do federal 205 primers fall in this group?

[Kurt Reifert]

Federal primers are soft.

[TWR]

But Fed 205M primers are as hard as Rem 7.5's. I'm with demigod on this one, I've used the newer brass colored WSR primers and have never had any problems with my 4 AR's.

I will say that loads chronographed gained almost 100 fps with WSR vs. Fed 205M primers, so just beware if you run around switching primers be sure and reduce any max loads first. And of course always buy in bulk...

[Kurt Reifert]

Primer hardness is generally not an issue with ARs, but it can be.
If the gun is hard used and gets cruddy in the firing pin area it may cause the pin to remain protruding and that can cause a slam fire.
In a match gun or bench gun that is kept clean and fired 40-50 rounds at a time, primer hardness is probably not a problem.

[markm]

I will say that loads chronographed gained almost 100 fps with WSR vs. Fed 205M primers, so just beware if you run around switching primers be sure and reduce any max loads first.

Wow! That's a significant difference.

[Alaska]

For use in semi-automatics and AR15s, I advise that you stick to CCI and Remington primers. These brands have harder cups and are much less likely to pierce primers. Also, the AR15 has a free-floating firing pin that dents the primer on loading. This creates a risk of slam fires. So you want hard primer cups. The latest generation of Winchester primers, with brass-colored cups, should be avoided for AR15 use. The old silver Winchester primers worked fine, but the current WSRs are soft and can be pierced more easily than CCI or Rem primers. A poll of Highpower competitors (mostly shooting ARs) showed that Rem 7 1/2 primers are the most popular (33.23%), followed by CCIs (25.78%). The majority of CCI users favored the CCI BR4s, but both CCI 400s (small rifle standard) and CCI 450s (small rifle magnum) were also popular. [Only 10.25% of Highpower shooters polled used Federal primers (either 205M or 205). [/B]At the time of the poll, many shooters reported using WSRs, but this was the older version with silver cups. See NationalMatch.us website for complete poll results

Only 10.25% of Highpower shooters polled used Federal primers (either 205M or 205)

[bigsarg99]

Well thats just great. I just purchased 1000 205's last week Oh well it was only 25 bucks i will find another use for them on a bench gun or something.

[markm]

Well thats just great. I just purchased 1000 205's last week Oh well it was only 25 bucks i will find another use for them on a bench gun or something.

Just shoot them up! Sheeeit! If you live by me I'd trade you some remmies for them.

[TWR]

Key point is the 205 M primers are just as hard cupped as Rem 7.5 or CCI, don't worry about them and shoot em.

The CCI #41 primers are harder than any standard primer on the market yet most people don't use them and I would say standard .223 ammo does not use them and there are no warnings about shooting them in an AR. Out of all the ammo being shot, how many slam fires have you heard of? Yes it's good insurance but...

I first noticed the velocity difference with a 204 Ruger, I just couldn't get the velocity with FED 205M primers. I switched to WSR primers and got 3796fps vs 3687fps with the FED 205M primers. Same cases, bullets, powder, gun and the same tempature give or take a few degrees. After checking my notes on some 223 reloads it became apparent at least the lot of primers I switched to ran close to 100 fps slower. I have since switched back to WSR primers but have another case of 205M's that I will use.

My main point is to work up your loads after changing any components.

[markm]

The CCI #41 primers are harder than any standard primer on the market yet most people don't use them and I would say standard .223 ammo does not use them and there are no warnings about shooting them in an AR. Out of all the ammo being shot, how many slam fires have you heard of? Yes it's good insurance but...

That is an excellent point. If hard primers were required, no one could shoot anything but LC or equivalent ammo in the AR15 rifle.