Bulged Primer w/ Factory Fiocchi

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markr6754

New member
While organizing my dirty brass prior to reloading I came across some rounds that I'd stuck back into the ammo box. Since beginning this journey 3 months ago I find myself paying a lot closer attention to cases, and especially recovered cases from my loads. Thus far I hadn't noticed anything unusual, but when depriming these last 15 rounds I noticed that all of the primers looked a little bulged. At first I thought that it might have been one of my own reloads, but then I remembered where I'd just pulled these shells.

I still had a fired shell from my dirty brass, a Blazer 9mm, and decided to document my find with photo evidence. It's likely that I've seen this before, primer bulge before, and just never paid it any mind. My current suspicion is that Fiocchi USA 9mm may be loaded a bit hotter than anything else I'm shooting.

Another observation...the Blazer case measures 0.38" at every point along the length. The Fiocchi measures 0.38" at the bottom, top, and most of the length, but 0.27" from the head stamp the case widens to 0.39", which further supports by belief that this brand produces more pressure.

It is 9mm LUGER, 115 Grs. FMJ...as was the Blazer.

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Fired in a gun that has a very loose firing pin tunnel or lost a firing pin bushing, if it had one.

I cleaned the image color and sharpness up a little for you.
 
74A95 said:
were they shot in a beretta?

different brands of 9mm brass are not equally strong. Blazer is some of the strongest and expands the least. Fiocchi expands more. https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2018/1/9/how-to-use-9-major-in-a-short-barrel/
Click to expand...
Spot on...they were all shot in my Beretta 92FS.

My point is, I've shot thousands of rounds of Fiocchi, G.F.L. headstamp. Also thousands of rounds of numerous other brands. This is the first time that I've shot Fiocchi USA, though I've had it in my bag for a few years. It's also the first time that I noticed the primer with that appearance...or maybe the first time I'm paying attention.
 
Unclenick said:
A lot of Remington bolts are actually countersunk around the end of the firing pin tunnel and produce primers like that.
Click to expand...
My Beretta 92FS has a slight countersink around the end of the firing pin tunnel. I thought that the Fiocchi primers expanded back past the headstamp and impacted the slide, while the Blazer primers did not deform at all, other than the firing pin imprint.
I have another 35 rounds of the Fiocchi. I also have a Hornady Cam-lock Bullet Puller coming. I plan to open up a cartridge and see what's inside.
 
Primer cub material of Fiochi could also be softer and the load may also be a little hotter than the other one's. I have seen this in plenty of guns. It is not something to worry about.
 
CCI primers do that in my 92FS, but not to the extent shown in your photo. Could be just a difference in primer cup hardness.
 
I didn't realize from the OP that these were all out of the same gun. Decap some of the primers and apply your calipers to the cups. It could be the material is different, but I expect you'll find the offenders are thinner, as that's a known variable among brands.
 
bulge

CCI is noted for their "hard" primer cups.

In my experience, this is a rare occurrence; that it is "normal" in your gun should be of concern. Have you reached out to Beretta for their opinion and guarantee that your gun is functioning safely?

I was wondering why the military has not made mention of this oddity.

The backflow of the fired primers may be a sign of excessive or low pressure rounds.
 
I dug up this old TFL thread from the same time frame as the link that 74A95 posted.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=441593

There seems to be a difference in firing pin holes between 92FSes made in Italy and those made in the U.S. The slide on mine is stamped made in Italy and it has a chamfered firing pin hole like the one pictured in 74A95’s link. I can't speak for the ones made in the U.S.

FWIW, I have shot American Eagle, WWB and my own reloads with CCI primers in my 92FS and they all "crater", but none have failed and I don't expect they will. ymmv
 
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Unclenick said:
Fired in a gun that has a very loose firing pin tunnel or lost a firing pin bushing, if it had one.
Click to expand...

...and most likely enhanced by soft primer cups. I see no other signs of primer cup deformation(like flattening). Could also be a difference in pressure, but I don't see a concern. I also don't see what good pulling a bullet is going to do, since powder volume in the case, without knowing what powder, is not going to tell you anything. One would be better off to fire the ammo over a chrono and compare velocity.
 
The weird round bulge in the fired primer is a Beretta thing (in guns with the dished breech face) in the same manner that the weird rectangular bulge/stamp in primers fired from a Glock is a Glock thing. The only time I don't get the rectangular stamp in my primers from ammo fired in my Glock is when the loads are very low pressure handloads. Everything else has the rectangular stamp.
 
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