CCI primer failure

P

Poconolg

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I have been using Winchester primers for years. They were not available so I purchased CCI primers. They were small pistol primers. I had 5% failed ignition with them. Is this something that is normal for CCI primers? I am using a Glock in 40 SW.
 
Most discussions about CCI primers are with the rifle primers and it is well established that those are harder than most. Perhaps the handgun primers are harder as well, causing the misfires, possibly due to light firing pin strikes. Follow ups to your post will probably confirm the harder primers.
 
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CCI is my preferred brand for primers, just is. I have loaded and shot a lot (thousands) of CCI sm pistol primers and never had one fail me. Of course most of them were loaded in 38spec brass and shot out of a 357mag revolver. What did the primers look like on the rounds that F-T-F?
 
Been reloading for almost 25 years now, using nothing but CCI primers; large, small, standard, magnum, pistol and rifle and cannot ever recall having a failure based on the primer.
 
Primer failure to me is some thing that I am not failure with. Although I have been loading shotgun, pistol and rifles since the mid 70s. I have found problems with the case pockets and I have found no powder ounce but it wasn't my loading.

So what can you tell us about your process of how you handle primers?
The more the better.
 
Check striker spring and for free travel of striker without any drag.

The only time I have personally seen CCI primers (SPP in that case) fail was with a revolver that had the strain screw backed out too much. The hammer was as easy to cock as a worn out cap gun.

The depth of the firing pin indent on the failed primer can provide a great clue as to whether weak strike is the problem. CCI's (and everyone else's) manufacturing processes and QC makes even one empty primer cup way more rare than an honest politician.
 
I've loaded thousands of rounds with CCI, small pistol They are very easy to work with and I consider them to be the most reliable primer I own. I load defensive rounds with CCI and won't use anything else.

Last year, on the range, my wife suffered the first and only failure of a CCI primer (CZ 75 P01) since I began loading 3 years ago. A second strike failed to ignite. I was surprised but then again, not. Sooner or later a failure is going to take place. A guess this is why we practice failure drills.

I have an inventory of CCI (pistol and rifle), Tula (pistol), Remington (pistol) and S&B (rifle,as yet untested). Tula has the highest failure rate that I've experience thus far, good for practice rounds. I've not had any issues with Remington. S&B was available at Cabelas last year at a price I couldn't resist and after reading a number of reviews decided the purchase was worthy.

If you have future issues with CCI, I would look for assistance from your local gunsmith after validating your seating depth.

Good luck.
 
There you go. Clean the firing pin channel and check the spring they only last so long. I'm with the Grump or is it grumpy? :D

Last year one of my boys were having problems with the Kel-teck 9mm not firing. I'm going to have to talk to him about that.
 
OP, what press are you loading on? I have run over 200,000 CCI's thru my Glocks since 92, and not one, not ever an issue. Either you have a press issue or weak firing pin spring, or debris on the counter bore spot face. It's not a primer issue.

As Steve already said 25 years of CCI, and I have loaded tens of thousands of small magnum pistol also.
 
Been reloading for almost 25 years now, using nothing but CCI primers; large, small, standard, magnum, pistol and rifle and cannot ever recall having a failure based on the primer.
Click to expand...

I've been loading for 31 years. And I've used nothing but CCI until this last (and still ongoing) shortage. Now I also use Winchester for my competition 38 - because it's had a trigger job (Win's are a little softer). But other than those very small exceptions, I have never used anything other than CCI. They are still my first choice (except for my aforementioned race revolver). And I have never had a problem with CCI primers - ever. Not even one failure - zero. We're talking some 200,000 rounds, if I was forced to guess.

I would be inclined to look elsewhere for the problem.
 
I had similar problems with CCI primers in my .357Mag Marlin Rifle. There is nothing wrong with the CCI primers, but we must accept that firing pin springs do vary in the amount of force it produces. I had switched to Federal 205 SR primers since and never had one misfire.
 
For the last 10 yrs, I've been reloading and shooting about 25,000 handgun rounds a year ..exclusively with CCI primers ( small and large pistol ) ....in 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 acp, .38 spl, .357 Mag and .44 Mag...and probably 75% of it has been in small pistol caliber primers.../ CCI have been virtually the only primer I've used in many, many years....although I did buy some Winchesters during the shortage a few yrs ago...and I wasn't impressed with Win primers.

and I have not had a single mis-fire .....using CCI primers...

Yes, its pretty well know that CCI primers are a little harder - but they have never been a problem in any of my S&W revolvers, my Sig Sauers or any of my 1911's...
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light primer strikes are typically an indication of a weak mainspring or weak hammer strut spring..../ clean the firing pin and replace the firing pin spring as well...( if a glock has one...I'm not a glock fan ..so I don't own one -- or any stryker fired handgun)...

you may also have a depth seating problem on your press...
 
`I had the same problem ( I run 3 SDB presses) 2 set up for LPP the other SPP. No failures with the 2 LPP (NOT CCI) I called CCi & was basicially blown off as user error. I was loading 40 s&w's & was getting 2 duds out of every 16 round mag. Well I have been reloading since the early 50's and this is the first time I have ever had any duds and I DO know how to seat a primer. It is also the first time I have used CCI's & will be the last
 
Nope on one and yes on 2 even with 3 hammer strikes they failed to fire. All other brands of primers worked fine for for over 60 years both large and small from SPP,LPP, SRP,LRP magnum & regular in everything from 380 to 45-70 loaded on Progressive, SS presses and Turret .
 
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