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BR2 primers OK with RL22 in .300WM?

QuietShootr

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 5, 2003
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If it was a .308 I'd just go out and shoot, but when you consider it costs about $0.45 in barrel life every time I pull the trigger, I thought I'd check here first. My load is going to be 208 AMAX using RL22 in Win Super brass, and I have a choice of Federal 215s, CCI 250s, or CCI BR2s. I use BR2s in my .308 with great success(obviously), and Fed 215Ms are nowhere to be found.

Opinions welcome. The question is - is it better to have a non-magnum benchrest grade primer, or a magnum standard? Obviously only shooting will tell for sure, but if BR2s are definitely not a good idea I don't even want to waste money and time with them.

Thanks!
 
BR2 primers OK with RL22 in .300WM?

There might be a small velocity difference. I'm not sure what else you are asking: What do you mean by primers being 'OK', 'better', and 'not a good idea'?
 
I ran a test in my 30-06 a week or two ago (cci benchrest vs cci mag) and the non mag primer was about 20-25fps slower while using RL-22 with 208's. My sample size was not large enough to get a good ES, SD comparison between the two but both shot fine. FWIW, I also tried the federal mag primer and it was running about 25fps faster than the cci mag.

I am curious what your velocity is with that combo though. I am at 2725 with the non mag and 2775 with the fed mag...
 
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You can use regular primers in magnums. I have seen guys do it and have done it myself with no issue. If there is a difference in velocity, I didn't see it
 
i had loaded up 10 to try the non-magnum primers with fed210's and had 2 that went click-bang,
that was in a 300wm with rl 22. i won't be running that combo again (kind of spooky). but did
use 210's with h1000 with no problem's. this was done in a trg. long story short i wouldn't use them,
but testing is half the fun, and keep good notes.
 
In the topic of primers, they are one in the same. Primers deliver consistency of ignition, nothing else. Regular primers work fine

Hmmmm. The purpose of mag primers is indeed consistency of ignition with large volume cases, or ball powders. I doubt any perceived accuracy gain from using std primers is worth unreliable ignition or the worst case scenario of a hang fire. For some powders they might work fine but surely not all.
 
Hmmmm. The purpose of mag primers is indeed consistency of ignition with large volume cases, or ball powders. I doubt any perceived accuracy gain from using std primers is worth unreliable ignition or the worst case scenario of a hang fire. For some powders they might work fine but surely not all.

I challenge anyone to induce a hang fire with standard primers. The exactness of primers is grossly overestimated. Ideally, yes, magnum primers should be used in magnum loads. The magnums have a little more compound in them, but regular primers will work just fine if that is all you have on hand. To take it a step further, bench rest primers are the same shit as standard primers, except for the price tag. Could never see a perceivable difference with them over standard primers, so now I just get regular old primers and load them. in particular, Russian primers.