CCI 250 mag primers not igniting?

[elmerdeer]

Here is the problem I ran acroos today, I have 2 times fierd brass that was going on 3rd firing today, they were PFL resized.
This brass fired some loads that had pressure signs, Ex:extracter marks and slightly sticky bolt once in a while. I did back down from those loads some.
So here is what happened today I loaded some of my favourite loads and tried them with the cci 250 mag primers instead of the fed 215 primers. I did back down first and worked my way up, Now withe the origianal primer fed 215 mag they would always fire, with the cci I had 20 out of 45 rnds not go off, now I am wondering what could it be? Did I trash my brass by shooting hot loads, but my primer pockets are still pretty tight.
My action is a Stiller Predator, my caliber is 7mm Dakota, and my brass is Norma.

1) Is my brass the problem? Primer pockets are still pretty tight.
2)Are the cci 250 mag primers different in size, height, width, to make my firing pin not strike them hard enough?
3)How deep should primers be seated? I always seat primers with my rcbs hand primer and after the first squeeze I rotate the brass and squeeze again, never had a problem doing it that way before.
4)Can ther be something wrong with my firirg pin?
Thanks
Elmer

 

[Country]

Re: CCI 250 mag primers not igniting?

I guess there could be lots of things wrong but faulty seating seems to be a place to start. If the primer is being dented by the firing pin it seems to indicate that the pin is still there and not broken .
So what I would do is get a primer pocket uniformer from Sinclair International Fort Wayne Indiana .
Uniform all the pockets and try again.
When you seat the primer you should be able to feel it go all the way to the bottom of the pocket and stop dead.
After uniforming the pockets the primer should seat just below the surface of the case head .
The feel of the primer bottoming is the main requirement.
I feel the hand prime may not have the leverage in rough pockets.
Are you cleaning the primer pocket after each firing?

 

[former naval person]

Re: CCI 250 mag primers not igniting?

What does the CCI primed fired brass look like? If there is a stretch ring just above the case head, you could have created excess headspace when you full length sized the brass. Also, take the firing pin assembly out of the bolt and clean it and the inside of the bolt. Could be grease or particulate matter inside the bolt cushioning the firing pin. I do find CCI to be a harder cup than Federal, and if things in the mechanism are just marginal, then tolerance stack up could result in those results. JMHO

 

[elmerdeer]

Re: CCI 250 mag primers not igniting?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Country</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I guess there could be lots of things wrong but faulty seating seems to be a place to start. If the primer is being dented by the firing pin it seems to indicate that the pin is still there and not broken .
So what I would do is get a primer pocket uniformer from Sinclair International Fort Wayne Indiana .
Uniform all the pockets and try again.
When you seat the primer you should be able to feel it go all the way to the bottom of the pocket and stop dead.
After uniforming the pockets the primer should seat just below the surface of the case head .
The feel of the primer bottoming is the main requirement.
I feel the hand prime may not have the leverage in rough pockets.
Are you cleaning the primer pocket after each firing? </div></div>
I seat the primers to the bottom of the pocket and I turn the brass in the case holder and squeeze again, so Im pretty sure they are bottomed out and my pockets are clean.
My primer pocket depth is .1285-.1305" and my primer are below flush by .009-.010".
Thanks
Elmer

 

[Victor N TN]

Re: CCI 250 mag primers not igniting?

Since no one else has brought it up, I'll ask. How were the primers stored? Leaving primers sitting out on a bench is a bad idea. If that is the case moisture could have "killed" the priming compound. Most primers use a coumpound that is "hygroscopic" or it draws moisture to it. This is the usual culprit if the primers have gone bad.

Another thing is penetrating oil. I did some tests several years ago that showed in loaded rounds coated with WD40 it doesn't take but a couple of months for some of the primers to start going bad.

The first thing I would do is load a few with fresh primers of a known quality. If they fire, the primers were probably the problem. If the primers are at fault, start storing your primers in a better manner.

I prefer an ammo can with tight fitting seals and some recently charged desi-paks thrown in.