WLR primer UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I should have knocked on wood when KSUBUCK made his post about "The downside to my last trip to the range" because I had the exact same thing happen this morning with my 06. First time in my life this has ever happened with any primer. These primers are several years old and am not sure contacting Winchester would be of any value to them.

Man, that is crazy. I run CCI primers almost exclusively and haven't ever had that happen, but I am glad you all have posted this stuff, it'll keep me on my toes.

I run Federal in all my mags but have always used WLR in 06, 300 savage, 308 with nary an issue until today. Knew right away something was not right when smoke came from the action area and sure enough there was the issue. This primer was one of the last few in the 100 count box and the other primers I had loaded worked as normal.

Has me thinking about switching to Fed210's.

Yeah, I run CCIBR2's for standard Large Rifle loads and CCI250's for anything magnum and even a few that aren't. I have had great luck and it keeps it easier for me logistically to stay stocked up.

Did it eat your bolt face any?

Ridgerunner665":1cm756bb said:

Did it eat your bolt face any?

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Yes there is one small pit in the bolt face, 2:00 pos from the plunger.

I think somebody needs to threaten Winchester with a class action suit over this...so they'll improve their primer cups.

I'm not one for lawsuits....but this is ridiculous, possibly even dangerous...for somebody who doesn't recognize what's happening and continues to use them till the point that the bolt face fails.

Or at least make the issue "very" public and well known...cut into their sales a bit and see if they take notice.

I've used WLR primers for years without any issues but right now I'm not so sure I will continue. Like I said out of this box of 100 and prior boxes with same lot numbers this primer just popped up out of nowhere. Every other primer has worked as normal. I'll call winchester tomorrow and see what they have to say.

I don't use them, never have...but I'd still prefer to have reliable options if I decided to change brands.

Ridgerunner665":oi1ef2n2 said:

I don't use them, never have...but I'd still prefer to have reliable options if I decided to change brands.

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Well until today I would have said they were reliable and without issue but I can no longer say that.

I use CCI BR2's mostly (and the magnum equivalent)...they are expensive, and getting more so all the time...but in many thousands of rounds fired, I've had exactly 3 duds...and 0 cup failures, even with some pretty bad over pressure rounds when testing temp sensitivity of Reloder 22 in 300 Win Mag.

I think I'm going to roll with fed210m primers.

It's not just Win primers. I had 2 Federal 215's do the same thing back in April in my 7mm RM. I had already loaded, and shot 300 before it happened to me, and have never had this happen in my 300wm.

I buy Winchester pistol primers by the case when I do a lot of Bullseye shooting and they have always been known to be soft and easy to set off with light hammer strikes. Rifle primers I'm not sure of but I use what I can get. I even have a bunch of Alcan small rifle primers left. I have had firing pins puncture primers in my pistols but not my rifles. Usually when a primer leaks around the cup it's from an over size primer pocket not to say the cup couldn't be undersize. Hand priming usually alerts me to over size primer pockets and I set them aside when I feel one. Never saw one rupture like that before unless it was over loaded. There again a over size primer pocket could cause it to expand till it pops.

Many years ago I had a similar experience with very old Remington 9 1/2 rifle primers that I was reloading for my Encore in .260 Remington.

Currently have a fair stock of WLR and CCI BR2's and am inclined to switch from WLR to the CCI's. Do not like the thoughts of a dud on an elk hunt this fall.

Short of burying them, what is a safe way to get rid of old primers that I do not trust?

I noticed Brunos had some Wolf primers a while back...never used them myself, but those are supposed to be some very good primers (lots of match winners using them these days)

I've had these issues on about every make of primer available in North America. Shoot long enough, and you will witness this phenomenon. I'm reasonably certain it is a problem with dimensions of the primer pockets rather than the primers themselves.

Rol_P":3li5vpin said:

Short of burying them, what is a safe way to get rid of old primers that I do not trust?

Click to expand...

Drop then into oil. A small can of used motor oil will deactivate the primers.

Many years ago I bought a thousand WLRM primers. I just shoot then in 2 rifles so they have lasted a long time. I am now down to about 70. I have never had a problem like this and hate to see anyone have it.
I don't see how a loose primer pocket could cause that. It almost looks like the pressure has backed up and needed a place to go.
What kind of prep was done to the flash hole on these cases?
Have you checked to see if the flash hole is off center?

If the primer pocket is out of round and over sized the pressure will seek the weakest point and over expand the primer cup causing it to rupture.

OU812,
Have you decapped the case yet to see if it was a weak cap cup or an enlarged primer pocket as Dr. Mike suggested in the other thread? Rol P's experience was the same as mine with Remmy 9 1/2 caps quite a long while back.... early-mid eighties IIRC, I also seem to remember many others having problems and Remington recalling certain lots of them.
After doing some Internet searching I found out that Olin Corp. is aware of the problem and is reimbursing those that have faulty primers. I also understand they may be reimbursing for damaged brass cases, as far as damage to the bolt face I'm not sure. It would be very helpful and informative to a much broader audience if those of you that have photo documentation and specific lot#'s contact Olin directly to find out what's going on to see if there is indeed a recall and find out where we might access better info and in the interim post up the lot#s you have for the rest of us to be aware of.
A bit of researching found that one lot in particular had quite a number of faulty caps....DHL766G, I hope that you find this useful and look forward to any additional info you folks have to contribute, particularly the lot#'s of your bad primers.
Sorry for your misfortune and thanks for the info, if there is a recall and certain lot#'s that are known to be bad maybe one of the mods could sticky the info for future reference ??????

BD