Alcan Magnum Large Rifle Primers

[RL338]

I picked these up at an Estate auction. I believe they are even older than me. Packaging is still in new condition yet. I did load up some today and they fired .
Any of our older distinguished members know the history of these?

 

[JD338]

Before my time

JD338

 

[truck driver]

To be honest though I have used them and still have some small rifle primers that came in wooden trays I don't remember a lot about them except they were inexpensive and did what they were required to do which was to ignite the powder. My father and I in the 60's used thousands of the shot gun primers which we loaded for trap shooting and hunting. They were manufactured in Illinois.

 

[diverdown]

I picked these up at an Estate auction. I believe they are even older than me. Packaging is still in new condition yet. I did load up some today and they fired .
Any of our older distinguished members know the history of these?
View attachment 21932View attachment 21933View attachment 21934View attachment 21935

I believe they were part of Winchester at one point in time.

 

[truck driver]

After some searching to find out the whole story I discovered that they were made by Bofors. The Gentleman in Ill.
Was tired of trying to get the big manufacturers to release and sell primes for reloading much like they are doing today and found that Bofors was willing to import them to the US for sale. S&W saw a chance to cut into the game and contracted with Bofors to import the primers and sell them with their name added to the package.
There was a fire at the plant which ended the manufacture of primers sometime in the 1980's or 1990's and thus ended the sale of Alcan primers.

 

[Divernhunter]

I used them in the 1960's and also their shotgun primers. There were 2 sizes 157(smaller) and 209. I also used Alcan powder and as I remember the shotshell wads---both cardboard and plastic.
I gave a friend a brick of them a few months back. I still have some Alcan powder.
They made good stuff and was a big part of the market then.

 

[George Foster]

I never had any of the primers but I still have a bunch of the cardboard wads here somewhere.

 

[RL338]

Good stuff , thanks guys.