Had some FTF today. Bad primers?

[dabluesguy]

Shot a friends pretty new Springfield 45 acp with some ammo that I loaded (as we always do). Once-fired Starline brass with CCI primers and two different proven loads (Bullseye and 231). In the 50 rounds of 231 there was no FTF but the Bullseye had 6 out of 50. Later we refired those rounds and they fired. Inspecting the primers on the FTF rounds, they all had the primer strike dimple and the primer even seemed to be almost dented. Like I said, on a second try they all fired. Now these different loads were loaded on different days so they might not be from the same batch of CCI. What do you guys think. This has never happened to me before.

 

[ScottRiqui]

I had that happen on the first batch of .38 Special rounds I handloaded. The problem was that I hadn't seated the primers fully, so when the firing pin struck them, some of the force from the pin was used to drive the primer the rest of the way into the primer cup, rather than all of the force being used to deform and detonate the primer. They all went "bang" on the second strike.

 

[arizona98tj]

You got a couple of variables in the equation.

1. your friend's new pistol

2. ammo with possibly two different lots of primers (if I understood what you wrote)


Me...I would suspect the pistol before thinking it was the CCI primers. Perhaps a lighter firing pin spring is being used? Or perhaps there is crud in the slide which is restricting the firing pin from 100% functionality.

 

[dabluesguy]

Thanks guys. @scott--your theory is a possibility for sure. I will try to be more consistent with seating if I can. @Arizona--we have fired around 500 rounds or so in the gun and cleaned it very well after the first FTFs but didn't help. Firing pin spring is stock but could be weak maybe?

 

[jepp2]

There are lots of variables that could be a factor. But my general rule is a primer that doesn't fire on the first strike but does fire on the second strike is a primer that wasn't adequately seated.

Some folks check for "high" primers by setting them a flat surface and see if they rock. A primer that causes the case to rock is a long ways from being adequately seated. Remember they should be 0.003" to 0.005" beyond flush with the case head.

If you ever uniform any primer pockets you will find out just how bad some are. They are far from flat and the concave surface results in the anvil not being properly loaded into the mixture.