With the difficulty, not to mention the prices, of primer availability these days, I'm on my last sleeve of Fed 209 primers.
My inventory, however, holds Alcan 209 and Winchester/Western 209 primers that I obtained after a friend passed away. I have zero idea how old they are but I fired a shotshell hull with just the primer and they both fired.
That brings up the age-old question: are they safe to use given the absence of any recipes that might call for them?
The Alcan Maxi-Fire primers have no lot number, just a 209 designation and a 000437 code on the box.
One sleeve of W/W is totally cardboard including the tray, and the 3/4th of the back of the box is advertising them as the "spark plug of every shotshell," completely dependable, non-corrosive, and non-mercuric, and won't rust the barrel." The other 1/4th is warnings in much smaller print.
The other W/W is obviously newer, having a plastic tray and a lot No.UN11L58. The back of the box has 3 sentences about the quality and the warnings occupy the remainder, now all in the same size print.
Is there any safety concern if I'm using Alliant e3 powder 17.0 grains with 1-1/8oz of #8 or #7.5 shot? The Mec-Jr throws 16.8 to 17.2, but the recipe I use lists 16.0 at 1145 fps and 17.5 at 1200 fps, and I feel comfortable with that because I'm not shooting in competition with anyone but myself. I've used Fed 209, Rem 209, CCI-209, and Win 209 primers with no discernable
issues.
My inventory, however, holds Alcan 209 and Winchester/Western 209 primers that I obtained after a friend passed away. I have zero idea how old they are but I fired a shotshell hull with just the primer and they both fired.
That brings up the age-old question: are they safe to use given the absence of any recipes that might call for them?
The Alcan Maxi-Fire primers have no lot number, just a 209 designation and a 000437 code on the box.
One sleeve of W/W is totally cardboard including the tray, and the 3/4th of the back of the box is advertising them as the "spark plug of every shotshell," completely dependable, non-corrosive, and non-mercuric, and won't rust the barrel." The other 1/4th is warnings in much smaller print.
The other W/W is obviously newer, having a plastic tray and a lot No.UN11L58. The back of the box has 3 sentences about the quality and the warnings occupy the remainder, now all in the same size print.
Is there any safety concern if I'm using Alliant e3 powder 17.0 grains with 1-1/8oz of #8 or #7.5 shot? The Mec-Jr throws 16.8 to 17.2, but the recipe I use lists 16.0 at 1145 fps and 17.5 at 1200 fps, and I feel comfortable with that because I'm not shooting in competition with anyone but myself. I've used Fed 209, Rem 209, CCI-209, and Win 209 primers with no discernable
issues.