Servicios y Aventuras SPP and 40 S&W

[markr6754]

As with many others I picked up 3 bricks of the SyA primers and made up some 40 S&W ammo. Made it to the range for the first time this year. No excuses. Anyway, I brought 2 of my 40s with me for testing. My Springfield EMP and my new Taurus TH40C. The test rounds were really good, accurate, very satisfactory loads. One box was my first trial of WST powder in 40 S&W. I've used it in 45 Auto as well as 9mm...very pleased with how it ran my 165gr JHP from Everglades Ammo.

Anyway, I had zero issues with the TH40C. Every round fired in one trigger pull...just as you'd expect. Good ignition, every round felt like full powder burn, clean cases, no fireballs, and no residual powder or residue. All of the issues were with my Springfield EMP, which has ALWAYS plagued me with light primer strikes. I had about 15% failure on first hammer fall, and 100% success after cocking the hammer and firing again. I didn't examine any of rounds after the first hit, so I don't know if it was a light strike issue, or if I merely finished seating the primer on the first hit. I'm inclined to believe that all of the primers were properly seating, and anvils fully set, as the 100% successful firings in the TH40C were with the same ammo from the same box. I shot a total of 89 rounds, split roughly equally between the Taurus and the Springfield. I don't have any striker fired 40s, so I'll have to run a few batches through my 9mms to continue testing.

As it happened,, I also had a batch I'd made with 700-X, 155gr Berry's FP, and TulAmmo primers. I only shot 10 of them, and one round took 3 hits from my TH40C without going off. I removed that round and it was about as well struck a primer as I've ever seen. Still, I moved it to my light hitting Springfield EMP...and it went off on the first attempt. Based on that alone, I'll take more SyA primers before I'll buy any more Tulas.

 

[Sarge]

Good info Mark. There is very little out there regarding 'off brand' primers.

I'm also loading 40 S&W. One of our local shops has been stocking Genix Bosnian small pistol primers for 6-7 bucks per 100. I picked up 600 for a test drive.

So far I've tried these primers in three different 40s; an XDM, XD40 and Sig P229. All worked fine, but studying fired cases leads me to believe they're a bit harder than Winchester or CCI primers. I think any stock service pistol will probably ignite them. When time permits, I'll load some 38s with these and see how the old 637 does with them.

 

[Unclenick]

The Tulas have rough-lipped primer cups that are hard to seat, IME, so it is easy to leave one a little too high. Reaming or swaging primer pockets can help with this. Also, some testing on YouTube in the Winning in the Wind series indicated that Wolf primers (out of the same Tula factory, AFAIK) actually produce better velocity consistency if you don't set the bridge but rather just touch the anvil feet on the primer pocket floor. Curious, but it occurred to me it is perfectly possible to set the bridge when the primer is manufactured rather than relying on seating to do it, and maybe the Tula plant does it that way.

In your shoes, I would lock the EMP slide back and depress the firing pin forward with a punch just to make sure nothing is interfering with it. Inspect the nose profile while you are at it. Inspect that the back of it protrudes normally from the firing pin stop. Pull the firing pin stop and firing pin and use a pipe cleaner to be sure there isn't fouling or grease in the firing pin tunnel that is slowing the pin down. If all that seems well, you might try a new or slightly heavier mainspring or even try lightening the firing pin return spring a little.

 

[mkl]

I would hypothesize that if the primer is forced tight enough in a too small primer pocket, that the primer will fire without bottoming out.

If the primer is too large (0.1mm) like in metric primers, or the pocket is too small due to a manufacturing error. the best way to correct is via a primer pocket uniformer.

I had a bulk pack of Winchester new brass in 30-30 that took way too much pressure to seat on a single stage press. Primer pockets out of spec being too small. Chocked a uniformer up in my drill press and went through the entire 50 pieces of brass in the bag. Could not believe the amount of brass the uniformer cut out. After that, all primers went in with normal pressure.

 

[Sarge]

I should have added the Genix Bosnian primers, mentioned in Post #2 above, seated easily with my old Lee Auto Prime and produced some of the most accurate 40 S&W ammo I've ever loaded. I will buy more of these.

 

[jetinteriorguy]

I’ve been loading some of the Genix primers in in my 550B and not too thrilled with how they’ve been seating. The seating anvil has been leaving a semi circular dent in the primer and some have been seated too shallow giving me FTF’s on first strike on about 10% of my ammo. The best thing I have in my tool inventory for seating them properly has been my Lee Hand Primer, no dents and they are seated all the way in. These have been SPP’s in 9mm Winchester cases.

 

[mkl]

^^^^^^
See my post #4.

I use a carbide uniformer but less expensive ones wold work to get the primer posckets back into spec.

 

[markr6754]

Thanks Nick. I've pulled the firing pin and cleaned the chamber, the spring, and the pin itself. Didn't find anything...just very light carbon. I have 2 EMPs, 1 40 S&W and 1 9mm. The original titanium firing pins are too light, in my estimation. I had some feedback on another forum that Springfield will take corrective action, which usually includes installing a steel firing pin. I'm on the fence at the moment, as both pistols are super sweet shooters, normally. I may just have to stick with Federal primers.