Winchester large primers

[Bugs100]

Recently there was a thread about WLP not going bang in a 625..

I went to the range last night with 2, 45's a 1911 and a 625. I used some 200gr swc that I just reloaded with a new box of WLP's.

Out of 100 rounds I had 10 that didn't ignite even though they had multipile strikes in both guns. The hammer impressions were very deep after the first hit and hits on the second and third try didn't seem to make any difference in the depths of the previous hits. I also tried them in both guns.

I showed them to a couple of friends at the range and they all agreed that the hits should have ignited the primers.

Comparing the fired shells to the unfired shells there didn't seem to be any difference in depth.

Going to different forums I've seen numerous complaints about the same problem.

Some posts claim that Winchester is making the primers with a different grade of metal.

Has any one else had a problem?

 

[Patriot]

Recently there was a thread about WLP not going bang in a 625..

I went to the range last night with 2, 45's a 1911 and a 625. I used some 200gr swc that I just reloaded with a new box of WLP's.

Out of 100 rounds I had 10 that didn't ignite even though they had multipile strikes in both guns. The hammer impressions were very deep after the first hit and hits on the second and third try didn't seem to make any difference in the depths of the previous hits. I also tried them in both guns.

I showed them to a couple of friends at the range and they all agreed that the hits should have ignited the primers.

Comparing the fired shells to the unfired shells there didn't seem to be any difference in depth.

Going to different forums I've seen numerous complaints about the same problem.

Some posts claim that Winchester is making the primers with a different grade of metal.

Has any one else had a problem?

Bugs,

The primers I was using in the 625 are many years old (old box colors) so those failures
wouldn't be relative to your recent problem if you are using new primers.

TBP

 

[MOON CLIP]

Bugs,
I have been using the new WLPs in my 625 and my 1911 for some time now (approx, 8,000 rds) and have never had a problem. I have also heard that they changed the material for the primers, but I thought the new ones were softer? Not sure.

 

[Lugnut]

FWIW I never had a problem with over 5000 rounds in the last year.... out of my 1911. Are you sure your primers are seated well? Debugging gun problems sucks huh?

 

[one-eyed Jack]

I have been using WLP for many years to feed 6 different .45 acp guns with no issues. Winchester does not plate them anymore, but I don't think that they changed the hardness. I have a bunch of brass that has the "nny" headstamp and don't use it because the primer pockets are too deep by at least .010". Very strange that so many did not go off. Did you examine all the primers for missing anvils before loading? A flip tray is handy for this. Jack.

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

I use Winchester primers almost exclusively and have never had a failure to fire problem in 160,000 over ten years.

Contact Winchester with the lot number and they'll likely replace them for you.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I find Winchester primers to be softer than CCI.

 

[jhrosier]

I have found the current Winchester primers to have noticeably more misfires than the ones from four or five years ago.
I have been loading since the '60s and never had a primer problem until recently.
It's probably only one or two out of a thousand, but that is still too many.
I only buy the Winchester primers because there is often no other choice.

I'm not sure whether this is a quality control issue, or perhaps a change in the formulation of the priming compound. It does seem to tie in with the reliabilty problems that are seen recently with some brands of .22 rimfire ammo.

Jack

 

[drgrant]

FWIW I've used up almost 1000 WLP in the past month or so with no ill
effects. Maybe you got a bad lot of primers?

It might be worth a call to winchester. Hopefully you saved the box with
the lot numbers, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent you a free box of
primers.

-Mike

 

[Bugs100]

I flip the primers over one by one as I pick them up and that way I get to look at each one. After I load them I put them in one hundred round reloading trays and look at all the primers.

A few minutes ago a friend who reloads was in my office and looked them. He said the same thing as every one else who looked at them.

The primers were hit hard enough and often enough to go off and he said it had to be the primers.

It was a total of 7 duds, out of 80 rounds.

 

[BIG GUN]

If you hit the primer more than a couple times, the priming pellet cracks & becomes desensitized. I would suggest that you clean the firing pin channel because it might be loaded with crud.