What primers for match loads

[Mickey Christian]

My Speer reloading manual lists CCI mag primers for many ball powder loads.

What is the general consenses about using mag primers in match loads? Do they give good results.

I believe that CCI and Fed match primers have been mentioned. Which one has won more matches?

How well do mag primers work with Varget and/or other stick powders?

[Tuna]

Magnum primers sometimes work out good with stick powders and sometimes they make things worse. If you were using stick powders like 4985, 4064 or Varget in say a 308 or 30-06 then you very well might be better off using a match rated primer instead of a magnum. Magnum primers come into play with stick powders when your using a slow burning powder with a max load like 4831. The use of magnum primers can raise pressures from 4000 to 15,000 psi depending on the powders and cases being use. So always start with beginning loads and work up from there.

[barretcreek]

Bolt gun or gas gun? Hornady started listing separate data for AR, Garand and M1a loads a while ago. They also sell Garand specific loaded ammo. Sierra has a section on "how to load for gas guns" in its recent manuals.

They did that for a reason.

[Sunray]

Using mag primers in match loads isn't necessary. Magnum primers are about the powder used and nothing else. (Except extreme cold weather shooting.)
A primer alone won't win anything. They won't turn a load that isn't accurate out of your rifle into one that is.

[Mickey Christian]

Bolt gun.
I had some Fed match primers I planned on using but when I dug them out they were mag primers.
I guess my question is will using them as opposed to standard cause accuracy to be less than it could be with standard primers?

[nf1e]

They don't get much better than Federal 210M in my book.

[Mickey Christian]

Is a 210M a magnum primer?

[nf1e]

No sir. It is a match primer. They used to call it a bench rest primer but I noticed they call it match on the new packaging.

[raymeketa]

No sir. It is a match primer. They used to call it a bench rest primer but I noticed they call it match on the new packaging.

I've used the Federal 210M primers on all of my long range competition loads for at least 20 years. AFAIK, they have always been packaged as Match.

I have never noticed any accuracy improvement when using Match primers, not even in point-blank Benchrest. But, for such a small additional cost, why take a chance?

Ray

[Mickey Christian]

Thanks for your feedback.
Mickey