Guns & Outdoors Forum

On Monday, I visited Cabela's in Reno. It seems that when I go to any "outdoor" store, I look for the availability of primers (small rifle specifically). More importantly, the price of the primers. In this case, they had two brands on the shelf. One was Winchester #41 @ $79/1000, the other CCI BR4 @ $155/1000. I realize that the BR4 could be considered a premium primer, but not at double the price.
I have both on the shelf at home, I don't notice any difference in using them in my loads.
Conspiracy theory time, It's almost like they want to discourage from handloading and shooting in general.

Even in the "good times" the BR4s were a "premium" primer with a premium price tag to match.

No conspiracy, capitalism at work, Pretty much a "fixed" supply with a HUGE increase in demand = higher prices
Add in inflation in general and the public gets screwed

CCI BR4 primers were never 100% more than other primers. For the most part, the cost of manufacturing is identical for all primers. This is a specific market they are targeting which is tied to an activity that the powers that be want to be abolished. A "Right" according to the Constitution that CCI has made a living on. It reminds me of when Bill Ruger fell in with the Clintons to help ban over 10 round magazines. Trying to make a deal with the devil.

Know why they are twice the price?

People are paying twice the price.



No conspiracy.

NATO vs. Bench Rest (BR) primers.

From what I've been able to find, benchrest primers are inspected more, adding to higher cost. Plus, one's a government overrun contract, the other's a more specialized endeavor.

Rumor has it, standard CCI Primers and their BR primers are technically the exact same thing. The BR just get an extra CC Inspection. Damn, that little old lady is an expensive employee!

Zee wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2024 9:44 pm Rumor has it, standard CCI Primers and their BR primers are technically the exact same thing. The BR just get an extra CC Inspection. Damn, that little old lady is an expensive employee!

Yeah! It's all based on sampling. Regular primers are inspected 100/100,000. BR primers are inspected 5 times more 500/100,000.

My observation on primers is there are no large rifle primers to be found.

So is there any real data on the difference or is it all gun shop lore?

A chart based on primer company data

breamfisher wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2024 12:03 am 228065d1688352421-cci-br4-vs-cci-400-primer�s-smartselect_20230703_143822_chrome.jpg

A chart based on primer company data

But what makes a BR better?

https://www.cci-ammunition.com/reloadin ... /6-19.html

"Assembled with extra care."

Seems hard to find a definitive statement from the company. Or any company. They seem to treat primers like voodoo magic.

If you want to play primer conspiracy theories. . .

Why is it that with two major companies (Winchester and Federal), four labels (Winchester, Federal, CCI, and Remington), and numerous manufacturing facilities, why are we experiencing a drought of large rifle primers on all of the above?

As to the "Benchrest" thing. . .unless you are actually shooting the benchrest game or trying to whack-a-mole every possible variable for extreme range competition, your rifle is highly unlikely to be able to tell the difference.

I run the CCI military primers on a lot of my hunting loads which are a little on the warm side. The thicker cup on those caps is a little added insurance against a rupture. My Ruger Scout / Barnes combo uses those primers and it shoots in the .3 to .5 MOA range. Not sure what more one would want from one's spark plug.

I asked a CCI rep that was in a gun shop I worked at years ago what the real difference was. “BR primers are made by the best primer tech, they are inspected and can be ‘demoted’ if they have too much scrap.” Seems like a legit answer.

Looked yesterday and my large rifle primer quantity is around 300.

Just got an email from Powder Valley with 1500 count Fiocchi LR primers in stock. Got two of those on the way...

Bought 3000 primers, 200 Hornady bullets, and 2 lbs of powder. It hurt to click submit payment when they tallied that up at today's prices for reloading components!