Benchrest vs. Standard Primers ??

Brown Bass Hunter

Could someone please tell me the difference between benchrest and standard small rifle primers? A friend has 9000 benchrest primers for a small rifle and the price is right. I will be loading 223 Rem., 204 Ruger and 22 Hornet. Thanks for the info !

nononsense

Brown Bass Hunter,

The difference is actually pretty simple. Benchrest primers are manufactured and sorted to be the most uniform and therefore most consistent when compared to standard primers. This involves the application of the priming compound in the cup, the weight of the anvil and the positioning of the parts as a unit.

Primer uniformity is probably near or at the top of the list of accuracy elements. But it becomes more important as the range gets longer. Non-uniform primers mean a greater velocity spread which means the vertical stringing at the target will be greater.

Best.

perry shooter

Better quality control on the bench rest ones, Thus higher price on them if you can buy for less then $30.00 a thousand You should buy all of them . As with all reloading if you are loading Max. loads you would be well advised to check for pressure signs and just load 5 or so and check them before loading a large amount.

WayneShaw

Well, I shoot benchrest regularly and have had my share of wins. I have used nothing but Winchester small rifle primers for over 5 years. I've never had one NOT go off, as I have with both Fed and CCI BR primers. Maybe I'm lucky.
There are a couple people using Wolf primers now in BR and are doing very well.
As nononesense said, the longer range guys look for the most uniform in EVERYTHING, primers, brass, powder weight, etc. Less deviation means better long range groups.

Brown Bass Hunter

Thanks for all the info guys. Can always count on someone to have the needed experience on the subject. Will try and purchase these if possible.