I purchased 5,000 PMC lead free primers from Wideners because they were in stock. And they still have them in stock- Reports from various forums gave mixed reviews. After reading every comment on lead free primers, i noticed two consistent observations.:
1-A user on Bench rest central noted the lead free primers have a smaller flame footprint.
2-Due to the smaller flame footprint, these primers seem to do best with fast burning powders and small cases.
I load a lot of 9mm for several handguns. So I set out to develop a practice load that would do well in several types of handguns and provide satisfactory results. My load consisted of 4.5 grains of Titegroup, MG 115 FMJ and the PMC lead free small pistol primers. The primers loaded very well on my Dillon 550. They fed well through the primer system and seated easily in the mixed brass with no crushed primers. Load testing was done using a Glock 34, an H&K USP and Kahr CW9. Every round fired without incident. There were no hang fires or duds as I have read in other post. Groups on the target were consistent and tight. We also noticed the inside of the fired cases was cleaner than with traditional primers. As a double blind test, I also loaded the same powder charge using Remington 1 1/2 primers. I couldn't tell any difference between the two with either of the three guns and neither could two other shooters who were with me.
Would I use these primers again? Yes! Since I practice once a week at a nearby indoor range, I will be using the lead free primers for practice ammo until they are gone. They seem to work fine in the 9mm case using a fast burning powder.
1-A user on Bench rest central noted the lead free primers have a smaller flame footprint.
2-Due to the smaller flame footprint, these primers seem to do best with fast burning powders and small cases.
I load a lot of 9mm for several handguns. So I set out to develop a practice load that would do well in several types of handguns and provide satisfactory results. My load consisted of 4.5 grains of Titegroup, MG 115 FMJ and the PMC lead free small pistol primers. The primers loaded very well on my Dillon 550. They fed well through the primer system and seated easily in the mixed brass with no crushed primers. Load testing was done using a Glock 34, an H&K USP and Kahr CW9. Every round fired without incident. There were no hang fires or duds as I have read in other post. Groups on the target were consistent and tight. We also noticed the inside of the fired cases was cleaner than with traditional primers. As a double blind test, I also loaded the same powder charge using Remington 1 1/2 primers. I couldn't tell any difference between the two with either of the three guns and neither could two other shooters who were with me.
Would I use these primers again? Yes! Since I practice once a week at a nearby indoor range, I will be using the lead free primers for practice ammo until they are gone. They seem to work fine in the 9mm case using a fast burning powder.
