Odd Pressure Issue

[eshorebwhntr]

Re: Odd Pressure Issue - Problem Found --> Bad Lot of Primers

Agreed. One shot had a very light ejector mark but all 5 came out with normal bolt lift. Not sticky at all. I also resized them and pushed a new primer into these 5 and they fit snug, pretty much like new. This was with 75.5gr charge of Retumbo which is in the middle of the Berger manual load range for the 168. Now that I've gotten past this issue I'm going back to incremental load workup with H1000 and Retumbo with the chronograph and see what I get.

I hope with the advent and help of google this thread will help others if a problem like this ever arrises. There didn't seem to be a lot of information out there on this that I could find other than the one link that I posted a few days ago so it must be a pretty rare problem for any manufacturer. I don't think Federal primers across the board are bad, I just think I got a bad lot. Like I said, before using these standard F215's all I had used for the past 3-4 years was F215-Match primers and had never had an issue. It just popped up. Under inspection, I then noticed it was happening on another rifle that I hadn't had any issues with.

Thank you to all those that replied offering help.

 

[Jokostel]

Good deal... found the issue.. Id do as many suggested. Contact Federal.
You were smart about it and STOPPED, then found the solution.
I've never had that issue before, but there is always a first time for everything.... reloading OR factory ammo... Things happen.

 

[eshorebwhntr]

Thanks Jokostel. We all want to solve our problems quickly but more often than not the best way to do that is to slow down and talk about the problem with like minded people.

I have emailed Federal and will update the thread with whatever I get back from them.

 

[eshorebwhntr]

Well, I gave Federal plenty of time to take care of this issue but they never did anything about it. I submitted a complaint through the website 10 times. No reply. I had to call 4 times before actually talking to a tech. The operator would put me through and she was very courteous but it would never go anywhere. So one day I just kept calling back until she put me through to a person. He looked up the lot number and told me that they hadn't had any reports on that one. I told him the scenario. He accepted the story as true, especially when I told him that it was happening across a few calibers. He then asked for pictures. I sent him plenty. I told him that I paid around $40/1000 for that brick and if they would just send gift certificate or whatever that would be fine.

I have since emailed him back several times. No reply. Not saying I wont shoot Federal stuff again, but they did **** me off a little.

 

[truck driver]

I had this same issue in a M700 with Winchester LRM primers and sent them back after contacting Winchester and they paid to have the bolt face resurfaced and sent a check to replace the primers in question after I sent them and the spent primers back for inspection by their QC.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

sounds like federal is swamped enough they don't care...

I've been shooting them forever but the win primers are good too.
Two similar products... one has vastly better customer service.... hmm..... might be time to re-think locking all the rifles into shooting fed primers....

 

[LoneTraveler]

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND MY RIFLES BOLT HAS THE SCARS TO PROVE IT. Back in around 1980 I had a long used load for a 270 Win. 130 gr. bullet, Bulk H 4831 and LR Mag. primer. I bought about 300 primers somewhere a long ways from home while working. I loaded a box of shells and went to the range to check the rifle. Out of the first 5 rounds I saw smoke come out of the bolt 3 times. And the primers looked just like the ones you showed. If you would punch one of the primers out and check it close. I don't believe the gas came between the pocket and the primer cup, But through a flaw in the cup of the primer. My problem was the primer cup rupturing. When any metal is put under all the stress of forming a primer cup, The metal and heat treatment must be perfect. Little bits of dross or impurities in the metal or not annealed perfect and small fractures in the cup turn into a volcano blast when 50,000 plus pounds of pressure is applied. It may have been the metal suppliers production problem sending them bad metal and now the primer company is caught in the middle. The lot number was not on the 100 packs so all I could do was strrip the other 15 loaded shells down, salvage powder, bullets and brass. My only solution was the great white throne and push the shiny lever and watch all those primers and the problem disappear. Good Luck on solving this problem.

 

[eshorebwhntr]

I've had issues of every kind since I started fooling with this stuff in '08 or so. Ordered a LA stock...sent a SA, rails that came with 3 screws 6-32 1 screw 8-40, had gunsmiths fixing friends stuff "oh yeah, send her in...should only take 2 weeks" 6 months later no gun, and on and on. This was just another bump in the road. And it did have negative effect on the face of 3 bolts.

I was willing to let that go if they would just say "We're sorry, we'll take care of it" and send some new primers or something. Just like Grey Bull did with the stock. Just like EGW did with the rail. Both went out of their way to correct the problem and were very apologetic.

Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. Stuff could always be worse.