Old Primers

[Kmccord]

I have a question for all reloaders out there, can primers with age start to have inconsistencies? I have a bunch of CCI LRM primers I had purchased back in 2000 when I was reloading heavily, then life got in the way and they sat in my house until I started back into my old hobby with a new custom rifle I had built. My problem, I have ES on my Chrono that I cannot get down below 10fps consistently. I am using a Pro Chrono digital, the powder for my loads is new the cartridge is a 28 Nosler. My prep for each load session is the same, bump the shoulder .002, use my old RCBS Chargemaster (also purchased in Y2k), to throw the initial charge, transfer that to my Balance beam scale to verify weight and correct as needed, seat the bullet using Redding Competition Micro seater die, forgot to add use the CCI LRM primers purchased in Y2k. I find an accurate load at my 200 yard zero range, but when I go back and replicate the load, I cannot seem to get the same grouping. The original group would be .75 inch, then the next groups from the identical load would open up from anywhere between 1.5 to 2.75 inches.. The whole time, shooting over the Chrono on original and identical load, the ES is always greater than 20 and sometimes up to 40 in a 4 round volley. I have asked another individual about what I could be doing wrong, but was told quit shooting over a Chrono and just fine tune it using a ballistic app out to 600 yards, especially since it is an optical Chrono. The only thing I have not changed is the primers. Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dosh]

Very dependent on how and where they are kept. Heat, humidity and other conditions can contribute to inconsistency. Realizing it's like closing the gate after cows are out, but perhaps try vacuum sealing new primers in the Foodsaver, they will last a few decades.

 

[Kmccord]

They were stored in the closet in there original packaging, no high humidity or high heat in the closet in my house.

 

[243winxb]

I would look else where. Primers hold up very well over the years.

No problems with these old small pistol primers.

 

[bsaoneshot]

I still am using CCI250 primers my father bought in the 80s, no issues and better es than my new primers I bought before these were given to me. He bought 5000 and that's tough to get through on magnums.

 

[Kmccord]

I still am using CCI250 primers my father bought in the 80s, no issues and better es than my new primers I bought before these were given to me. He bought 5000 and that's tough to get through on magnums.

Good to hear, I have about another 300 left of the old batch and I went ahead and ordered another 1k of the CCI LRM guess I should look at something else as the problem. I did check the length of my brass and noticed they measured 2.59 to 2.67, so I trimmed down to 2.57, chamferred and deburred to see if that will bring it back down.