Winchester WML209 Primers
 

These Winchester WML209 primers are said to be made for a muzzleloader. I personally think they were made to throw in the trash can. Although they all ignited fine and fired the charge, they for better words to describe them, BLOW UP IN THE BREECH PLUG.

In fact I had a hard time getting the 209 nipple out of the breech plug of the T/C Black Diamond XR because it is now damaged. I will need to purchase a new 209 nipple for the rifle. For those not acquainted with the design of the Black Diamond XR, the breech plug screws into the rifle, then you have the option of putting a 209 nipple, musket cap nipple or #11 cap nipple into the center of the breech plug. On the 209 nipple, tension is kept on the 209 primer so it does not slide out or back out by a small fine wire that wraps around the nipple in such a way to hold all the things together while still making removal of the spent 209 primer easy. The small fine wire acts as a kind of a spring of sorts. Well my 209 nipple is now missing half the wire as it must have been destroyed when the 209 primers disintegrated. When that happened the Deluxe Breech Plug wrench could no longer slide over the 209 nipple because of the wire end sticking out. So I had to remove it by hand with a screw driver.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have better things to do then dig out primers from breech plug and then check to make sure all the little pieces are out of the breech area so they do not stop the striker on the next attempt at shooting (at least I did not flinch).

The centers of the primer tend to pop out on ignition. Sometimes they are still in the outer ring of the primer, sometimes in the breech, and sometimes who knows where. There were also occasions where the primer itself seem to disintegrate. Besides the hot metal pieces landing on your off trigger hand forearm once, and hot something or other bouncing off your cheek a couple of times, they do ignite the charge well, and they do not seem to cause any kind of a crud ring.

Needless to say I will be interested in shooting these off in the CVA Staghorn which has a different breech plug design. They will not ever go back into my Black Diamond XR. I guess the question is ... would I endorse them to other shooters. Only if I did not like you!

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

Thanks for the heads up cayugad. I almost bought some of these a couple of weeks ago to give them a try, but ended up getting the Remington Kleenbore primers instead. I'm glad I did. I'll give you all a report on them soon.

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

If you do not have a good source for standard 209 primers where you live pm or email me. One of the best reloading shops in the east is close to my home and I can find you projectiles and primers and such on the cheap. I hate seeing people pay 5-6 bucks for primers for crips sake. Did you see what walmart is now charging for no11 caps????????? It should be illegal!!!

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

maybe the 209 nipple was old and ready to break anyway, but the way those primers blew up was strange. It was like all the pressure from inside the breech was coming back through into the primer. I am going to try them again when I get my new 209 nipple and if it breaks that one, Winchester and I are going to have some words..

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

I am still waiting for a positive answer to whether the Winchester primers are actually a reduced charge primer like the "new" Remington Kleenbore primers. I know the old Winchester Muzzleloading primers were just the standard 209 shotgun primer repackaged for marketing.

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

MLKeith... that was all I ever shot up to now was the old W209 Primers by Winchester and they worked fine. Why I suddenly felt I needed to change, since my rifle does not get a crud ring all that bad, is beyond me...

If they did not change anything, they sure are not the same primers as what I used to shoot.

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

I never even bought the repackaged ones did they sell them for a premium as well? I usually pay less than $15 per thousand of any primer I buy. Most of the time a lot less. Mag primers sting me a bit but jsss $5-6 per pack??? For example last week I bought 1000 standard rifle primers for $10. Winchester instead of CCI but the price was right. We muzzleloaders are getting screwed.

Time to bitch a bit to Winchester and "Ream"ington.

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

They hit me $3.95 for 100 of the new fangled dangled whiz bang muzzleloading primers that shoot worse then their old fashon W209 primers in my book. Maybe the next time out to the range will be better. But I admit, many of the muzzleloading people get took to the mill when they purchase muzzleloading supplies.

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

I won't buy Powerbelts for that same reason. How dare they charge me over a buck a round for some fricken lead. Pretty soon it will cost more to shoot a m/l than a .50 BMG.

RE: Winchester WML209 Primers
 

Hi Cayugad,

Sorry to hear of the problems with your BD XR. Which are excellent rifles by the way. I don't tthink the primer was the culprit. 209's will detonate if they are fired outside of a casing or primer cup.

Talked to a buddy of mine that only shoots the BD XR and shoots it alot as in at least 1000+ shots a year. He's gone through several 209"carriers" in his and they always fail the same as you have described with the spring steel retainer breaking and the carrier tangs expanding to where the wrench no longer fits unless you bend the tangs inward.

That 209 "carrier" for the T/C BD breech plug will not live forever. Considering the design of tangs held in tolerance by the spring wireretainer to create the carrier that has to contain the expansion forceof the 209 primer and is under heavy radial stress every time you fire.

I would guess that it simply chose then to give up the ghost and you were only a shot or two away from needing a new 209 "carrier" anyway.

How many rounds have you fired through the carrier that failed?