doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com NSI 688 primer review

I had a chance to buy a 10K pack of Nobel Sport Italia #688 primers recently.

My concern was that they would pierce like Cheddite, and/or fail to properly ignite Titewad like Fiocchi 616.

I'm happy to report that they do neither. Note this is the 688, not the 686 which I have not tried and likely will never try.

These have been tried in several guns including a CXS Citori with a J&P mainspring and firing pin kit installed. That gun has a 100% pierce rate with Cheddite, 20% with Fiocchi, and 0% with W209. The NSI 688 is also 0%.

As far as loads, you're on your own like I am. I simply swap for W209 in loads that are advertised at or below 10K PSI. This is not a recommendation, just a statement of what I consider safe in my MODERN TARGET GUNS.

I intend to support this vendor and encourage him to keep bringing in NSI products. I also bought several flats of their trap loads and they are of high quality and squeaky clean burning.

I have never had an issue with pierced Cheddite primers but others have. I’ve always thought it’s because of firing pin length. Do the Nobel primers stretch the primer pocket?

They do, much like a Fio 616.

No matter to me, they load fine and I dedicate a batch of hulls to this primer.

The Cheddite piercing problem as far as I'm concerned is because of a too thin cap cover.

The W209 does not do this.

I will say this... the Cheddite primer is a very sensitive primer. I set one off in a MEC 650.

If you have an old gun with a tired mainspring, they might be just the thing.

Been loading Cheddite primers for over 10 years. Never a pierced one, in several modern and vintage guns.

Mine are all salvaged out of scrapped Cheddite hulls I acquired. May or may not be the same as those one would buy for reloading.

That could very well be Stan.

The 'white box' Estate shells of a few years back were loaded in France by Cheddite.

They did not pierce. Their component primer seems different than the ones in their loaded shells.

I was given a big cardboard box containing thousands of new Kent hulls that had been pulled from the assembly line during, or after, the loading process. They all had been cut open to salvage the shot. All had new primers which I salvaged. Somehow, they had been sent to a range owner I knew, during a delivery of clay targets.

I've shot 10's of thousands (over 100,000) NSI 209-688 primers. Never had a pierced primer as mentioned. I've been 100% happy with them.

Thanks for the good report. That's a lot of shooting!

Opinions vary on these, but so far I've been pleased.

The 1,000 count trays are a bit of a nuisance, all I can figure is that these are packaged for commercial loading machines. Following a u-toob video I made a block with a refrigerator magnet on it and solved that problem. Now, I just wish I'd saved a few more empty primer trays.

I've shot thousands of Cheddite primers in dozens of guns (all doubles, mostly sxs. Some modern, some vintage.) Can't recall a single pierced primer.
The best thing about them now is that they're relatively available. And the price has come down recently. Still a long ways from the days of $25 or so per brick. But realistically, I doubt we'll ever see that again.

Update: I loaded the NSI 688 in 20ga AA shells for a K-20 that has cratered firing pins.

This gun pierces every brand primer except W209. I'm running out of W209, and the gun is not going in for new pins until I can't find primers it won't pierce.

A rant about Krieghoff firing pins is not germane to this post... other than to say they can't make a firing pin to save their arsch.

The NSI primers do not pierce in said krautgun.

W209 is now $92/brick when they can be found. NSI is about 4.5 cents a cap, which while still absurd can be considered a bargain today.

I fully support this product and Winchester can kiss my shiny nickel plated floorplate.