Interesting. The Federal ammo I've been using is factory, and the "Winchester" is more specifically Winchester PRIMERS in reloads which DO fire the second time around and almost ALWAYS fire in single action fire. Might the problem be this simple? Thanks !
Federal primers are softer and more easily set off by light hammer strikes if properly seated. Federal factory ammo uses the same soft primers and they are seated at a good depth for light revolver actions.
Winchester primers are harder. If they are set below flush, they still can mis fire with a light action as the hammer strike is not sufficient. If the gun is a new style with frame mounted firing pin,
sometimes an extended firing pin will solve the problem. If it is hammer mounted, the fix is a little more complicated. First thing to do is make sure the strain screw is tight. If it is backed out even a quarter turn, it makes a big difference.
From what you posted, your first hit on the primer sets the primer to proper depth allowing the second strike to ignite it. By making sure your primers are fully seated, you will probably eliminate the misfires with no service needed.
Long story short, springs can be adjusted and made to allow the hammer to hit harder. There is a fine line on a good action and a reliable action. I do a light action for all primers but it has taken me about 15years of trial and error and experimentation to get there. It is not something that can be explained on an Internet forum or even in person for that matter.
Editing to add: I only use federal primers on revolver reloads.
Regards,
