Lots of good ideas here as to why things were "sticky upon" opening. Both the primers and the steel heads sound quite feasible. They sell Remington stuff at the local clubs as well. Is that something I should consider instead of the Federals? Also, I should clarify...the 1-ounce Federals were clearly warmer than my usual RST loads. My perception of varying recoil could be merely because of the occasional stickiness upon opening.