Small Pistol vs. Small Pistol Magnum vs. Small Rifle primers

[Darren Summers]

Had this experience with my 22 TCM rifle. After 40plus years of reloading I learned a valuable lesson "never assume you know too much"
Thank you Curt Mendenhall and Bill Caldwell for showing me the light.

 

[wired]

Just loaded 2000 9mm with small rifle 450 magnum primers. They go bang just the same.

 

[eb in oregon]

I've always listened to the manufacturers of ammunition components and follow their advice. Seeing as they have each spent a few million bucks designing, researching, and testing their components to insure quality and safety. There seems to be a whole lot of "Well this is what I think " on the internet from guys who have really invested little into the entire scheme of things. The bottom line is each manufacturer uses slightly different materials and construction in their products, and while similar are not the same. And rifle primers have always been made of a thicker material to contain the vastly higher pressures of those cartridges. Few rifle cartridges can safely use pistol primers in substitution, .22 Hornet with light loads being one of them.

And yes, some manufactures actually use a slightly hotter primer charge in magnum primers, the reason for reducing the power charge if changing from regular to magnum. But if one wants to experience almost 100% pierced primers and the consequential erosion of their firing pin simply load up .30 Carbine with pistol primers. In my experience it takes less than a 100 to eat your firing pin up so that it needs to be replaced.

A PRIMER ON PRIMERS

While searching around for some info I stumbled on to this thread and its too good not to share. Taken from the following and posted by Frisco Pete http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0 CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRIMER - A PRIMER ON PRIMERS Based on an article by John Barsness - GUNS...

www.snipershide.com

 

[wired]

That's all nice and well when you can actually buy primers. Me, I'm going to loading up a few thousand 9mm 147 grain loads this weekend with CCI 450's. because I have 6000 or so left and I can't get small pistol primers.

 

[eb in oregon]

"Buy?" Or do you mean already have in stock as being a hoarder has advantages? And the OP's video specifically mentioned that small rifle primers can be used in pistols. It just means you better have a strong enough striker or hammer spring to make them work. I've loaded many .38 Super and 7.62x25 with small rifle primers, they work just as well as small pistol. In those firearms I'm using them in.

 

[drb3224]

I was shooting a match at 600 yards with a M1 in 30/06. Half way through the string I had to switch ammo. Almost identical
loads. Bullet, powder charge and LC brass only difference was CCI and Winchester primers both standard non-magnum.
I was shooting the load with CCI primers and had to switch to the Winchester load. The Winchester load was about 4 minutes
high or 24 inches at 600 yards. Obviously the Winchester is a hotter primer?

Hmmh. And this is just my opinion - backed up by experience but no actual data...

What happened ( Winchester load shooting higher) MIGHT have occurred because the pressure/velocity were lower than the loads with CCI primers. Lower velocity means the bullet is in the barrel longer while the rifle is recoiling. When the bullet leaves the barrel, the muzzle is actually higher for the slower load than the faster load. This may have been the cause of the higher point of impact on your target.

It would be interesting to chronograph the two loads to compare the velocities.

I have seen a similar occurrence in pistols. A heavy bullet (slower velocity, longer barrel time) with shot higher than a lighter bullet (higher velocity, shorter barrel time) with the SAME sight setting.

You asked, "obviously the Winchester primer is a hotter primer?"

It was interesting that the video shows the standard pistol primer pressures were higher than both the SPM and SRP loads. I didn't write down, and average, the pressures but my eyeballs thought that was what the pressure testing showed.

 

[Catfishmoon]

Because of the shortage of primer choices at retailers, I have reloaded 9mm during the last year with small pistol, small rifle and small rifle magnum primers (primarily CCI)... I have not noticed the difference in my CZ p10f. I do not have a chronograph for viewing detailed measurements.

 

[Idaho44]

Thanks for the video. Start with reload data from the manufacturer and then mitigate as needed. The 'results' presented in the video are valid, as is the grey matter between your ears. There are circumstances where using something other than the "recommended" is legitimate. Environmental elements are also to be considered e.g. extremes of heat and cold.

 

[Knebel]

Thats some good info..especially since I just loaded 50 500 magnums and then saw I used a non magnum rifle primer. But it shoul be fine since they are low pressure trailboss loads anyway.

 

[wired]

Thats some good info..especially since I just loaded 50 500 magnums and then saw I used a non magnum rifle primer. But it shoul be fine since they are low pressure trailboss loads anyway.

Makes zero difference

 

[Pahonix]

Really good thread. Thanks for the info

 

[P7M13]

The OP video tests 9mm cartridges, so it's applicable to 9mm. Other cartridges? Yeah, but as others have mentioned here,, always remember to work up and test. KBs don't feel so good....

Just loaded 2000 9mm with small rifle 450 magnum primers. They go bang just the same.

LOL

 

[wired]

The OP video tests 9mm cartridges, so it's applicable to 9mm. Other cartridges? Yeah, but as others have mentioned here,, always remember to work up and test. KBs don't feel so good....


LOL

Still going bang. All my 9mm goes into PCC's and I load soft so there is that.

 

[P7M13]

Still going bang. All my 9mm goes into PCC's and I load soft so there is that.

Im sure they do!
Nah, I'm laughing for all the LR shooters desperate to find CCI450s.

 

[wired]

Im sure they do!
Nah, I'm laughing for all the LR shooters desperate to find CCI450s.

Even better. Also going into 9mm

 

[DizzyJ]

Even better. Also going into 9mm

View attachment 899175

You're not right……

 

[Capn Jack]

I haven't gone through all of these posts to see if anyone has compared different manufactures.
I have mixed small rifle and small pistol in a small Martini action K-Hornet and found the small rifle hard to extract.
Other than that, "accidental mixing", I've tried to stay with recommended components.

 

[wired]

You're not right……

I just noticed from looking at that pic that one of those boxes is a thousand large rifle BR-2. Now I'm pissed. I traded those for something I can't recall. They were supposed to be all BR-4's.

Oh yeah. It was a thousand 9mm Herters for all 4 boxes that I paid $130 for. I suppose it wasnt THAT bad.

 

[OneEyeOpen]

Unfortunately Super Vel doesn't seem to sell ammo any longer, now they're just into shirts & hats

Buy Ammunition - Page 1 - Super Vel Ammunition

9mm FMJ, .223 FMJ. .45, .40, and more ammunition available

supervelammunition.com

Someone needs to do their fact checking.
The have ammo for sale, if it's in stock.

 

[wired]

Someone needs to do their fact checking.
The have ammo for sale, if it's in stock.

they also do something Ive never seen before. Send them primers and they'll use those to load ammo for you. 9mm for $210 per K . Not bad really.