Have you ever sub'd rifle for pistol primers?

[HammerMTB]

I was talkin' to a guy I know who has reloaded for a long time. He mentioned that he uses small rifle primers in pistols, primarily his .40S&W, but any with a small primer. His take was that rifle powders are slower burning, so the flame from a SR primer is hotter, and claimed he got better results from them.
So, the Q in the title is, have you ever sub'd rifle for pistol primers? If so, have you done load workup along with that, or just dumped 'em in? And did you record any SDs, or pertinent data you might be willing to share? [smilie=1:

[troy_mclure]

yes, for my Springfield xd40sc. used small magnum rifle primers. they fired fine in my xd, but had a few light primer strikes that didnt ignite using his Taurus 24/7.

the rifle primer cups are heavier/thicker than pistol to stand up to the higher pressures.

i didnt test any except functioning and accuracy.

[L1A1Rocker]

It is a common practice to use small rifle primers in the 38 super.

[Gee_Wizz01]

I use Win Small Rifle primers for 44 Mag in my Rossi carbine. I got better accuracy with H110 and 2400 with the Win SRPs. As Troy said above, they handle pressure better also.

G

[HammerMTB]

I use Win Small Rifle primers for 44 Mag in my Rossi carbine. I got better accuracy with H110 and 2400 with the Win SRPs. As Troy said above, they handle pressure better also.

G

Small Rifle primers? In 44 Mag? Or did you mean Large Rifle primers? Which would be very interesting, as I shoot a buncha large primers, .44 and .45 mostly.

[MT Gianni]

There is a height difference between LR & LP primers that doesn't exist in SP & SR primers. Lots of shooters have used sp primers in rifle loads to start them softer and a few can live with lp in lr cases as their firing pins easily reach a recessed primer. I can't see the advantage in an auto pistol with the proper loads.

[HARRYMPOPE]

I use LP primers exclusively in rifle loads with Bullseye to 2400.I have never had a misfire.

HMP

[Multigunner]

I once used Small Magnum rifle primers for .38 special reloads when the only local gunshop that carried reloading supplies at the time ran out of small pistol primers.

They seemed to work okay, but then one failed to ignite a charge and I saw the core of a half jacket bullet hit low on the clay bank and found the jacket sitting halfway out the muzzle.

I think the light hammer blow of that very old Colt Officers Model Target just didn't fully ignite the primer.
I used what was left of those primers many years later for reloads for my Model 37. That pistol was one found buried in mud in a lake bottom, the main spring rusted away. I made a spring and guide with bushing, not wanting to invest in new parts, and the spring was a bit on the heavy side. The primers worked fine with that pistol.

My P-35 had a good hammer fall but failed to ignite some SMG loads without three strikes. Those SMG primers were very hard. The ammo had a cupro nickel truncated cone bullet.

[rond]

I use small rifle primers for 38 super, .357 magnum, .38 and 9mm. My Dan Wesson revolver won't ignite the primer double action, works fine single action. The rest of my firearms work fine with the small rifle primers.

[44man]

Rifle primers have to much pressure. They like to move out boolits too soon.
LR primers are .010" higher so the pockets need cut deeper or you can have a proud primer fire against the recoil plate or receiver unless you force them in which can ruin them.
Even with large revolver calibers made from rifle brass, it is stressed to NOT use rifle primers.
I will not use even a mag LP primer in the .44 or .45 Colt. I want heat at the powder without the pressure that increases air space by moving the boolit.
I would like to know what brass uses a SP or SR primer in the .44??? [smilie=l:
The best shooting is fire without pressure, let the powder make the pressure.

[Bwana]

This subject has been covered in other threads; but, here is something I didn't share last time. You can use small rifle/pistol primers in large rifle primer pockets. Here's how:

Take a fired large pistol primer and pry out the anvil. Take a .125" flat punch and, with the cup open side up on a hard (steel) surface, flatten out the firing pin indentation. Take a small pistol or small rifle primer and place inside the large pistol cup and then seat into your rifle case per normal. You will most likely end up with the primer being flush or very slightly below flush. This is not a problem as the dual cup will prevent an unintentional discharge. You can do this with pistol cases if you deepen the pocket with say a large rifle primer pocket uniformer. This works very well so if you find yourself in a pinch or just want to experiment have at it. By the way, I have fired hundreds of these rounds to prove its effectiveness.

[44man]

This subject has been covered in other threads; but, here is something I didn't share last time. You can use small rifle/pistol primers in large rifle primer pockets. Here's how:

Take a fired large pistol primer and pry out the anvil. Take a .125" flat punch and, with the cup open side up on a hard (steel) surface, flatten out the firing pin indentation. Take a small pistol or small rifle primer and place inside the large pistol cup and then seat into your rifle case per normal. You will most likely end up with the primer being flush or very slightly below flush. This is not a problem as the dual cup will prevent an unintentional discharge. You can do this with pistol cases if you deepen the pocket with say a large rifle primer pocket uniformer. This works very well so if you find yourself in a pinch or just want to experiment have at it. By the way, I have fired hundreds of these rounds to prove its effectiveness.
Working with a S&W .45 ACP with a LP primer did not work good. Too much pressure for the tiny case. I cut brass bushings until my friend found SP brass. That not only reduced groups dramatically in the revolver, it also improved the 1911. SP primers did work better and in every gun I have fooled with, less pressure from the primer and more heat improved shooting.
Going from a LP mag to a standard in the .44 cut groups by 2/3. I would never go to a SR primer. The case is too large for a SP primer.
Too many will never understand the relationship of ignition to case size and powders.

[selmerfan]

Small rifle in .357 Max is the standard.

[44man]

Small rifle in .357 Max is the standard.
I have loads that call for a Fed 210--- Yeah, LR primer.
Then a quote from Shooting Steel. "Primers seem to be the real touchy areas when dealing with the .357 SM. Changing a primer brand can literally ruin your day. Pressures can go way up and actually ruin cases. I have found the CCI 400 primer with IMR 4227 gives the best combination. "
PRIMERS TOUCHY? You better believe it.

[uscra112]

Rifle primers have to much pressure. They like to move out boolits too soon.


It's pretty well documented that reduced loads in the .22 Hornet do better with SP primers. Theory is that the rifle primers' higher brissance tends to unseat the (j-word) too quickly. Tried it, and it seems to be true.

[catboat]

I haven't substituted rifle primers for pistol primers myself. I do recall reading several posts (may or may not have been from castboolits.com) about reloaders getting improved accuracy from 22 Hornets by doing so. It was from more than one 22 Hornet owner, on different threads/boards, so there must be something to it.

[WILCO]

Nope. Never have. [smilie=s:

[truckmsl]

Many thousands of small rifle primers through my glock 35 in .40 with no problems whatsoever. Chrono shows an increase of 50fps. Same with 357 and 38.

[nanuk]

I remember reading a thread where some guys wife works in primer manufacture, and he has posted some very good info on primers.

kind of a primer on primers? :groner:

I have tried to find that thread, but cannot.

I thought I bookmarked it also, but I have so many bookmarked I can no longer trust I can find any of them

[Moondawg]

I used to use small rifle primers in a 1911, with comp., chambered in 38 super. Making major with light bullets while shooting IPSC. Needed lots of powder and pressure to drive the compensator. With small rifle primers you are less likely to blow a primer when pushing a pistol round to the limit pressure wise. The barrel I was shooting had a fully supported chamber and I was using WW Nickle brass, which back then had the reputation for being the strongest 38 super brass.

I don't recommend the practice with regular pistol loads.

[Gee_Wizz01]

Small Rifle primers? In 44 Mag? Or did you mean Large Rifle primers? Which would be very interesting, as I shoot a buncha large primers, .44 and .45 mostly.

Your correct HammerMTB, those SRP's would be a little loose.

G

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I have a old Herters 44 mag case that has a small primer pocket. have used SR, MSR, SP & MSP PRIMERS IN IT.
I have done this w/ 357 cases too. Not often , but ran out of normal stuff in the middle of a reloading session.
Have done same w/ 44 mag. & '06 cases with the lr/lp/mlp primers.
All worked.

[303Guy]

The use of SP primers in the hornet is more noticeable with Lil'Gun. Some folks couldn't get accuracy at all with SR primers. I solved the problem by using low brissance SR primers and more sensitive primers to boot for my light firing pin strike rifle as well as a heavy boolit plus a heavy powder charge well compressed as Lil'Gun does. Accuracy and performance was stellar. Others use a heavy crimp with SP primers with lighter bullets.

[44man]

Opening pockets on .454 brass for LP had me testing primers on it. the .475 and 45-70.
I used Fed 150's and they lit off every powder charge with 296. But the cases are large so the Fed 155 primers were more accurate.
SR mag primers in the .454 would not light every starting load and SD's were all over the place with those that did fire. Yet a standard LP primer would light every shot.
The revolver is real touchy about primer pressure because there is nothing in front of the boolit until it moves.

[44man]

HI,
I have a old Herters 44 mag case that has a small primer pocket. have used SR, MSR, SP & MSP PRIMERS IN IT.
I have done this w/ 357 cases too. Not often , but ran out of normal stuff in the middle of a reloading session.
Have done same w/ 44 mag. & '06 cases with the lr/lp/mlp primers.
All worked.
HERTERS? You must be as old as me! :veryconfu