Small and large magnum pistol primers, what to do with them?

[15meter]

In a large lot of reloading stuff I bought there are 1200 CCI 350 large pistol magnum primers and 1600 CCI 550 small pistol magnum primers.

I've never used magnum primers for pistols, I generally lean towards the mouse fart end of the load spectrum.

Only pistol I load is 45 ACP, 45 Colt, 38 Special and the 7.62x38r---the last is not a real good candidate for magnum primers.

Any suggestions on where I can use these?

Any potential use in rifle loads?

I load from 22 Hornet up to 470 N.E. with about 45-50 different calibers spread in between.

[Winger Ed.]

I wouldn't have any problem the magnum pistol primers in cast loads for a rifle.
Anything that shows a very small pressure sign with standard rifle primers-
I'd try a few to be sure, but the magnum pistols ones should be fine.

For your mousefart loads, I'd use 'em and be proud for saving a few bucks.

They a bit hotter and have a little thicker cup than standard.
A buddy used to use magnum primers for everything that had a good solid firing pin strike, and loaded a bit down on powder.
He swore he was saving money that way.

[tazman]

As long as you are not using maximum powder charges, substituting magnum primers for standard will not hurt anything.
A few years ago, when primers were hard to find, I used magnum primers in 38 special, 9mm, and 45 acp with no issues at all.

[Lloyd Smale]

cci small pistol mag and small rifle standard are the same primer. Back in the last primer shortage I loaded and shot over 3k of 556 ammo loaded with cci small pistol mag primers. At least they were according to cci about 10 years ago. I agree to with the others. Mag primers will only give you problems if you pushing past book levels for the handgun your loading for. To be safe back off to the middle recommended charge weight for the powder your using. You might not just find they work but they've surprised me as to how well a few times.

[15meter]

I thought they could be used for light loads, just wanted to make sure before I did something stooopid. I do have that ability and demonstrate it all too often.


Sounds like the first try will be the 30-06 with 14 grains of Blue Dot under a RCBS 180 boolit.

Second will be the 30 carbine with 11.3 grains of 2400 under a 115 grain commercial cast boolit--almost 2000 of these came with the deal. Along with multiple pounds of 2400, 600 pieces of 30 carbine brass and THREE sets of 30 carbine dies. Guess I've got cheap shooting for a while.

[georgerkahn]

Just an off-the-wall thought... If you were to enlarge the flash holes on a handful of cases (don't forget to indelibly mark them so they're not used for lead shooting, later), and either make-your-own or purchase some wax bullets -- you surely might have lots of fun, at a most reasonable cost (on line wax bullets may be had at $26.00 for a thousand, delivered to your door) -- shooting said wax bullets with the magnum primers. Again, just a thought. Wax bullets are not "toys" -- remarkable, QUIET shooting (I do so with a .45 Colt Vaquero at camp), and repeatably accurate. A GREAT way, imho, to safely utilize the magnum primers!
geo

[Rich/WIS]

Have used them in 357, 44 Mag and 45 ACP when I was shooting up some WW 473. Gave a better burn on the powder. None of my loads were hot and the mag primers worked just fine.

[Conditor22]

Put them under glue or wax boolits and shoot them in your garage (primmer only, no powder)

[bobthenailer]

Ive used over 5k of federal large pistol mag primers in the 45 acp using the same powder charge as std LPP with a HG 68 @ 800 fps ( not near a max load) shot 2 25 shot groups at 25 yards from my accurized 1911 from a ransom rest the Mag primer group was just slightly larger ,off hand you would not notice the difference

[Froogal]

My experience with CCI primers is not good. Way too many duds.

[Wild Bill 7]

Just for the asking, could the cci small pistol mag primers be used in 454 casull cases. I have about 500 and never used them before.

[15meter]

Load a small handful of 30 carbine and 30-06 with the magnum pistol loads and I lived to tell about it!


Thanks, now I've a place to use these up.

I'll have to load up some more and check for accuracy.

[Norske]

I'd save them for use with double-base, graphite coated "ball" powders.

[9.3X62AL]

My experience with CCI primers is not good. Way too many duds.

Duds--or perhaps the cups are too hard for the system they are being used within?

CCI primer cups of every type are harder than woodpecker lips, worst being their mil-spec #34 and #41 rifle primers. Hardest to softest cups, IME--CCI, W-W, R-P, Fed. None of my guns run light hammer or striker springs.

[Lloyd Smale]

don't think ive ever had a dud primer other then one batch of wolf primers I bought probably 20 year ago. I have had ccis fail to go off in a double action revolver because the primers aren't being hit hard enough. Ccis definitely have harder cups then any other primer.

[Froogal]

don't think ive ever had a dud primer other then one batch of wolf primers I bought probably 20 year ago. I have had ccis fail to go off in a double action revolver because the primers aren't being hit hard enough. Ccis definitely have harder cups then any other primer.

I bought one box (1000) small pistol CCI primers. 1/4 to 1/3 of those were duds. I used them in .38 special and .357 magnum loads. Shot them in a S&W 642, a Ruger SP101, a Ruger Vaquero, and 2 different lever action rifles. I experienced several duds in each of those guns, so you can't blame it on the gun. Those CCI primers were duds. Plain and simple. Winchester is my go to primers, and out of many, many thousands of rounds, I have experienced only ONE dud.

[15meter]

I bought one box (1000) small pistol CCI primers. 1/4 to 1/3 of those were duds. I used them in .38 special and .357 magnum loads. Shot them in a S&W 642, a Ruger SP101, a Ruger Vaquero, and 2 different lever action rifles. I experienced several duds in each of those guns, so you can't blame it on the gun. Those CCI primers were duds. Plain and simple. Winchester is my go to primers, and out of many, many thousands of rounds, I have experienced only ONE dud.

Did you contact CCI? I've had more duds from Winchester then I've ever had from CCI--and even Winchester failure to fire was an extremely rare occurrence. like once in 10,000 rounds kind of rare.

[15meter]

Thanks for the wax bullet for practice suggestions but I have an IZH-46 for indoor practice, it works great!



And nothing to reload. Just 1 pump, stick in a pellet and

[Martin Luber]

Primers that didn't fully seat , either due to a pocket carbon ring, slight over sized design, or inadequate force will misfire on the first try, then usually go on the second.

I was worried about mixing up small pistol and small rifle, are they the same cup thickness?

[Texas by God]

Small pistol and small rifle are the same height; not sure about cup thickness. I have used small pistol primers in .22 Hornet, .218 Bee and .222 Rem. with no drama.

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