Exchanging Primers LR-LP and SR-SP

[warren5421]

I have been reloading by the book off and on for 30 years. I never use a rifle primer for a pistol prime or pistol for rifle. I find with the shortage of primers I may need to exchange the primers. What exchanges for what? I know small rifle, large rifle, and small pistol primers measure the same size. The large rifle primer is taller. Don't have any magnum primers left. What primer will the rifle primers work for, I am down to 800 small pistol, 1300 large pistol, and 0 magnum in both rifle and pistol. I have a lot of rifle primers as I load .308 and .223 for kids and myself.

[USSR]

You can use small rifle primers in place of small pistol primers. Worst case scenario, your handgun may not have a strong enough spring to set them off consistently. Other than that, don't try any other switches.

Don

[Rcmaveric]

I have swapped Small Rifle and Small Pistol Magnum primers without issues. I wouldn't swap anything thing else though.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[charlie b]

There was a rumor from CCI that their SP Magnum primers were identical to their SR primers. Since I had some I tried them in my .223 and they worked fine. Not my first choice, and not as accurate as my Remington 7 1/2 BR primers.

[KVO]

Awhile back I did a quick and dirty accuracy comparison of Winchester small rifle vs small pistol primers in 357 magnum. No chono data just swapped primers for the same load. Tested from a Ruger Blackhawk for a little extra safety margin. The SR were noticeably less accurate for a drop in replacement but worked in fine this gun with stock springs. If I did an actual workup the with SR primers the results of course might have been better. Just 6 shots each off the bench and yes there's a 11' oclock woopsie on the SP primer group on the top. Point of aim for both was center orange poster, gun was obviously sighted in for a different load hence the low POI. Load was the MP 360640 single crimp groove powder coated over 14gr of Alliant 2400, Starline brass.

[Conditor22]

LR in LP can be problematic since the LR are taller than the LP.

[NoZombies]

Pistol primer cups can also be soft enough to allow a standard pressure rifle load to blow the primer. Tread very carefully. As another poster said, SR in a SP application isn't dangerous (though possibly unreliable), other exchanges may be.

[Texas by God]

I have used SR in a Ruger Blackhawk .357 and an Astra 400 9mm and they worked. I have used and still sometimes do use SP and LP in low pressure rifle cast bullet loads. As stated, LR primers protrude from cases meant for LP.

[Jniedbalski]

If you use sr primers in your pistol rounds I would reduce 10% . If there real low pressure like 38 special target rounds try 5% lower and work up to your normal load checking on accuracy. If your loading hot 9 mm or 357 mags at full house loads I would definitely reduce 10%.

[DHDeal]

There was a rumor from CCI that their SP Magnum primers were identical to their SR primers. Since I had some I tried them in my .223 and they worked fine. Not my first choice, and not as accurate as my Remington 7 1/2 BR primers.

I read a post on the S&W forum some years back about this. An email from CCI was cut/pasted stating this. Can't confirm it, but I did compare the 550's and 400's and noted zero differences on target and over the chronograph. This is for 357 Magnum's out of a RBH so if one primer was hotter it didn't matter to the revolver. During the last panic on primers I could only find 400's so I bought 2 flats and smiled.

If anyone wants to try 400's instead of 550's (CCI), don't do it as it won't work and may scorch the earth or cause daylight savings time.

[FergusonTO35]

I have used LP in place of LR with no problems in mild cast loads for .30 WCF. Accuracy seems better with LR though.