Large pistol primer instead of large rifle?

[mpmarty]

All my 308 and 45/70 cast boolit loads are with LP primers and 2400 or varget powder.
They work in my 7.62 Nato chambered Saiga as well as my Savage 11F and in 7.5X55 aka 30/284 both my Schmidt Rubin K31s. I used to use LR primers for these loads but find better accuracy with the pistol primers and save my LR primers for the 7mm Remmy and jboolit loads in the rest.

[Tom4570]

In the 90' primer scare when Iwas shooting IHMSA matches with cast boolits in my 7BR I tried small pistol primers instead of small rifle and had good results with improved accuracy. I don't see why it wouldn't work with large pistol primers instead of large rifle, just keep pressures lower and don't use ball powder as they are harder to ignite. Just my thought's. Tom

[Dumasron]

When using Holy Smokers I use Win LPP exclusively because better shots than I recommend it. For smokeless I use Win LRP when available and use a .030 wad to keep the charge back tight against the primer; seating it with a wood dowel by hand. This measure is especially important if there is a possibility of a double charge as with 5744 in a 40-70 case. It will also give more uniform velocity.

[eck0313]

Using LP primers on rimless CB loads seems to eliminate the headspace "shortening" that occurs with rifle primers in the same loads, BTW.

[RCE1]

I used LP primers extensively with my black powder cartridge shooting. I resolved the depth issue either by turning down the rims on a lathe, if the rifle was chambered with a tight rim, like my .45/90 Sharps Borchardt, or by swaging the primer pocket of the case shallower using a custom die and then recutting to pistol depth with a Sinclair primer pocket uniformer. I did this for my .40/65 and .38/50 Remington Hepburn brass. It was a lot of work. I used Federal LP Match primers when I was competing, which I haven't done much of the last few years. I don't think I'd do any of this for smokeless shooting, by the way, but we did a lot of complex stuff seeking a competitive edge in black powder silhouette and long range.

[beagle]

I've made this switch thousands of times WITH CAST LOADS and lower pressures. Works all right. I wouldn't do it with higher pressure jacketed loads.

I have encountered missfire problems in two rifles and I attribute this to the fact that the pistol primers seat deeper and were not feeling the full hit of the firing pin. One was a Winchester Legacy M94 .30/30 and the other was a Number 1 Ruger .30/06.

Other than these two problem children, it worked just fine./beagle

[fredj338]

I never thought to use LP instead of LR with reduced unique loads, but that will certainly save me some money! LP I have a fair supply of- LR, that was getting dicey!

COst of the primers is the same so not savings.
NO, one should NOT use a LP in a true rifle cartridge @ rifle pressures. Now if you are talking handgun rounds in a rifle, should be using the pistol primers anyway. The 45-70, it's lower pressure than most hanadguns, same for BP loads. Cup thickness is wrong & the dims are wrong. Use the right tool for the job.

[jdgabbard]

I'm going against Fred's logic in part. Never use then in a auto loader, however for lighter plinking loads there hasn't been any issues for me. Now a higher pressure load should always get a rifle primer. But in some ways, a pistol primer is acceptable.

[fecmech]

Back in the 70's I bought a 788 Remington in .243. At the time all I had were Federal LP primers that I used in my .44 mag. Went to the LGS and all he had was 60 gr Sierra bullets and H-380 powder so that's what I bought. At that time (1973)I went right to the top end of loads for starters so I chose 45 grs of H380, 60 gr Sierra bullet and Fed LP primer which gave me 3600 fps and turned out to be the most accurate load for that rifle. It would shoot that load sub moa all day long ( best 5 shot was .250"@100 yds)and I never found a better load for that rifle. I fired at least 500-600 rds of that load with LP primers and no problem. So can you use LP primers in rifles,I say yes you can!

[dale2242]

I have never tried LP in rifle loads.
I do however use SP primers in my 22 Hornet loads.
Speer used them in some Hornet tests and found they got better accuracy with the pistol primers.
Works for me.....dale

[captain-03]

My experience ... have never substituted LP for LR; hoever, I have substituated SP for SR during the "last" primer shortage. Were for .223 loads in ARs. Started off with several slam fires .... changed ARs --- more slam fires. Would not recommend it for auto-loaders ... These were not cast boolits - but the loads were not up to max ..... Gets your attention quick!!

[mpmarty]

In 45 years of loading 45/70 for my various rifles chambered for that round all I have ever used in them is Large Pistol primers. No worries they even worked in my re-chambered BSA Martini.

[chboats]

I have used LP primers in a 30-30, 308, 30-06, 7.65 Argentine, and 762x54R. All with cast boolit loads. All worked great except the 30-30 which was a TC Encore. The Encore was erratic. The firing pin protrusion was too short. Bought a new firing pin that had about .006 longer protrusion and put in a stronger hammer spring, the problem went away.

Carl

[bruce drake]

time to dig this article out the graveyard....
Local gunshops are starting to have no primers on their shelves. I found I was low on LR primers and went into see what they had. Only thing left was a couple bricks of LP Magnum primers set out for individual sleeve sales at about $5 per 100. So I got 5 sleeves of LPMs for cast bullet use and to stretch my LR primers for my jacketed use.

I just need to figure out what is causing our components to get short every time a demorat potentially might get voted into office....

Bruce

[reloader28]

Another yea here. It works fine for me. The only time Ive had a problem was getting to the max end of a jacketed load and I started piercing the primers.

[salpal48]

Depending On the load , I have had no problems in several Antique military rifles Beaumonts, Gras, and such