Okay,supposing you

[madcaster]

spilled some primers of different sizes on the floor.
You have plenty of time on your hands,so that is no issue.Maybe they were the last boxes of what you did have though.
Okay,is it safe to seperate them by size and assume that they are all okay.
Or should I ask are there any differences that you can tell by measuring or looking closely at to determine if it is a large pistol or large rifle primer?
I have NOT tried this yet,and really doubt that I will,but it is a question I keep wondering about....
Thanks,
Jeff

[montana_charlie]

Large rifle and large pistol are the same diameter, but different depths. The pistol primers are more shallow by something like .010" (or so).

Good luck, and do the job with clean, dry, hands.

CM

[madcaster]

Thank you Sir.
Montana Charlie,your byline reminds me of farmers,who usually have to work 3 jobs to support their farming habits!

[rhead]

The large primers can be separated from the small ones by placing them on the segmented tray that they are packaged in. with a little gentle shaking the small sized ones will nestle into the openings and the large sized ones can be poured off. Good luck separating the pistol primers from the rifle primers unless the priming wafer itself is a different color. Maybe a slit sieve that will pass a pistol primer and stop a rifle primer. I think the small rifle and pistol are the same height.

[StarMetal]

Sometimes the priming compound or paper they have in the primers are different looking from rifle to pistol. Sometimes the anvils look different. The size information about was correct. Say you compare two large primers and the one cup is taller...assume that as the rifle and note it's appearance as I stated to the shorter pistol one.

Good luck

Joe

[runfiverun]

i'd assume the ones i couldn't tell were revolver primers and use them in medium loads.
a large rifle primer over/under 8 grs of unique, isn't near as bad as a lp primer under 50 grs of rl-19 when it's 10* and hunting season.

[JSnover]

Okay,is it safe to seperate them by size and assume that they are all okay. Jeff

Well, after you got them identified I think you'd want to take a close look inside to see if the primer cake has cracked. I was told if the priming compound fractures it's more likely that it won't ignite. Maybe that Lee hardness tester microscope gadget would come in handy.

[Blammer]

I'd seperate them into the respective sizes and then mark them for plinking pistol loads.

[mroliver77]

I have a tray they go to to be used as plinkers or messing around primers.2 - 5 gr bulls eye in a rifle case does not seem picky on what primer is used.
Jay

[Bloodman14]

CCI primers (LR) have yellow wafers, Rem. (LP) are orange; I saw a chart somewhere that denoted what primers had what colors of wafers. I will try and find it.

[Jim]

I'd seperate them into the respective sizes and then mark them for plinking pistol loads.

Yup, that's what I did the last time I dropped any. It's been awhile, though, as my patience is short and I go to great lengths to avoid that.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I ussually only have one box out at a time, so . . . they would all be the same . . .

[TAWILDCATT]

I have deprimed live primers,many times.my friend loads commercial so he has primers upside down some times.he gives me the rejects and I pull the bullets and
deprime and return cases.the bullets and powder I keep.I know what the powder is so I use it. the primers I use and they all go off.