Large Pistol Magnum Primer Question

[paul h]

that's an odd finding. Ive allways found cci 350s the hottest pistol primer.

The hottest or most brissant primer doesn't always produce the highest velocity. Velocity if produced by the area of the pressure/time curve for the time a bullet is in the barrel. More area, higher velocity. While a hotter primer will change the shape of the curve, that different shape may result in less area, hence lower velocity.

[Lloyd Smale]

I guess ive got to agree with you. Its gotten that cold here a couple times in my life but -20 is about the coldest it usually gets and as to going out in it to hunt. Maybe at -5 or 10 with no wind but any colder then that and ill sit at camp with a glass of amber liquid. Don't need another deer so badly that I'm going to suffer for it.

Cold affects all powders but if you stick your head out the door at -35° you live were I won't go.
I don't know why cars springs don't shatter.

[44man]

I'll toast to that!

[trapper9260]

The primers I use in my 44mag is Win. that is for regular and mag.It works for me.

[Tim357]

Cold affects all powders but if you stick your head out the door at -35° you live were I won't go.
I don't know why cars springs don't shatter.

They do break tho. Back when I was a much younger version of myself, I broke a front coil spring on my 72 Chevy p/u during a particularly cold spell up Montana way. Surprised the **** outta me

[ole 5 hole group]

Cold affects all powders but if you stick your head out the door at -35° you live were I won't go.
I don't know why cars springs don't shatter.

Take 50 years off your wore out body and I'll bet you would. It was just a couple winters ago we went into Canada for some lake trout and hit a cold spell and I was standing on snow instead of ice while jigging and it was -38* at 5AM and warmed up to -12 mid-day. That's not normal but pretty normal if you travel somewhere for an activity and don't have sense enough to check the weather where your going.

Vehicles have to be plugged in and they will still grind on start-up. So far around here -24* is the low for the year and I was not outside enjoying any activities.

[tdoyka]

its been around -19deg(1994?) here in windber, pa. if it goes 10 or 15 deg, i stay home. deer hunting included!!!

[GONRA]

GONRA mentions (for you cold weatherguys) that Arctic Circle Swedes and Ruskies
seem / frequently to use 5.0 mm Berdan pistol primers -
calibers where one would expect 4.5 mm Berdan.

For major rifle calibers (including .30-06 steel case hunting ammo imported into US )
Ruskies seem / frequently to use big fat 6.45 mm Berdan primers -
where one would expect 5.5 mm Berdan.

The "larger primer" thus "more primer MIX" is the way these Arctic Circle Guys
historically tackle the "coooold weather reliable ignition problem."

Checking examples in my modest ammo collection,
this has been going on for 100 + years -
since the mercuric corrosive primer mix era.....

[GLynn41]

Come guys do not get excited-- every hull and every weapon, lot of powder, cast bullet-- or primer can be a //will be a law unto them selves--that is why we test try and share-- learn and grow---we will no doubt find many of the same things-- but we will find differences-- as well as changes in our hand loading equipment. in the end the more things change-- the more they same the same, well sometimes btw I do not think you will have a problem with mag primers and that load of Unique

[murf205]

Cold affects all powders but if you stick your head out the door at -35° you live were I won't go.
I don't know why cars springs don't shatter.

I worked on the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline and when winter hit in Prudhoe Bay, you couldn't roll up an extension cord without the insulation braking. Better have it where you want it. At the mess hall in Pump Station #1, the weather forecast was on the wall every morning and -35 with a wind chill of -80 below was not uncommon. I swore that if the Lord would let me get my butt back to a warm climate, I'd never ***** about being hot again--and I have kept my promise. We had a hitching post to plug in the trucks to keep them from freezing up. I didn't have any primers to check, I was busy trying to keep my red neck warm!

[44man]

I had a house with a fireplace. get toasty on the front but cold air rushing up the chimney froze my back. Same with my grandparents with a coal stove. Glowed red hot and my back was cold. Neither warmed the house. Waste of fuel. Primers the same. Need heat and fire. Not pressure to send air up the pipe.

[murf205]

44man is right about 1 thing, you have test AND record your findings. I had a 7mm mag Remington 700 that shot more consistent and higher velocities with standard primers than magnum. I was using H4831 and 150 gr Noslers, don't remember the charge weight off the top of my head, but I nearly pulled my hair out till I ran out of mag primers one day and said what the heck, and loaded some std CCI's. Bingo, groups shrank by 1/2. Go figure.

[Leadmelter]

CCI Mag primers are I ever used with H110 or WW296.
Leadmelter
MI

[Dpmsman]

Last winter I was testing some loads in my BFR 44 mag using 296 with cci standard LP primers and had a FTF. Pulled the trigger and pop. The bullet just barely entered the forcing cone locking the gun up. It was around 30 degrees if I remember right. I waited about 10 minutes then grabbed a dowel and vary gingerly tapped the bullet back into the case. Not a good feeling.

[Went2kck]

I'm glad I looked up this post, as I didn't know what to do with some magnum primers I go for Christmas. Cabelas would only give me 11 bucks for an exchange to the standard primers. The son I got them from said he got them from their, but didn't have the receipt. I asked the gal doing the transaction how she came up with that price. I figured it was from around 1970s or so. Any rate I still have the primers and will be testing them out with a light load.

[Sasquatch-1]

I don't know if it makes any difference, but I have never used a mag primer in 44 mag. I use 2400, 296, H110, Unique and Titegroup. Never had a misfire except when I forgot to put powder in 5 cases. Same result as Dpmsman, bullet stuck in the forcing cone.

I loaded up some 240 grn JSP with 21.5 grns of 296 and fired them through a Super Redhawk with a 9.5" barrel. They crono'd at 1900 fps avg. I really think the only time you might need mag primers is if you are using a 3" barrel big bore and want to burn as much powder as you can in the barrel.

CCI Mag primers are I ever used with H110 or WW296.
Leadmelter
MI

[Regulator.]

That is a relatively mild load of Unique under the 210 cast bullet. Using the magnum primers will not present a problem with pressure. You might load up a dozen and try them for accuracy. If they shoot as well as with standard primers then I'd load 'em up and enjoy.

Larry Gibson

Loaded some 200 Grain 45 ACP ( Noe 452 RG2) with 7.5 grs of Unique and CCI 350. With standard primers it is a fairly brisk load, with the Magnum primer a little bit more so it seemed. however on inspection of the fired cases I could not detect a noticeable increase, which leads me to believe exactly as Larry stated it might increase a small bit but not drastically. The Accuracy was acceptable, kept all the hits in the 5 ring of the military M9 qualification target. Pistol used was a Colt combat commander. Will slip back wards a 1/2 gr to maybe full grain, for 6.5 to 7.0 grs load.

[44man]

Over 82,000 heavy 296 loads from my SBH plus what I shot in 7 other .44's I owned and add in all my friends guns. Never a problem. Even at -20° in Ohio.
With 296 you can have a problem with not enough powder or forgetting to put in powder at all.
I can't count starting loads I had to pound out in the .454 with SR mag primers of all brands. But the powder was packed in the bore behind the boolit. Only max or just below was reliable. The .454 loves a LP mag so cut down .460 brass allowed all loads to work.
Now a friend ruined a Ruger .41 by loading one round at a time. His son asked him something and he forgot to put powder in a case. Shot and shot another behind the stuck boolit.
Hundreds and hundreds of tests with primers and even a .475 and .500 JRH will fire with a standard primer but the cases prefer a mag because of size. Revolvers are the most touchy. John bought a new S&W .45 ACP revolver and we could not hold paper at 25. I told him "too much primer for the little thing." I made bushings for a SP primer and the gun shot like a house afire. He bought SP cases.
In every test the LP mag tripled groups in the .44, going to the .45 Colt I still use a standard with 296 but the WW LP had a good showing but a full mag did not. I call the Colt a tweener case. I use good and even case tension, tossed dies that did not provide that.
We can argue forever but my testing has gone so long, many were not born yet. I still do it even with rifles.

[44man]

Bring .44 loads here to shoot and I will tell you the primer you used.
New test coming up soon. John bought a .500 S&W and wanted a lighter recoil. Bought Tite Group but used a LR primer. He is loading some with a LP mag to test. I will get back after.

[Regulator.]

A friend of mine handed me a new GP-100 5 shot 44 Special to look over I must say I was impressed with it.
He had it reasonably priced.