H&R .357 Pierced Primers

[school of mines]

Hello!

I am looking for some ideas to fix a problem I have with my H&R single shot .357 rifle. I sent the rifle in to have a .357 barrel fitted by H&R. The issue I am having is that the firing pin is piercing the primers. It doesn't do it every time, but fairly often. Any suggestions other than sending it back to H&R?

Thanks!

[tacklebury]

Try magnum primers? If you have an Sb1 large pin frame, this has been noted as an issue at times with heavier loads. If you have an SB1 small pin frame, it shouldn't happen. Usually switching to a stiffer primer will help. If you are only using factory ammo and don't reload, send it back...

[Gtek]

Possible case thrust? Try closing action on feeler guages and check depth of round in barrel. Gtek

[nanuk]

tacklebury

can you provide the diameters of the pins, so we can measure to see which one we may have?

[uscra112]

Unless you're overloading, pierced primers are either an unnecessarily sharp profile on the nose of the pin, or excessive protrusion. Pin profile should be a perfect hemisphere, although a slight flattening on the tip is allowable, (say, 1/4 the diameter at most).

[excess650]

I use small rifle primers in my .357 Mag Marlin carbine loads. F205s are supposed to be the same as F200s except the 205s have thicker cups. My 1982 vintage 1894c seems to have a sloppy firing pin hole and tends to crater primers on a regular basis, but it never punctures F205s with even some of the really heavy H110 185gr GC loads that I shoot.

Is this with particular batch of primers? I've experienced one lot of primers with "split cups". When I tried a different lot form the same manufacturer with the same load in the same rifle, the problem went away.

[school of mines]

I do have some small rifle primers I can try. Maybe a little thicker cup will take care of the problem. I haven't checked the profile of the firing pin, so that is another thing I can check. I was wondering about the firing pin diameter, since the rifle came with a 30-06 barrel originally. I was wondering if H&R used a different firing pin for their pistol caliblers? The diameter of the firing pin strike on the primer is large in my opinion. But if the primer cup thickness is increased, maybe it won't crater the primer as much. I'm using a starter load of universal powder so the load isn't excessive.

I appreciate everyone's input!

[school of mines]

I missed tacklebury's point on small and large pin frames!! I bet that is why the primer strike diameter is so large!

[leadman]

If he had a 30-06 barrel on it originally it should be an SB2 frame with the smaller firing pin and the stronger frame. It is easy to check the clearance on a break open gun with a feeler gauge. Works best with the extractor or ejector removed but can be done without removing it. The reading could be off if the extractor/ejector is holding the case back against the breech face.
Take a cartridge (empty) and put it in the chamber. Start with a .001" or .0015" feeler and close the action with the gauge on the back of the cartridge. If you can pull out the feeler work up in thickness until you can't pull it out. Should be the next thinner feeler that is your clearance. Have seen them from .001" to over .006". I do not like them over .003" if possible with a bottlenecked case, not as critical with a straight walled case.
If your clearance is good take a close look at the tip of the firing pin. If it is rough or square on the end this could be the problem. Should look like a roundnose bullet on the tip.

[clearwater]

I have a 357 from the factory on a sb1 frame. It peirces pistol primers but not mag rifle.