Primers Sm Pistol or Sm Rifle?

[BulletFactory]

The other day I was buying primers at the Bass Pro Auburn Hills MI, (for the LAST time), because they wanted $6.77 for 100 CCI small pistol primers, and when I asked about a case price, they told me that they just charge full price per sleeve! I'm not paying 70$ for 1,000 primers.

I went to Williams in Davison to get them. They were out of CCI, so I went with Winchesters at $4.19 a sleeve when you get a case. $4.95 per sleeve. I needed 1100, so I got out for just under $50.00. Still more than it should be.

As I was looking through the extensive in stock primer selection, I noticed that the small rifle primers were $3.95 per sleeve. I didn't catch the case price, but it would probably run like the others did.

Hence the thread, can I just use small rifle primers instead? Are they dimensionally the same? What about the pop?

I'm loading for .40, without your help and patience, I dont think Ida been successful. Thanks.

Right now, I'm using Accurate Molds 40-160b, which gives a 163 gr WDWW round, sized to .4015. Lube with a 50/50 mix of pan lubed BAC/RED White Label Lubes. If I want higher accuracy, I'll run 7.1gr (?)check my notes) HS-6, but normally I run 4.8 gr Winchester WST, because I get 1500 rounds per can of powder, and they are plenty accurate for shooting steel. OAL is 1.125. Case length is .840. Mixed brass.

Works well in the M&P Pro, as well as the XDsub.

Powder puff loads are at 3.6 WST

[Tazman1602]

Google God man! I bought a few thousand CCI primers yesterday at a gun show for $35 a thousand!

Art

[UBER7MM]

Rifle primers typically are designed for a heavier firing pin springs. IMHO: I'd stay within specs.

[fecmech]

Heck- You could order Tula sp primers from Grafs http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/3504?
pay the Hazmat and come in at $55. to your door, order 2000 and the total would be $77. total. Your local people are raping you!

[I'll Make Mine]

Small rifle primers have thicker/harder brass in the cup and may be unreliable in some pistols, but as I recall, they're also a few thousandths longer (i.e. the cup is deeper, even though the same diameter) and may not seat below the head in cases with small pistol pockets -- that could lead to lockups in a revolver, or slam fires in a semi-auto, or it could lead to you setting primers off when trying to seat them.

[kbstenberg]

I agree 100% with IMM. In LG rifle and pistol the primers are diferent heighths. So if you try to seat a LRP in a pistol case they will bind the cylinder.

[KYCaster]

Small pistol and small rifle primers are the same dimension. Small rifle primers will fit your 40S&W brass just like small pistol.

With few exceptions, small rifle primers can be used in pistol cases with appropriate adjustment to the powder charge.

I have used many thousands of Tula, Wolf, Winchester, CCI and Federal small rifle primers in 40S&W. Just start low and work up as you should with any change of components.

Please understand that you'll be working outside published data and problems may arise that must be addressed before proceeding. If you're not completely familiar with load work up, pick another approach till you gain some experience. This advice is worth exactly what you paid for it....if you blow yourself up, don't come crying to me. You're a big boy now, playing with big boy toys so by now you should have developed judgement sufficient to the task at hand......[smilie=s:

Good luck.
Jerry

[beex215]

im currently using sr primers for my pistols. i do get some strikes that wont fire but thats barely any out of a few thousands. they usually will fire with a second strike though.

[daniel lawecki]

Powder Valley has tula small pistol primers $19.60 per 1K

[Dark Helmet]

Tula primers starting at $135/5000 shipped

http://www.dagammo.com/shop/?main_page=index&cPath=6

[oldandslow]

bf, 10/8/12

Another small-rifle primer user for small pistol cases. During the last Obama election with the country-wide shortage of reloading components I couldn't find small pistol primers anywhere. I was forced to use small rifle primers and shot thousands of them with no bad effect except they were a little harder than pistol primers and would occasionally not fire with the first primer impact from the hammer.

As mentioned above the large rifle primers will not work in pistol cases as they are too tall and stick out of the primer pocket.

best wishes- oldandslow

[legend 550]

Was at Cabela's in Dundee today. Small pistol primers were about wiped out but they did have a ton of small magnum primers at $34.95/1000, that's what I fall back on. Back your load data off 10% and work back up. Dundee may be worth a drive for a bulk buy from Oakland County.

[BulletFactory]

Small pistol and small rifle primers are the same dimension. Small rifle primers will fit your 40S&W brass just like small pistol.

With few exceptions, small rifle primers can be used in pistol cases with appropriate adjustment to the powder charge.

I have used many thousands of Tula, Wolf, Winchester, CCI and Federal small rifle primers in 40S&W. Just start low and work up as you should with any change of components.

Please understand that you'll be working outside published data and problems may arise that must be addressed before proceeding. If you're not completely familiar with load work up, pick another approach till you gain some experience. This advice is worth exactly what you paid for it....if you blow yourself up, don't come crying to me. You're a big boy now, playing with big boy toys so by now you should have developed judgement sufficient to the task at hand......[smilie=s:

Good luck.
Jerry

thanks to all the help on this forum, a stubborn XD. and the legendary .40S&W difficulties, I have become well versed on working up a load. I'm loading below published data now, 4.8 out of a possible 5.1 lol. I'll drop it down to 4.0 and work my way back up.

Special thanks to geargnasher who really went out of his way to help me.

[Moondawg]

As I recall, back in the day, many IPSC shooters regularly used SR primers in their 38 super loads for their race guns. They were loading hotter than normal and wanted the thicker cup of the SR primer. I don't recall any of them having slam fires and they were using a powerful enought hammer spring that the pistol always went off. I doublt if it would work that well in revolvers. This was back in the days when you had to make a minimum of 175 power factor to qualify as major.

[243winxb]

Many years ago.............. http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/Firearms%20%20and%20%20Reloading/Federa200RiflePrimers.jpg Is it safe or ok? I do not know. :confused:

[GT27]

I pay $27.00 locally @T&T reloading(Winchester),I'd say no to the interchangeability to the SR-(fires hotter) and the SP primers all of your load data books are specific for a reason...IMHO!

[fredj338]

Wow, I thought I was getting screwed here for $40/K for CCI or Federal. Online is your best bet, just order enough to make the $28 HM worth it. At 10K primers, that only adds $2.80 to the price & not paying local sales tax usually covers shipping.

[40Super]

I use SRP's if I don't have the SPP's and for several calibers(such as my screename) that I don't want pieirced primers. No issues and I believe several mfg's have the same amount/type of primer compound in both(or within a small %) the main difference is in cup thickness. For a new reloader it's usually best to stick with book specs, but once a good understanding of whats going on in the case and the effects of components, loading outside the box can be done safely without concern(not careless though).

[**oneshot**]

I use small pistol in place of small rifle, but never the other way around.

[fredj338]

I use small pistol in place of small rifle, but never the other way around.

A couple of points:
Rifle primers are hotter than pistol primers. You should never just plug in a RP for a PP w/o working the load back up.
Rifle primers have thicker cups than pistol primers. You should NEVER use a pistol primer in a rifle load, you are asking for a pierced primer & the resulting breech face damage.