Magnum primers and Red Dot

[theperfessor]

I don't shoot Cowboy but a friend does. He said that a lot of competitors use Red Dot in their mouse fart loads and touch it off with magnum primers so it burns cleaner. Any comments on this practice?

[dbosman]

If you do a Google search for Primer Pressure Energy, you'll turn up lots of conflicting articles and semi, to less then semi, scientific test results. If you Google for primer brisance you'd turn up lots of information. Some of which is actually documented.
There have been results published with the help of the primer makers, but I read that a couple of decades back.

Here is the best set of primer brisance photos I could find. http://www.6mmbr.com/PrimerPix.html
But, no magnum vs standard pistol pics.

[leftiye]

Seems like overkill to me. Depends if cleanness is more important than all else. Standard primers should be less spikey and more accurate besides not being needed to ignite that powder.

[Harry O]

I always thought that Magnum primers were for difficult to ignite powders (either lots of coatings to slow it down, compressed in a case, or used in cold weather). Red Dot is not at all difficult to ignite under any circumstance that I have used it.

[Ed_Shot]

Not scientific, but when I was only able to find a brick of CCI 550 during the height of the most recent (current)shortage I ran a chrony comparison of Federal large pistol primers vs CCI 550 SPM primers in 45 ACP over Red Dot 4.5. Comparison based on 5 shot strings with a Glock 30.

Lyamn 452374 (230 gr) 2 fps difference between the avg. vel. of the LP and SPM primers.
Lyman 452630 (200 gr) 24 fps difference between the avg. vel. of the LP and SPM primers.

I don't any difference at the target using LP or SPM primers with this load. I have not bought any more SPM primers but would not hesitate to use them again for this load.

I always find that my weapons are dirty and need cleaning after I fire them.

[44MAG#1]

What difference does it make. If your "friend" and his cohorts use that combination and they like it why would someone like you and I who don't shoot "cowboy" be concerned with it?
Mag primers can be used with ANY powder. May not be wisest choice but if a load is work for the primer it can be used safety-wise.
More power to them and their kind.

[44man]

Case size determines the use for me, also whether small or large primers.
True that a mag primer works with anything but CA is a close range speed game so it does not matter what you use.
But "clean" baffles me because as long as the powder does what it is supposed to do, a little carbon means nothing. Someone is always looking for "clean" powder. It is like heating the house with wood and wanting no ash in the stove or creosote in the chimney.

[rintinglen]

I have shot a lot of Red Dot in various handgun applications--somewhere in excess of 32 pounds of it back in my PPC days in 38 specials and a bunch more of it from 44 Specials, 45 ACP and a smidge from 45 Colt. In fact, I have used more Red Dot than any other powder. I have never felt the need for magnum primers and find that it is no dirtier than anything else. These days I am using 13.0 grains RedDot under an Accurate 350-220 in my .348 Winchester for a great plinker load! (With standard primers:smile:)

[zxcvbob]

I don't shoot Cowboy but a friend does. He said that a lot of competitors use Red Dot in their mouse fart loads and touch it off with magnum primers so it burns cleaner. Any comments on this practice?

It seems a little silly (unless magnum primers is all you can get), but it will work just fine.

[theperfessor]

What difference does it make. If your "friend" and his cohorts use that combination and they like it why would someone like you and I who don't shoot "cowboy" be concerned with it?
Mag primers can be used with ANY powder. May not be wisest choice but if a load is work for the primer it can be used safety-wise.
More power to them and their kind.

Not really concerned, just seemed a little odd to me. I realize I don't know everything about reloading, that's why I thought I'd solicit the collective wisdom of the group here for their opinions. Sometimes I break out in a bad case of critical thinking and I question the things I read and hear.

[44man]

Sometimes I break out in a bad case of critical thinking and I question the things I read and hear.[/QUOTE]
Now you have the answer. I question EVERYTHING and set out to prove or disprove. The amount of things that are wrong will fill a million books because stuff is repeated over and over without looking for what really works.

[Three44s]

Red Dot in revolver loads taught me the value in deburring the insides of flash holes. I started the practice to squeeze group size in varmint calibers and now I uniform all my metalic cartridges.

It's a one time event that gives as long as that case is usable.

Three 44s