Newer Pedersoli 1874 and Pistol Primers

[huntrick64]

Can anyone tell me if the newer (last 4-5 years) Pedersoli 1874 Sharps have a hard enough breechblock face to withstand using the shorter, pistol primers without peening the surface?

I could use an under primer wad to bring it up flush, bit don't really want to do that.

Thanks

[Tom Myers]

I have a Pedersoli Sharps that I purchased new 5 years ago.
Every time that I tried the pistol primers, I would start seeing scrape marks on the face of the cartridge rims. The shorter primers would allow the firing pin to protrude a little farther and start raising a small burr around the hole in the breech block. When the breech was lowered the burr would scrape a slight groove on the cartridge
After I stoned the burr off flush with the face of the breeck block and went back to rifle primers, the problem went away.
I did this twice before finally putting it all together.
Now, when seating small pistol primers, I let the primer punch a shim from a strip of ordinary 20# printer paper and no more burrs.

[country gent]

I have nmodified the shell holder I prime with in my hornady hand priming tool. ( It uses standard shellholders) I layed out a slot in the back side bottom of slot even with bottom of where shell sets in groove.( a set of dividers or hemphordie calipers works great.) I cut this slot with a die grinder and .030 cut off wheel. thru into the rim grooveto about 3/8 wide lot .035 tall. This allows me to cut strips of the paper or material for primer wads 3/8 wide and slide thru letting me punch the wad when seating the primer into the case. This works good for me. I cut a length of material 3/8 wide and let it hang out the back. start with a small extra amount to get ahold of when priming. Seat primer remove case advance material to bring new wad into place and insert case seat primer thru material. Goes quick like this. I used primer wads in alot of my loads and found this much easier than cutting wads seperate then trying to install by hand.