Help please.....are these safe to shoot?

[ihmsakiwi]

Hi,
On the recommendation of a lot of folk here, I purchased a box of Fed Small Rifle primers for use in my 10" & 12" Hornet pistols.
In a bit of a rush to get some reloading done prior to this weekends IHMSA shoot, I have just found I have loaded up with the Federal SR primers instead of Federal SP primers in my 357 Mag (200 RCBS) and my 7mm Super Mag (J bullets near max load) and my 7mm BR (RCBS 145gr mild load).

Do I pull them? Will the pressures be increased to a dangerous level?

Thank the Lord that I have a little safety exercise I do after every relaoding session and that is to double check every component combination used. The reason I had three calibers loaded before I jerried on to my mistake was the similiar boxes and the fact I have never had Fed SR primers before, and three times I looked at that box and mentally checked them off as the correct primers.
Peter.

[ihmsakiwi]

Please ignore above post, too long at the reloading bench too much coffee. Got myself quite mixed up, i am OK now.

[S.R.Custom]

You'll be fine. SR primers are actually quite mild.

[Wayne Smith]

I'm not going to completely ignore it because it is a good question and you are almost certainly not the only one to do so.

The one factor you did not mention that is important is the firearm. Near maximum loads of .357 Mag with a primer mixup may be ok in a Contender but problematic in a L frame Smith, for example.

[HORNET]

Which Federal Small Rifle primers? There is quite a difference between the Fed. 200 and the Fed. 205M.

[ihmsakiwi]

I'm not going to completely ignore it because it is a good question and you are almost certainly not the only one to do so.

The one factor you did not mention that is important is the firearm. Near maximum loads of .357 Mag with a primer mixup may be ok in a Contender but problematic in a L frame Smith, for example.

Hi Wayne,

357 Mag is a F.A. Model 83, so strong as an ox, 7mm Super Mag is a BF so not sure of relative strength and the 7mmBR is the XP100 action.
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you look at 300 beautiful loaded rounds that you may have to pull all of them??
Just to add to the whole "cock-up" and my totally innane reaction, I discovered the box of SP primers I had bought for the Hornet and they are Winchesters. 55 years old and starting to have "senior moments". God help me.

[HORNET]

Some days NOTHING goes right and you get this urge to crawn back in bed and start over later, BTDT :killingpc :-(

[anachronism]

I agree with Supermag. Plain Federal SR primers are quite mild, and I used to use them in .357 mag loads for silhouette. My Rugers never seemed to know the difference. Try a few, they may be even better than what you were using. The 7 Supermag & 7 BR should probably use rifle primers anyway.

[runfiverun]

the 7 super/br will probably do better with the rifle primers.
i was reading the o/p trying to figure out what the problem might be.

[Wayne Smith]

Hi Wayne,

357 Mag is a F.A. Model 83, so strong as an ox, 7mm Super Mag is a BF so not sure of relative strength and the 7mmBR is the XP100 action.
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you look at 300 beautiful loaded rounds that you may have to pull all of them??
Just to add to the whole "cock-up" and my totally innane reaction, I discovered the box of SP primers I had bought for the Hornet and they are Winchesters. 55 years old and starting to have "senior moments". God help me.

I figured you knew it but we have complete newbies reading here, too. I try to read posts as a newbie and fill in needed info when I can.

[exile]

Checking components after loading is a good idea, one which I think I will put into my reloading procedures from now on.

exile

[9.3X62AL]

Some good "policy statements" here, esp. Wayne's and IHMSA Kiwi's.

Kiwi, we're the same age and it's a good idea to be aware of the occasional "senior moment" and take steps to manage them.

[mousegun]

I believe small rifle primers may have a thicker cup than small pistol primers. Single action revolvers have a longer, heavier hammer drop than double action revolvers and autos so the thicker cup material doesn't matter so much. In a firearm with a lighter hammer strike, ignition might be inconsistent. Certainly no danger in a sound gun.

Just an observation...

[yeahbub]

I'll have to heartily disagree with the "senior moment" comment. I've been having those mix-ups ever since I was young and indestructible. Ergo, they have more to do with the coffee/lack of sleep/late hours than one's age, as indicated by their frequent occurrence during exam week in college and the death-warmed-over appearance as one drags one's self off to near-certain doom in class. Thusly, they should be referred to as "adolescent monents", a great comfort and close companion from the days of one's youth still 100% intact. Maybe 105%. Okay, 140%

I used to use pistol primers in my .38-55's when I was trying to fine tune a load. Sometimes they grouped better with pistol primers, other propellants did better with rifle primers. These weren't throttle-to-the-firewall loads, but it seems to me that if there wasn't enough pressure to seriously compromise the softer/thinner pistol primers (cratering, piercing), using rifle primers wasn't going to put things past the "red line".

The monents? Yeah, still got 'em. Now, what did I wander into the kitchen for? . . . . . . . .

[lwknight]

Agreed, With SR primers in a revolver you are more proned to have FTF or second strike firing if you have a light hammer spring.

[Doble Troble]

When in doubt, and life and limb aren't threatened, don't shoot.

Then work up incrementally with the components in question.

You won't have to worry.

Life is better when you don't worry.

[jsizemore]

Be safe. Take some extra brass and work up some loads and see for yourself if there is a problem. If everything looks good, go shootin'. If not, you know what to do. All I ever used was SR primers in my silhouette handguns. Ammo was never the cause of a miss.

[archmaker]

7mm SuperMag BF, that brings back some memories. When they first came out I bought one, serial number was in the mid 200's.

Sold it along with other guns to help buy a house for the new wife.

Don't have the wife and don't have the guns, . . . still wish I had the guns back.

[leadman]

Sounds like the OP was over-tired and got confused. I can relate to that, especially when I worked graveyard shift.

Good example of why a person should be reasonably rested and aware of what one is doing.

When I load for a certain cartridge only the components for that load are on the bench. Yeah, I have had questions about what I did in the past. Now only what I need right then is on the bench.

[ihmsakiwi]

7mm SuperMag BF, that brings back some memories. When they first came out I bought one, serial number was in the mid 200's.

Sold it along with other guns to help buy a house for the new wife.

Don't have the wife and don't have the guns, . . . still wish I had the guns back.

Amen Brother!! i am on my second time around in both wives and guns. First collection went with the split up, second one so far has personally bought me the BF 7mm Super mag, three silhouette Druov pistols, the 10" production, the 14' U/L gun and the 12" Hornet and get this.......two model 83 FA revolvers, 357 and .22.
Can't afford to lose this one it would break my heart to see those pistols walk.
The first one on the other hand...."I can see clearly now Lorraine has gone" has been my favourite song these last 17 years!!