Primers for the .30 Super Carry

[Abert Rim]

I have been looking at load information all over the Net. Some sources say you must use small rifle primers, others, small pistol. The Lee die set load chart simply says small pistol. My guess is that if a fella was running this number as hot as possible --well above 40,000, then the small rifle primers might make a difference due to the thicker cup. Anyone have hard data?

[Kestrel4k]

My apologies in advance for butting in without a 30SC, but if it was the choice between plentiful small pistol primers vs hard-to-get small rifle primers, I'd put together handloads accordingly. :-/

[rintinglen]

I have no interest in the 30 SC, but I have quite a bit of experience with the 327 Federal which operates in the same general pressure level. I'd use either small pistol magnum primers or CCI 500's if I had them. Other wise I'd be very circumspect in approaching top end loads, for fear of pierced primers. I would not use small rifle primers as I suspect they would be prone to failures to fire. I misdoubt whether the S&W pistols have a stout enough striker to consistently give a stout enough hit to detonate the harder SR primers.

[Abert Rim]

The Shield EZ is hammer fired. The Academy Sports in Abilene had small pistol, small rifle and large rifle primers in stock Tuesday.
I used regular CCI 500s in my .327, plus some Winchester WSP. Had one of the CCIs crater just enough with a top-end load of Long Shot under the Hornady 100-grain XTP to retard cylinder movement -- but just the one incidence.

[Tatume]

Hodgdon uses Federal 205 small rifle primers in all of their loads. Hodgdon also reports pressure of their loads, which run just shy of 50,000 psi. That's good enough for me.

[Abert Rim]

Good point. I knew I had read Federal 205 somwehere!

[reddog81]

If it was something I reloaded I’d probably see if the gun will set off rifle primers and go from there. If those don’t work I’d try small pistol magnum. If those are unavailable I’d do probably avoid full strength loads and use regular small pistol as a final option.

[Bigslug]

I'm with Kestrel4k in lacking a .30SC, and with ringtinglen on general guidance.

If you've got pressure specs for the .30SC, compare those with loads generating similar pressures and see what small pocket primers they're using. The 7.62x25, .40 S&W, and .357 Mag all seem likely candidates. If you're going to load it for economy - cheap and available has much merit. If you're going to load it to scream, the cap least likely to rupture seems the obvious choice. When my jacketed hunting rifle loads start to get toasty, the CCI 34 military primers with their harder cups come out for that very reason.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I’ve used Remington 5&1/2 the most. But I’ve also used S&B small pistol primers. Haven’t tried small rifle primers in the EZ. I’m ok with the primers flowing and oozing under the heavy pressure just as long as they don’t pierce. Piercing has as much to do with the shape of the firing pin tip as it does the primer.

[pworley1]

I just use small pistol primers with mine. I have not had any issues.

[Recycled bullet]

This is very interesting I did not know that little auto pistol had so much pressure

[shooting on a shoestring]

Yep!
It has SAAMI blessings to go 50,000 psi.

[Loudenboomer]

CCI small pistol magnum and CCI small Rifle are the same primer.

[Recycled bullet]

Is this so that it can make power factor for gun games or a different reason?

[Abert Rim]

Pretty sure the design goal was a smaller and more efficient cartridge that gives similar or slightly superior performance to the 9mm -- that performance measured in penetration and muzzle energy. It is a very interesting cartridge that, as I mentioned in Shoestring's thread, I had totally dismissed.

[shooting on a shoestring]

No gun games involved. 30 Super Carry is aimed at the concealed carry/self defense market. It is a modern cartridge that uses high pressure to take advantage of modern materials. About 1900 the 9mm came out as a radically high pressure cartridge. Now about a 120 years later the 30 Super Carry is the pistol cartridge with radically high pressure.

[jdgabbard]

My apologies in advance for butting in without a 30SC, but if it was the choice between plentiful small pistol primers vs hard-to-get small rifle primers, I'd put together handloads accordingly. :-/

Actually, it's easier for me to get Small Rifle Primers than it is Small Pistol Primers. Also, the Rifle Primers are cheaper....

That said, I'm not a 30 Super Carry guy, although I can appreciate what it brings to the table. For me, I personally would use Small Pistol Magnum with hotter loads. Light target loads are probably fine with standard SPP....

[JeffG]

I have a Shield Plus in 30 SC, and have started reloading for it. Hodgdon has some reloading data, and there are a few others. I'm loading a 100 grain Hornady XTP ahead of 6.7 grains of compressed Longshot and am averaging 1311 FPS. It expands nicely in a gel test a friend and I performed.

[Abert Rim]

Jeff, that's the max load in the 2024 Hodgdon manual, and you are within about 20 fps of their reported velocity. Very nice bullet performance.

[Abert Rim]

Well, I shot and chronographed first handloads with J bullets this afternoon as I await my Accurate mold and I was a bit surprised by the results. Federal brass, Federal 205 small rifle primer, 5.6 and 6 grains respectively of Long Shot under the Hornady 100-grain XTP. Groups out of the Smith EZ were a bit low, left at 25 yards and not particularly admirable at 5-6 inches but I am still breaking in the pistol. The federal factory 100-grain FMJ gave 1240 fps. The 6.0-grain load of LS gave me an average of 1280, and an extreme spread of 153 fps -- I have read of these wide variations with Long Shot. But the 5.6-grain load gave an average of 1308 and an extreme spread of 65 fps. These are deep waters.