I have a few boxes of CCI 250 large rifle magnum primers and no magnum caliber rifle. I would like to use the magnum primers in 30-30 and maybe 30-06. Anyone have experience using magnum primers in non magnum caliber rifle loads?
I have a few boxes of CCI 250 large rifle magnum primers and no magnum caliber rifle. I would like to use the magnum primers in 30-30 and maybe 30-06. Anyone have experience using magnum primers in non magnum caliber rifle loads?
I have not seen any difference in pressure-I guess there might be a difference, but I am not at a max load with either primer type. I use use either primer with Stick powder (Varget, AA4350, ect) and magnum with ball powders (W748, W760)— 30.06, 7mm-08, 243 are the calibers that I have loaded with either type primer.
Based on several things I have read I think you will see little to any difference.
as a matter of habit, learned from my mentor many years ago, I always work up loads using ball powders with magnum primers.
All the time.
I’ve used Remington 9-1/2M primers in every cartridge I’ve had that used LR primers.
Mainly because we scored half a pallet of them in the 70s!
They work just fine in cast loads, too. I don’t load to maximum with either type primer.
As stated, they are standard equipment for ball powder loads in rifle cartridges.
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I remember reading a gun magazine in the 1990's, the writer stated after testing magnum primers and standard primers in several identical loads, there was no difference. I think he was dispelling a myth.
Thanks for the replies.
Sako 30-06 with IMR 4350 54.5 to 55.5 grs and a Nosler Ballistic tip. Ran them through a chronograph more consistent with than without. 2800 fps. Frank
I have used only magnum primers in all my loads for many years, tested every flavor I could get my hands on, found all to be roughly the same, Federal and CCI gave me 100 fps more with only changing the primers, I run all my loads over a chronograph when building and checking for accuracy. I Never get close to max loads.
First off, Magnum Primers are not just for Magnum rifles.
Sometimes, certain powders call for their use in some manufacturer's data. As long as, the load isn't at maximum, you can try them in a load developed for standard primers. Sometimes, they can reduce the size of group even smaller.
Another use they can be beneficial for, is to reduce the first shot flyer, out of a cold barrel, in cold hunting temperatures. Especially, when using moderate cast loads that fail to fill up the 85% of the case.
Try them, you might like them. Just be smart/safe with their use.
Winelover
Some powders because of coatings or shape can be a little harder to ignite than others. Magnum primers make a better igniter than regular but not by much. I always use magnum primeer when loading ball powders and it "seems" to give me a little more stability as far as veloscity and std. deviation is concerned. Just my experience anyway and may or may not mirror yours, james
Hello:
Just a thought ive heard discussed at a local gun shop here so take this post as info to chew on .
The scarcity of large rifle primers has been a hot topic and somebody forget who mentioned it but.
Why not use a lg pistol primer or lg magnum pistol primer in place of a normal lg rifle primer?
Ive been reloading for decades and be danged if i couldnt see a reason why not.
Pretty sure they are same diameter so would prime into a lg rifle cases primer pocket if im not mistaken but check on that.
Id think a lg mag pistol primer would be close to a lg rifle primer in ignition but i dont know that eighter.
Suppose a reloader took a known loads grouping with lg rifle primer and swapped in a lg pistol primer or the mag primer and test shot for grouping to see if any change seen or even a chronograph fps reading to compare ???
Lots of small rifle mag primers and small and lg pistol primers here to be had just no lg rifle primers .
Again food for thought = Whats your thinking on this primer swap in reloading ?
Head Shot
I use mag primers with H414 in 30-06. Works for me with slower ball powders in
rifle cases that are of sufficient size.
Pistol primers sit lower in the primer pocket-they are shorter, and I believe the thickness of a rifle primer’s cup is greater, making them capable of handling more pressure.
I do use pistil primers in 30-30 and 38-55 when making reduced pressure loads, and they work just fine.
I use mag primers with H414 in 30-06. Works for me with slower ball powders in
rifle cases that are of sufficient size.
Pistol calibers. My preference is standard small pistol primers, and standard large pistol primers, but with the current supply issues with primers, I have been using what I can find. I have found that large pistol magnum primers work just the same as standard large pistol, and the same with small pistol magnum primers. I absolutely cannot tell any difference.
I believe, generally speaking, that you will have a greater spread of deviation, between Magnum and std. primers velocity in your loads. I suspect it won’t be much unless are a benchrest or target shooter. For general and hunting purposes it should be fine, as long as you follow advice mentioned here and elsewhere, ALWAYS reduce your loads 10% and work your way up.
Last edited by dankathytc; 03-05-2023 at 03:23 PM. Reason: Spelling
About 10 or more years ago I inadvertently bought a thousand Winchester large rifle magnum primers. I don't load anything that required them, and they they sat unused until the primer shortage became a reality for me. Wanting to compare the two, I loaded both types in some Remington 30-30 cases with the Lee 150 grain FP and some surplus CMR100 powder with the following charge.
PRIMER POWDER CHG. VEL
WLR MAG CMR100 28.3 2030 ES 67fps SD 22fps
WLR CMR100 28.3 2040 ES 66fps SD 23fps
These were fired in my Savage 340 with an 18 inch barrel and as you can see, there isn't much difference. Both loads shot very nice groups and I was surprised that the standard primers actually gave a bit more velocity. I don't know if CCI magnum primers would give the same results, but I'll bet they aren't going to be much different.
Maineboy
I think as long as the loading you are using is sensible you will have good safe repeatable results.
This is for 308 Winchester and shot through a Ruger, a Browning, an H&R.
My jacketed bullet load is 150 Hornady fmjbt @40 grains of IMR3031. It barks like a full power load. The muzzle break clears the shooting bench.
My cast bullet fun load is a Lee 170fn powder coated cast from Lyman 2 with no gas check with 25 grains of IMR3031. It also barks but much less and the brass lasts forever at this power level.
I could not tell the difference between regular and magnum large rifle primers on paper targets when loaded and shot in 308 Winchester with these two very different loads.
First there is no standardization as to what a magnum primer is. With US manufacturers magnum indicates it has more "brisance" or its hotter than their standard primer.
Where it gets interesting is one manufacturer magnum prime may have less brisance than another's manufacturer standard primer
With Russian primer magnum and standard had the same brisance. Magnum indicated a harder or thicker cup. Nothing more
http://www.castingstuff.com/primer_t..._reference.htm
https://forum.accurateshooter.com/th...ength.3659296/
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In pistol loads I have not noticed a difference. But I am not loading to maximum either. A year or more back when it was hard to find any primers I would buy magnum if that was all that was there.
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BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |