Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Winchester Large Pistol Primer Questions

I've been reloading for well over 50 yrs and somehow have never used Winchester Large Pistol primers. Always used Remington, CCI, or Federal and occasionally one of the foreign brands. Picked up a couple bricks of WLP primers recently and noticed for the first time that on the box is printed "LARGE PISTOL FOR STANDARD OR MAGNUM PISTOL LOADS".

Questions are: do these WLP primers really work as well as dedicated standard or dedicated magnum primers? Are they really a universal type of LPP? And especially do they work as well as a dedicated LP Magnum primer in cases where the load data specifies a Magnum primer?

Thanks in advance!

I have been loading for 50 years as well and I prefer Winchester Primers . They are easier to press in and have never had a failure Like i have with Remington Primers. They work for All my Loads, magnum or Standard as they are a bit hotter flame primer it seems.
Rich

Primer article above in Big Game reloading

http://www.sksboards.com/smf/?topic=56422.0

In a word, yes.

I have used far more WLP's than anything else in my 49 years of loading .44 Magnum. Lots of H110 & 296 lit off without a single issue. Also Universal, Power Pistol, No. 7 and other mid-range powders, no problem.

What I have always read is that they are between other manufacturers standards and magnums.

What I know is that when Olin was publishing load data, they specified "Winchester or magnum" primers for 296.

I have not bought any for a long time, but hasn't Winchester taken that statement of their LPP's of std and mag, loads

Just bought a new pack of 1000 Winchester WLP primers from Powder Valley. Getting kind of scarce.

It's possible, I am still running some I bought several years ago.

Guys,

Thanks for the good answers. I'll glom onto some more of them.

Tim

Try my totally unscientific test: load a Winchester large pistol primer in a rifle case. No powder, no bullet. Then fire that case in your rifle in total darkness, and ask yourself why that flame coming out of the muzzle of a 24" rifle barrel wouldn't ignite the powder in a .44 magnum case that is less than 1/2" from the primer.

Yes and no.

In 44mag with slow powders, (LilGun, H110/W296, Enforcer, AA9) they definitely have plenty of "hotness" - equal to CCI350 imo (according to my chronograph).

But

They have a thin cup and I've had primer cracking (google it).

So

If you want full-up 44mag loads - use CCI350. If you want middling or plinkers then WLP work great. They also work great in 45acp.

I can’t speak of the Winchester LP primers…..but, Winchester Large Pistol Magnum primers were the only one’s (to my knowledge) recommended for handloading the 460 S&W Magnum! memtb

No such thing.

Perhaps I should have stated, that in my data they were the “only” ones recommended. YMMV In fact they were emphatic enough that I bought a few bricks of them for that sole purpose! memtb

All I load is Winchester. Both pistol and rifle. WHen I was shooting CMP I was advised to use the CCI #34 primer to prevent slam fire. I used them for several years and then tried the WLR. I hae yet to have an issue and still have most of a sleeve of the CCI #34 left.
I shoot lever guns and some will tell yo to use the Fed 210 as it is softer and lever guns can have trouble detonating hard primers. The WLP in my 44 mag Marlin has never failed nor has the WLR in my rifle cartridge guns.

There is no such thing as Winchester Large Pistol Magnums.

Not currently produced but I have a box designated LARGE PISTOL (MAG) #7M-111F

As much as I hate to admit that I was mistaken…..I’m man enough to do so.

It was Winchester Large “Rifle” Magnum Primers that were highly recommended for my 460 S&W. I had forgotten that Winchester Large Rifle Magnum Primers, and not Large Pistol Magnum Primers….. So sir, you are correct! I apologize for the incorrect information! memtb