Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Large pistol primers in very reduced rifle loads?

Got a goodly stash of large pistol primers and only one pistol to use them in so was thinking of trying them in some very reduced rifle loads. Lyman's cast bullet manual shows several loads for the calibers in mind that stay in the 13,000 - 18,000 CUP range, well under what these could be used for even in magnum handguns. Rifles would be a Ruger 77 .308 and .30-06, Ruger No. 1 30-06 and a Winchester 1885 38-55.

I know rifle primers have a heavier cup to withstand a harder firing pin blow but is there more than a remote possibility that using the LP primers in such low pressure loads would result in a real danger of pierced primers just from the harder blow? I also fully understand it's not an optimum use but have never tried this and am looking for real world empirical information here.

They have different dims. Check the SAAMI web page for specifics.

Didn't even think about that part, but that's a definitive answer. Thanks!


Hmm, now I gotta find a way to pop off 8,000 pistol primers without getting some kind of repetitive stress injury - and that's just from casting the bullets needed.

You need to buy more pistols...

One large pistol primer popping pistol isn't enough...

DF

I've used large pistol primers in loads without ever having an issue...

this was in loads using powder like Unique for kids, in the 06 and 270, 243 and 260 Rem...
Cast bullet loads out of Lyman # 3 manual for cast bullets. using jacketed bullets as substitutes.

This was back during Obama's term in office, when primers in general were hard to find anywhere.

Never saw an issue... been using the small pistol primers and small mag primers in the 223
with light duty gopher loads... again, during the Obama years...

Small pistol and rifle primers have the same dims. My recollection about the large primers is that cup length is somewhat shorter for the pistol version. Whether or not it's a problem is not something I will speculate about.

I have done the same with LP primers in low pressure rifle loads. The LP primer cups are slightly shorter than LR primer cups, but that doesn't seem to be a problem in low pressure loads as long as the firing pin isn't super short.

Just don't mix them the other way, using LR primers in pistol loads. The primers will stand proud of the case head.

I've done it too, a long time ago with mouse fart cast bullet loads. Frankly, I saw no advantage and knocked it off.

Back in the shortages I used a bunch of Winchester magnum large pistol primers to light off many 45-70 loads. The small amount shorter made no difference to my Marlin. Mostly pushed 350 gr. cast at 1550 fps.

I've used large pistol primers in the 35 Remington rifle cartridge without problems. The pressure limit for the 35 Rem (35K psi) is less than a 44 magnum (36 psi) cartridge. It can be done under the right circumstances.

It sounds like it will be fairly safe to try out.

I've had to go the other way - I've got a Bergara BA13 single shot rifle in 9mm. The Winchester 147gn BSB factory ammo shoots the best but the firing pin will just tear the primer on about half the rounds - evidenced by a black primer indentation. I can't see the tear so it must be small, and doesn't seem to affect the round otherwise.

As a result I use small rifle primers in my handloads for this rifle.

Small rifle and small pistol primers are identical in size.

Large rifle and large pistol primers are not, large rifle primers are taller. Don't use large rifle primers in pistol cases.

There has been some documentation to large pistol primers cratering breechblocks in black powder guns ,can't give you a link just remembered that I read about it.MB