Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Substituting Small Rifle For Small Pistol Primers

Went out & tried a short experiment with this today. Loaded up some .357 magnum with a plinking load of Unique (5 gr.) & a 150 gr cast SWC.
Made a few with CCI 450 small rifle magnum & Winchester Small Pistol Primers.

The Small Rifle Magnums were the only ones I have enough surplus of to make it worthwhile for me.

Velocity was close for both. Upper 900’s out of a 4” Python. Two out of three SRM wouldn’t pop double action w/Python. All did if hit single action. All fired fine with a 3” Kimber K6S double action & hit mid 900s.

For me, with small rifle magnum primers in a handgun, not worth it.
While I do have & shoot .357 lever actions, I want the ammo to work in a revolver interchangeably.

For you, using a rifle only & .327 Federal Magnum I’m certain you’re good.
Probably fine with standard rifle primers in handguns too. That 450 is about the thickest cup out there.

I have an SP101 Revolver in 327 Federal. I am not going to feed it these high dollar A-Frames. I intend to find out how these A Frames work on deer. Hogs aren't common at the camp, but the neighbor says the come through every now and then. I'd like to try it on them as well.

In May 2001 from AIM Surplus, I got (6) 38 sp Colt Police positives for $60 each + $18 tax, shipping, and FFL.
They were Police surplus supposedly with no grips. I was going to use them for destructive testing.
But they arrived with grips and were too nice to blow up. All were made in 1965.



Anyway... they had the police department name welded over on the backstrap.

Can you see the weld?

The heat from welding an assembled revolver compromised some of the hammer springs [MAIN SPRING].
They could set off a primer in single action, but not double action. And could not set off a magnum primer.
This was fixed by buying new springs.
But I did find out that magnum primers are harder to set off.