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small pistol primers the same as small rifle primers?

J

jhagberg88

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so i was at a gun store today an overheard a couple gentleman talking about how you can use small rifle primers in pistol cartridges and small pistol in rifle cartridges......is this true? has anyone ever tried this?
 
I believe small rifle and small pistol primers are the same size but the rifle primers are a little harder to ignite. I know some people who use small rifle primers for submachinegun ammo. The comment about the size only applies to small primers.
 
I believe small pistol and small rifle are identical in dimensions, but like gerrycaruso mentioned the small rifle cup is harder than the pistol. If you are going to use them in lieu of small pistol, it might be a good idea to rework your loads again.
 
i wont be using them, just wondering if those the guy behind the counter is full of shit, ive heard him going on about stuff that sounds like bullshit.
 
If you work your loads up properly, and know what you are doing, it can be perfectly acceptable to use Small Rifle primers in handgun loads. The practice became popular in USPSA/IPSC circles back in the days of the 175/180 power factor limits, as the increased primer cup thickness was more resistant to primer flow. Some of us also use them in 40S&W (in my case, in long loaded rounds for SVI guns) as it makes things a lot simpler if one is using the same press for super and 40. It also simplifies inventory management.

I expect that Bob P is correct in regards to using small pistol primers in rifle loads, however, my reloading experience is limited to handgun so I don't have as much knowledge about this scenario.
 
Well for one thing the pistol primers are thinner. At a higher pressure rifle load you run the risk of a pierced primer.
 
Bob P said:
Well for one thing the pistol primers are thinner. At a higher pressure rifle load you run the risk of a pierced primer.
Click to expand...

And vice versa too, right? For example you have a subgun chambered in 9mm, maybe a the thicker cup of a rifle primer would be a good thing? Really it depends on the application. Might be a good idea, might be a bad idea.
 
Bob P said:
It would be a very, very bad idea. They're the same size but they're not he same.
Click to expand...

From what I recall, at least with an AR15, (and maybe AK-47 and a few others) you would have an issue with the Pistol Primer. With the AR15, SLAM-FIRE is a big concern, which is why the CCI-41 rifle primer is used. It has a harder shell to lower the risk of a slam fire. Yes, there are other issues that could also cause a Slam-Fire like shallow seated primers etc. A pistol primer in an AR reload, I feel would NOT be a safe reload.

As for a Rifle primer in a pistol or revolver, I would think you may get mis-fires from what would be considered a light hit on the primer. This would be due to the much harder primer case. I'm sure there are many that are able to use rifle primers in handguns. As long as it is able to fire-off the primer I say go for it. I don't see that as unsafe like the Slam-Fire issue.

Would like to see what EC has to say on this subject, as I'm am not an authority on this topic, just a shooter that has done some research.
 
Substituting a small rifle primer when the data calls for a pistol primer can be safe as long as you work up the load for it.

Substituting a small pistol primer when the data calls for a rifle primer can ruin your day and your gun.
 
Rob Boudrie said:
Some of us also use them in 40S&W (in my case, in long loaded rounds for SVI guns) as it makes things a lot simpler if one is using the same press for super and 40. It also simplifies inventory management.
Click to expand...

And some of us use them in everything so we don't need to figure out if the primers in the tubes are SPP or SRP [wink]

When I started using small rifle, I found my chrono results showed same as a load with .2gr more powder and ignition was more complete with some loads. If you start using small rifle, reduce your loads and work up from there.
 
When I had a 22 Hornet I was advised to use small pistol primers rather tha SR primers. I agree with EC Small rifle primers are safe in a pistol/revolver when properly loaded but a small pistol in a rifle such as a 223 bad juju.
 
During the shortage, I used small rifle primers in .40 minor loads. I just backed off the charge by about .2 grains and all was fine.

I have heard that the harder primer cup will not obdurate in a low pressure round, causing hot gases to erode the breech face. Not sure if it's true, but sounds plausible.
 
bill o said:
During the shortage, I used small rifle primers in .40 minor loads. I just backed off the charge by about .2 grains and all was fine.

I have heard that the harder primer cup will not obdurate in a low pressure round, causing hot gases to erode the breech face. Not sure if it's true, but sounds plausible.
Click to expand...

It's true.

ps: It's obturate [grin]
 
I've been wondering about this myself. I have been having piercing issues using PMC small rifle primers in my .223 loads (only in my 20" gun though, in my 16" piston carbine I've yet to have a single pierced primer). After switching to Wolf small rifle magnum primers my piercing issue appears to be resolved.

I've got about 2500 PMC small rifle primers left that I don't want to use in .223 anymore, I was thinking that maybe I could work up a load for them in say, .38 special / .357 magnum?
 

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