Primer sizes...

[greg11]

Is there a story behind why it seems like all the European and North American (and Russian? I've never reloaded Russian carts before), cartridges use the same sized primers? It is coincidence? Very curious.

 

[kodiakjack]

Is there a story behind why it seems like all the European and North American (and Russian? I've never reloaded Russian carts before), cartridges use the same sized primers? It is coincidence? Very curious.

Huh. Good question. Never considered that before. Nations created there own size of cartridges and bullets... but the primers all alligned. I mean there was SOME variance with boxer vs berdan, but yeah, why all the same size?

 

[greg11]

Huh. Good question. Never considered that before. Nations created there own size of cartridges and bullets... but the primers all alligned. I mean there was SOME variance with boxer vs berdan, but yeah, why all the same size?

Yeah man, exactly. Very weird to me. Why go with totally different carts and bullets, and then decide to leave primers the same? Can't believe national pride didn't factor in and some nation like the Swedes or Swiss just went off with their own primer design. Maybe it was simple cost cutting (why engineer a totally new primer when Large Primers work fine for pretty much all 6.5-9mm carts)....

[edit]
Might have to do with how prolific the Mauser brothers were? I mean, Mausers supplied a very large number of European nations with their rifles chambered in their own proprietary cartridges.

 

[CanAm]

There used to be many more sizes, but it has slowly standardized in the last 10-20 years. There is an RWS chart floating around

 

[greg11]

There used to be many more sizes, but it has slowly standardized in the last 10-20 years. There is an RWS chart floating around

So is old school original manufacture 6.5x55 Swede (for example, or other carts) a different primer size? Just new manufacture switched to LargePrimer?

 

[legi0n]

could be

I've read a book by Earl Naramore named "Handloader's Manual - A Treatise on Modern Cartridge Components" and he was listing a few non-standard primers even in 45ACP and 30-06

 

[rocklin]

Milspec .303 from the original Mk1 to Mk8z had plenty of variations in primer size. Most of them berdan primed with a few boxer versions like contract produced .303 in the states for the cash and carry phase of early ww2.


Some pictures from the internet.

The primer on the left is loaded with ball powder and uses a staked large rifle primer and the one on the right is the old 'button' style berdan used with cordite.

here is a good picture reference of head stamps and primers.

http://www.classicglasspars.com/303/303.htm

 

[kjohn]

^^^

Great reference site! Thanks for posting.

 

[Ganderite]

I find it amazing that Boxer was a European and Mr. Berdan was a Yank.

For everything except reloading, the Berdan is the better system.

 

[legi0n]

I find it amazing that Boxer was a European and Mr. Berdan was a Yank.

For everything except reloading, the Berdan is the better system.

why do you think that?

 

[Hitzy]

why do you think that?

2 flash holes, anvil is part of the case not primer, a little more consistent and reliable then Boxer.

Back to the sizes though, when reloading became more commercial after WWII in the US, you had large and small rifle primers... that's it...no magnum, no match, no military spec. Just large and small, for a couple decades.

 

[CanAm]

berdan is much easier to make well as the tough part is in the case