Small rifle primers.

[Skull1]

Can small rifle primers be used in .357 mag rifle loads? I use H110 powder, but sometimes it’s hard to find small pistol magnum primers in my neck of the woods.

Cheers

 

[577/450]

yes

 

[vagrantviking]

Apparently some makes of primers make no distinction between magnum pistol primers and small rifle primers. That tells me that the difference is too small to matter.

Hopefully someone actually doing it will chime in.

 

[yomomma]

......

 

[Magellann]

I use them when Ive run out of pistol primers, never noticed any difference at all.

 

[Sqr]

Yes they can.

 

[Snider shooter]

Rifle primers are made out of thicker material and some pistols may not give a heavy enough blow to reliablely set them off.
Also rifle primers a different size, diameter is the same ,but rifle primers are thicker. This can cause high primers.

 

[tjhaile]

The Dominion/Murom small rifle primers sold by Canada Ammo are advertised as also suitable for pistols and this agrees with my experience.

 

[silverfoxdj]

Even so I use the correct primers as recommended by the manufacturer

 

[mbogo3]

I know we're talking .357 but at least in 44-40 rifle primers are thicker and will not seat flush.A buddy is getting pierced primers in a .44 mag using pistol primers and H110 out of a Marlin lever.

 

[trebor2880]

The Dominion/Murom small rifle primers sold by Canada Ammo are advertised as also suitable for pistols and this agrees with my experience.

I've used thousands of these SR primers (Dominion) for reloading SP, with nary a difference.

 

[nitro-express]

Apparently some makes of primers make no distinction between magnum pistol primers and small rifle primers. That tells me that the difference is too small to matter.

Hopefully someone actually doing it will chime in.

I used Dominion SR primers in a revolver.

I had a pile of SR primers that didn't work out in my 223, so I used them in my 357 mag. Again, there is not a lot of difference between SR and SPM, within the same brand. Small primers, pistol and rifle, have a bunch of variables between brands. I would not and do not sub primers willy-nilly. I thoroughly test, chrono, powder on the bullet and powder on the primer.

 

[JayCarver]

I’ve been using small rifle magnum primers (cci450) for 9mm and 9major for awhile, can’t tell the diff.

 

[bigedp51]

Can small rifle primers be used in .357 mag rifle loads? I use H110 powder, but sometimes it’s hard to find small pistol magnum primers in my neck of the woods.

Cheers

Skull1

Read the link below on primers and look at the primer chart images. "SOME" small rifle primers have the same cup thickness as pistol primers, see NOTE 1 below.
It is the small rifle primers with a cup thickness of .025 that can cause misfires, especially if you have done any spring work on your pistol. Pistol primers cup thickness varies between .017 and .020.

Also primer pocket depth can vary along with primer height, meaning the seated primer may not be flush with the base of the case.
Example, I had some military Lake City 7.62 cases and I had to uniform the primer pockets and make deeper to get the Remington 9 1/2 primers to seat below flush.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRIMER - A PRIMER ON PRIMERS
http://www.sksboards.com/smf/index.php?topic=56422.0

NOTE 1: According to Speer/CCI Technical Services - Both the CCI 550 Small Pistol Magnum and CCI 400 Small Rifle primers are identical in size. Both primers use the same cup metal and share the same cup thickness. Both primers use the same primer compound formula and same amount of primer compound. They can be used interchangeably.

Below the image shows seating the primer with a "slight" primer crush, the anvil below is pushed further into the primer cup.

 

[madcow]

Only issues i have had with SR primers in pistol loads is the odd primer not going off in a striker fire pistol.

 

[bigedp51]

Only issues i have had with SR primers in pistol loads is the odd primer not going off in a striker fire pistol.

This is the exact reason why pistol primers have thinner cups to insure the pistol cartridge goes "bang", and why the cups are .017 to .020 in thickness.

And the opposite of this is the thinner small rifle primers causing slam fires in AR15 type rifles. It is recommended that only primers with a cup thickness of .025 be used in AR15 type rifles.

Below is the print for the CCI military #41 primer, please notice the base of the primer is thicker. Meaning even thicker than standard small rifle primers with a cup thickness of .025 and the anvil is also shorter.

 

[VinnyQC]

Can small rifle primers be used in .357 mag rifle loads? I use H110 powder, but sometimes it’s hard to find small pistol magnum primers in my neck of the woods.

Cheers

You can usually use them safely, but they might not ignite H110 correctly due to the difference in type/amount of priming compound.

 

[bigedp51]

You can usually use them safely, but they might not ignite H110 correctly due to the difference in type/amount of priming compound.

Small rifle primers are the equivalent to magnum pistol primers. I wish people would read the links I provided in my postings, I put the links there because they are not "MY" opinions.

NOTE 1: According to Speer/CCI Technical Services - Both the CCI 550 Small Pistol Magnum and CCI 400 Small Rifle primers are identical in size. Both primers use the same cup metal and share the same cup thickness. Both primers use the same primer compound formula and same amount of primer compound. They can be used interchangeably.

 

[Skull1]

bigedp51. Thanks for the info. Most of my .357 loads I shoot out of a Marlin 1894. I’ll have to keep my eye open for CCI 400 next time I’m out shopping.....

 

[Ganderite]

Small rifle and pistol have the same exterior dimensions and are physically interchangeable.

But if you use small rifle primers in a pistol, you may get some failure to fires.

Large rifle and large pistol are different heights. If you use rifle primers in a pistol case the primer will protrude.