Magnum primer clarification

cdncowboy

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I'm new to loading .44mag pistol. I am use to small and large pistol primers for various pistol caliber's. Is a magnum primer just another name for large pistol primer or is it something else?

Thanks.
 
Magnum primers put out a more intense flame to light heavy charges of slow burning powder. There are magnum primers in both large and small sizes, for both rifle and pistol cartridges. That said, I have used nothing but standard CCI large pistol primers for my .44 Mag with no problems regardless of the load.


Mark
 
Same as Mark, all I have ever used in the 44 mag was standard CCI primers, I never noticed a need for magnum primers. Although I bought a couple boxes of mag primers a while back and had intended on trying them out when I set up again for loading the 44.
 
Winchester now makes Large Pistol Regular. The Winchester Large pistol Primers used to say regular and magnum loads. Other brands have magnum magnum options for all sizes as well as match and shotgun primers.

The name of the calibre (magnum) does not dictate magnum primer or not although it seems like it. The load data in the book does, usually based on case capacity or powder type. Some people have trouble with certain powders in certain cold climates and a magnum primer solves it.

That said in most cases you will still get proper ignition with any proper primer (large pistol in this case) that fits your case.
 
8 types/styles of primers
small pistol
large pistol
small rifle
large rifle
small pistol magnum
large pistol magnum
small rifle magnum
large rifle magnum
 
When loading 44 Mag with 2400, Speer #14 manual states not to use Large Pistol Magnum primers. When using H110 / Win 296, LP Magnum+ primers are prescribed.

Also, there are more consistent primers (Called Bench rest) for those who can utilise the utmost in primer consistency, and for the shooters using semi auto military style rifles, CCI make the #34 primer in Large rifle and #41 in Small rifle, to help prevent slam-fires. They advist to use load data equal to that of magnum primers with these two types of primers.
 
I have had some failures to fire with Winchester "magnum" pistol primers in 44 mag with light cast bullet loads. There was a test with pictures done here on CGN a little while ago where a guy showed the flame intensity in a dark room with different primers. Standard CCI have stronger flame than most other brands magnum primers.

So one brands magnum may be weaker than another brands standard primers.

I have fired probably nearly a thousand rounds through my Norc M305/M14S/M1A using standard CCI large rifle primers and never had a slam fire. Several times I have removed live rounds from the chamber (target change or whatnot) and found a tiny indent in the centre of the primer from the floating firing pin striking it. I have talked with a few other people who have fired tens of thousands of handloads through M1A's, Garands, SKS's and other semi auto military rifles with floating firing pins and say they have never had a slamfire except with exceptionally weak primers (like Federal) of heavily rusted SKS bolts. If I was firing hundreds or thousands of rounds between cleaning like some soldiers do (by necessity) than it might be more of an issue.

@Spawn-Inc
I have never seen benchrest/match magnum primers, only regular. I'm not sure if I've ever seen match pistol primers at all either. Also don't forget muzzle loader 209, standard 209, and magnum 209 primers.
 
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