Large and Small Rifle Primers in BP Cartridges

[whughett]

Well I am slowly making my way through the batch of large rifle primers, a few as far back as Herter's, in my 45C cartridges. So far the black powder doesn't seem to know the difference. Of course this is in the ROA and the LR primers look about the same as the LP primers, after firing. I will say that the primers (LR) do seat in the Star Line brass better than the Winchesters. Perhaps the Star Line Brass was designed to work as either pistol or rifle brass in the 45Colt. The pockets are a hair deeper.
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Have a thousand or so small rifle primers and as soon as I can get my hands on a RM Colt conversion will give it a go in 38 Special and or 44 Colt. Have a large quantity of 38spc and 44 Mag brass on hand. Have heard that 44 mag brass can be trimmed back to 44Colt.

Was all set, as I no longer shoot rifles, to give away the primers to gun club buddies now I'll just shoot them up. Had 1500 or so LR and over 1000 SR on hand. Some purchased when this stuff was a penny a piece.

If you have read this far and are wondering what the heck, it is just I have hand loaded for thirty years and always though pistol and rifle primers were not interchangeable, for all kind of reasons, depending on who you read or talked to.


Would be great if some one invented a revolver cone that would use primers instead of caps.

Best of both worlds here, all the flash bang and smoke of BP in the old style pieces and the additional fun of hand loading the brass over and over.

Even bought an inexpensive Harbor Freight rock tumbler to wet/pin clean the brass.

 

[44 Dave]

One of the guys I shoot SASS with uses the rifle primers and FF black powder in .45s.

 

[damoc]

Thanks Whugett

Thats realy good imformation to know.

 

[rcmodel]

Sm Pistol & Sm Rifle primer cups & primer pockets are the same.
You can use them interchangeably in rifle or pistol brass.
(As long as your pistol will set off rifle primers.)

Lg Rifle primer cups & primer pockets are longer / deeper then Lg Pistol primers.

So, Lg rifle primers may not fully seat flush in pistol cases.
And Lg Pistol primers may seat too deep for good ignition in rifle cases.

I would not recommend interchanging them in Lg Primer rifle & pistol brass because the dimensions are not the same.

rc