Small Rifle Magnum Primers for 38 Special

[LoadingPirate]

I picked up 10k CCI 450 primers for a good price. Has anyone loaded these for 38 or 357 Mag?

 

[.38 Special]

Small rifle primers can be safely used in handgun cartridges. Rifle primers tend to have thicker cups, to prevent piercing at rifle pressures, so sometimes reliability can be an issue in handguns. This is especially true with handguns which have lightened springs.

As always, the safe bet when making any change to a load is to drop down to the minimum load in the book and carefully work back up.

 

[kalielkslayer]

Everything 38 spl said plus back off 10% due to the magnum primers.

I’ve loaded a lot, and shot a lot of 9mm the last few months loaded with small rifle primers. Haven’t noticed any difference.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I have some 38s that choke on CCI small pistol primers.
SRP are my standard primer in H110 357 loads.
Start low and work up to your velocity.
If you don't use a chronograph. You have no safe way of working up with a 38 special.

 

[mdi]

Any time a component is changed or substituted, do another load work up. Good reloading practice. I reloaded 38 Specials and 357 Magnums maybe 30 years before I got a chrony, just made sure I used data from my reloading manuals and watched for pressure signs ("felt" recoil, extraction, and when nearing max. charges I measured case heads. primer condition not a good indication of pressures.)

 

[Otto]

Small Rifle Magnum? Nope I've never tried magnums, my concern would be breech face erosion.

 

[FROGO207]

I have almost exclusivly gone to SRP for all my handgun loading. I have a couple striker fired pistols that don't reliably ignite the rifle ones so I still load them using SPP. If you work up your loads and start a bit lower than actual starting charges you should be fine using the magnum primers.

 

[Walkalong]

I picked up 10k CCI 450 primers for a good price. Has anyone loaded these for 38 or 357 Mag?

I am so jealous, but yes, if your gun will set them off, you can use them. I would stop a tad short of max, just in case, but it likely won't make much difference. A chrono would help here.

 

[PapaG]

Small Rifle Magnum? Nope I've never tried magnums, my concern would be breech face erosion.

From what? Leakage? Curious about the logic

 

[pairof44sp]

I picked up 10k CCI 450 primers for a good price. Has anyone loaded these for 38 or 357 Mag?

Yes they work fine

except in my GP 100.
There’s no space between the cylinder and the recoil plate and the primers jam up the works

 

[Walkalong]

Yes they work fine

except in my GP 100.
There’s no space between the cylinder and the recoil plate and the primers jam up the works

SR primers are the same height as SP primers, sounds like you are not getting them seated fully.

 

[pairof44sp]

SR primers are the same height as SP primers, sounds like you are not getting them seated fully.

That’s what I thought, but a IPSC champ told me that SR are taller

 

[mcb]

That’s what I thought, but a IPSC champ told me that SR are taller

Small pistol primers and small rifle primers externally are the same dimensions. It is large rifle primes that are taller (though the same diameter) than large pistol primers. Asking an IPSC champ about prime sizes is sort of like asking a Nascar driver about what size bolt is on his connecting rods. He might know, he might not, but his chief mechanic will know for sure and have a lot more info on that bolt too.

 

[e rex]

They work OK in my 686 which gets mostly .38 specials.

 

[Klaatu Barada Nikto]

That’s what I thought, but a IPSC champ told me that SR are taller

Naw, there is a height difference between LRP and LPP, but not SRP and SPP.
Primer Chart

 

[LoadingPirate]

Going to load 50 rounds and try a few different revolvers.

 

[627PCFan]

I can speak to the breach face erosion because 3 of my smiths have it as a result of long term use.I've had leakage from Federal brass (old and hard) and some very very high mileage Starline brass. In retrospect, should bought those softer pistol primers cups for better seals. You live and you learn.

 

[LoadingPirate]

That's good information, I'm going to watch for that.

 

[FROGO207]

Thats funny, I have no signs of erosion after 6 years and 40K or so use in several revolvers and pistols. Guess I'll have to look harder or something.