Using small and large rifle primers for all reloading including pistol revolvers too

starnbar

starnbar

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Feb 8, 2020
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432
Yeah I am getting real tired of the prices so consolidation is what I decided and so far all the pistol and revolver loads are working out just fine a word of caution if you are working on a hot revolver load like 41,44,357 rifle primers are hotter than handgun primers so proceed with caution.
 
starnbar said:
Yeah I am getting real tired of the prices so consolidation is what I decided and so far all the pistol and revolver loads are working out just fine a word of caution if you are working on a hot revolver load like 41,44,357 rifle primers are hotter than handgun primers so proceed with caution.
Click to expand...
With h110 or 4227 I don't even think you'd notice...
 
Your pistol firing pins may not thank you and you might lock up some revolver cylinders, but would probably work in most cases.🙈
 
As said, a Large Rifle primer is taller than Large Pistol and may or may not seat flush or below in a handgun cartridge. I used a rifle primer pocket uniformer to deepen the pockets on a few .45 ACP cases and my 1911 fired rifle primers.

I have loaded a lot of 9mm with Small Rifle primers and never a misfire, which let me save my Federal pistol primers for .38s to be shot in weak spring DA revolvers.
 
I once heard that rifle primers were "harder" and required a harder strike than pistol primers. I'm not sure why a rifle's hammer or striker would necessarily hit harder than a pistols's but that was the gist of the comment. It's good to hear people have tried this without misfires.
 
I have basically transitioned from SPP/SPM to SRP to ease inventory issues. I still need some SPP as a a couple of my stryker fired pistols do not have the oomph to set the harder primers off. Basically I just worked up my loads with SRP and everything works the same. Large primers are two different depths and are not practically interchangable.
 
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AJC1 said:
With h110 or 4227 I don't even think you'd notice...
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Large rifle primers are 0.008" thicker than a large pistol primer. ... pistol and large rifle primers have the same dimensions diameter and height
 
Jim Watson said:
As said, a Large Rifle primer is taller than Large Pistol and may or may not seat flush or below in a handgun cartridge. I used a rifle primer pocket uniformer to deepen the pockets on a few .45 ACP cases and my 1911 fired rifle primers.

I have loaded a lot of 9mm with Small Rifle primers and never a misfire, which let me save my Federal pistol primers for .38s to be shot in weak spring DA revolvers.
Click to expand...
Large rifle primers are 0.008" thicker than a large pistol primer. ... pistol and large rifle primers have the same dimensions diameter and height
 
starnbar said:
Large rifle primers are 0.008" thicker than a large pistol primer. ... pistol and large rifle primers have the same dimensions diameter and height
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Only way to find out is try it for yourself. Everything I've read says that LRP are taller than LPP, but I've never measured them for myself.

DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! NEITHER THR NOR ITS MEMBERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO PEOPLE OR PROPERTY FOR SWAPPING LRP WITH LPP OR ANY OTHER DEVIATION FROM PUBLISHED DATA FROM A REPUTABLE SOURCE.

Maybe take one of each (already fired) and measure the height, that will give you a definitive answer. Small primers shouldn't be an issue provided your guns will set them off. I recently tested SPP and SRP in my 45acp 1911 and every primer fired, but ejection was inconsistent with some of the rifle primers, telling me pressures were most likely inconsistent.

Do be aware that if your LRP is seated high you may have a slam fire in a semi auto gun.

chris
 
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My Dillon 1050 seats primers to a mechanical stop.
LR primers in uncut .45ACP pockets are flush. Who knows what the anvil and compound look like, but the few I tried all went off.

A LP primer in a rifle uniformed pocket is way below flush but 1911 firing pin protrusion has no difficulty reaching it.

CAUTION. These were experiments with my components, equipment, and guns. No guarantee your stuff will behave the same.
 
Primer cup thickness matters.

Large Rifle and Magnum small rifle are 0.025"

Most "standard" small rifle are 0.020"

Most pistol primers are 0.017"

If you handgun will reliably fire primers thicker than 0.017" thickness there is no harm in using the thicker primers.
There may be some difference pressure as a result of using the thicker primers. But the difference will be minimal.

Striker-fired pistols seem to have the most trouble firing primers thicker than 0.017"
 
ballman6711 said:
Only way to find out is try it for yourself. Everything I've read says that LRP are taller than LPP, but I've never measured them for myself.

Maybe take one of each (already fired) and measure the height, that will give you a definitive answer. Small primers shouldn't be an issue provided your guns will set them off. I recently tested SPP and SRP in my 45acp 1911 and every primer fired, but ejection was inconsistent with some of the rifle primers, telling me pressures were most likely inconsistent.

Do be aware that if your LRP is seated high you may have a slam fire in a semi auto gun.

chris
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This is not a suggestion that anyone do this! I do not know if it's safe. But I do know I have uniformed 45acp cases with a large rifle depth uniformer and continue to use the cases but with large pistol primers. Why couldn't one use large rifle instead? He asked hypothetically.

Back story

I bought K&M's large pistol pocket correction tool but it was mismarked and was in fact for large rifle.

I discovered their mistake after uniforming a number of 45acp cases and priming them with large pistol. "Boy those sure seat below flush" I said to myself.

After some clunky measuring I figured it was wrong tool and wrote K&M. Confirmed the mistake and sent me the correct tool.

Instead of decapping those cases, I primed them with large pistol primers, loaded with my standard load, and shot them just fine in a 1911. And have done it several times since.

So, hypothetically, one could do the same with large rifle primers.
 
Jim Watson said:
My Dillon 1050 seats primers to a mechanical stop.
LR primers in uncut .45ACP pockets are flush. Who knows what the anvil and compound look like, but the few I tried all went off.

A LP primer in a rifle uniformed pocket is way below flush but 1911 firing pin protrusion has no difficulty reaching it.

CAUTION. These were experiments with my components, equipment, and guns. No guarantee your stuff will behave the same.
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Yes. I've done it. Edit: meaning a large pistol primer in a large rifle sized hole in a pistol cartridge.
 
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I hope many many more people do this. It’ll make it easier for me to get the primers I like. :rofl:

Actually, this is very good information. Thank you for posting it. :thumbup:
 
The easier more available path for most things is to shift to small primers for everything.... most popular cartridges are supported from 308 to 6.5 creed, 45 acp spp brass is loved by some and hated by others. Lrp are the hardest to get and most expensive when you do. I run both in 45acp so I can shoot whatever is available.
 
starnbar said:
Yeah I am getting real tired of the prices so consolidation is what I decided
Click to expand...

I'm tired of the prices as well... but I don't think limiting yourself to a questionable... potentially dangerous... substitution game is the right answer. The prices are the prices, buy what you need... and be done with it. If LPP's are $100 a brick, and LRP's are $100 a brick... I don't see where 'consolidation' is a reasonable avenue.

CQB45ACP said:
So, hypothetically, one could do the same with large rifle primers.
Click to expand...

Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it should be done. You post over-pressure load data, THR asks you to post a disclaimer with it... because 'Safety First.' ...yet, here we are talking about using LRP's in handgun cartridges....?


I think Sierra has it right...

To sum it all up, do not substitute SPP for SRP or LPP for LRP at all, period. It is possible to substitute LRP for Small Pistol Magnum Primers in certain situations if the certified loading data supports it.
 
Charlie98 said:
I'm tired of the prices as well... but I don't think limiting yourself to a questionable... potentially dangerous... substitution game is the right answer. The prices are the prices, buy what you need... and be done with it. If LPP's are $100 a brick, and LRP's are $100 a brick... I don't see where 'consolidation' is a reasonable avenue.



Just because it can be done, doesn't mean it should be done. You post over-pressure load data, THR asks you to post a disclaimer with it... because 'Safety First.' ...yet, here we are talking about using LRP's in handgun cartridges....?


I think Sierra has it right...

To sum it all up, do not substitute SPP for SRP or LPP for LRP at all, period. It is possible to substitute LRP for Small Pistol Magnum Primers in certain situations if the certified loading data supports it.
Click to expand...
I certainly included a disclaimer and repeated it several times and that was for using pistol primers in pistol cartridges.

ONLY then did I say "hypothetically" the other could be done. Never, as in ever, did I suggest doing it.
 
CQB45ACP said:
I certainly included a disclaimer and repeated it several times and that was for using pistol primers in pistol cartridges.

ONLY then did I say "hypothetically" the other could be done. Never, as in ever, did I suggest doing it.
Click to expand...

Sorry... I wasn't singling you out specifically, simply using your comment as a point.

CQB45ACP said:
This is not a suggestion that anyone do this!
Click to expand...
 
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