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Pistol vs Rifle primers
44shotdoctor
Member Posts: 178 ✭✭✭
Is there acually any difference in pistol and rifle primers. The reason I ask is in 44 mag loads and can reload in rifle or pistol versions. My reload book shows using rifle primers when loading for rifles. So I put it to you what if you loaded 44 mag rounds using rifle primers and shot these in your pistol. Would this work? I have so many rifle primers so why not? So most of you are going to say the burn rate will be different. But will it make enough difference or make the round dangerous? Keep in mind that I load all my 44 mag rounds generally to almost max loads. Thanks...
Comments
Large pistol primers have a height of about .113 inch and large rifle primers are closer to .125 inch. They will both fit in the hole, but the rifle primer in a pistol case gets unduly crushed.
If you're intending to shoot pistol ctgs in a rifle, then use Magnum pistol primers. No LR primers in a pistol ctg.
I don't know what book you're getting your information from, but Large rifle and large pistol primers are not interchangeable.
Large pistol primers have a height of about .213 inch and large rifle primers are closer to .225 inch. They will both fit in the hole, but the rifle primer in a pistol case gets unduly crushed.
If you're intending to shoot pistol ctgs in a rifle, then use Magnum pistol primers.
No LR primers in a pistol ctg.
Unless your doing 500 S&W, AND the headstamp has a "R" in it. The early cases were cut for the LP primer, and the later ones for the LR.
showing reloading 44 mag pistol cartidges as a rifle load using large rifle primers
Small rifle and small pistol primers are dimensionally the same.
The cup is thicker on the rifle primer, otherwise there is no
difference between the two.
Not that it matters all that much since the cartridge is obsolete and never very popular, but the .357 Maximum (not Magnum) was designed to use the Remington 7 1/2 small rifle primer. Most anything else would pierce.
The Max is still available in the Contender/Oncore bbl.
I don't think anybody mentioned the fact that when using rifle primers in handgun cartridges other than the T/Cs, most revolvers and autos won't fire due to not hitting hard enough to set it off.
It takes a heavier strike to detonate the sr than the sp. It's specifically designed that for a reason. Every cartridge has a pressure spike, small rifle cartridge spikes are typically longer than the small pistol cartridge, with the same applying to the larger variants.
Take a little closer look at the spent primers of each next time you go to the range. Especially if you have sp standard loads, and sp +P+ and a rifle to shoot them out of. Pluck and drill the spent innards
Your not going to have as much concern with safety going sr to sp, but going sp into a sr case will definitely be a safety concern.
It's not a good idea all the way around unless you are just simply stuck with no other option.
my opinion for what it's worth,
555
Jon
Large rifle primers substituted for large pistol primers are a no-no from what I have learned. Small rifle primers can be used in substitution for small pistol primers however.
Jon
True; but misfires WILL be common as noted above, BTDT; had to increase spring tension on a S&W revolver to assure firing.