Primers and Interchangeability

[GeneCC]

OK so bare minimum it looks like I could use large pistol magnum in large rifle with no problems and small pistol in place of small rifle and probably visa versa with no issues. That's a good start.

Thanks

I wouldn't use any rifle primers in handguns or vice versa.

1. You might have trouble with a light strike from a handgun's less powerful initiators
2. Most centerfire rifle pressures are about twenty percent more than your modern rounds (9mm etc) and vastly higher than traditional handguns (38 special)
3. Primer failures are less of a problem than catastrophic failure. The pressure signs you won't see in your 44 Magnum being touched off by rifle primers might be a real problem - the gadget will come apart in your hands.

Primers are used to determine pressure signs. Fiddle with that feedback at your peril.

Now if you have a universal receiver, ported barrel and pressure feedback? That's different. Now you have a reliable way of seeing pressure.



I have successfully interchanged magnum handgun primers with regular handgun primers. I always restart loads at 10 percent of maximum if I change any component. I don't own any cartridges that are vulnerable to detonation and would not go below recommended levels so that is not an issue.

[GeneCC]

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I may have to order more LR primers then. Or magnum powder. I have about 200rds worth of imr4895 here to use and enough federal primers for it, but want to load up some max loads with nosler silver tips and federal LMR using h4895-sc

Late winter/early spring project it looks like.

There are some slow burning powers that are suitable for "magnum" cartridges. These are not exactly a "magnum" powder but play nice with them. US869 or H1000 are propellants that play nice with magnum rounds.

Some more progressive handgun propellants work well with the magnum rounds. Win 296 and/or H110 will deliver better results in some magnum rounds, especially with longer barrels. I'm not even sure that Win 296 will work properly in a 38 special round.


Some rounds, the reasons for this are still not well understood, will transition from deflagration to detonation. Deflagration is combustion at rates below the speed of sound in the material. Detonation is when the rate of combustion exceeds the speed of sound in the material.

We normally do not want detonation. Sometimes barrels unzip, other times bolts will come loose and then go sailing into the face.

One known prequel to detonation are light loads with a slow burning powder. Some rounds have a reputation for detonation - 8mm Mauser and 243 are "notorious". How this happens is still not well understood.

Stick to the manuals, that's your best bet. There are people here who have loaded both the 8mm Mauser and 243 without any problems and probably never will have any.

[Gunsnwater]

OK so bare minimum it looks like I could use large pistol magnum in large rifle with no problems and small pistol in place of small rifle and probably visa versa with no issues. That's a good start.

Thanks

Rifle are harder cups pistols might not set them off. All my books advise against substitution. Even brands need working up loads. My books were written pre appocollaps.

[fistv]

I have a remington 788 in .44mag, pretty much takes anything you feed it, I did put a cylinder full of Norma .44 mag carbine round in my 7 1/2 inch super blackhawk, no problem other than some more muzzle flash. I have not seen any around in years. I have a few 20 round boxes left from the 80's, it's my brush gun. I have worked up loads that perform well in both the 788 and super blackhawk.

[Lycanthrope]

I'd not run pistol primers in any rifle loads due to the softer cup. Small rifle primers in pistol loads, however, are my typical go to. I've been using small rifle primers in my pistols for over 80K rounds without issue. I'd not even think of loading 9 major with a small pistol primer, but the majority of my loads a re typical 9mm and .40 offerings. The chrono is not showing substantial pressure increases in my loadings. It's been a LONG time since I ran a small pistol primer in comparison, but I just did a batch of 10 small rifle primers vs 10 small rifle magnum primers in minor 9mm loads and the magnum primers actually chronographed slower. That may be a function of the small amount of powder used in the minor loads or it could mean that magnum primers are a slower, but hotter burn that may not actually increase pressure in some pistol charges. Either way, they work well.

Lycannotsosmallsamplethrope

[scruff]

I found a guy in Pittsburgh with 10,000 CCI small pistol magnum primers on Craigslist. A few of us are buying 7,000 of them. If anybody else wants some, let me know ASAP.

The interwebz are full of guys saying they used magnum primers and their guns didn't blow up. A scared man can't gamble!