Small Pistol Or Small Rifle Primers

[tpcdvc]

I'm wondering if there is an advantage gained by using small rifle primers instead of using the regular small pistol primers for 40 major. Advantages in recoil maybe?

Thanks!

Tim

[D.Hayden]

Search the reloading topics.. for me very little difference, but if you reload both rifle and pistol, you only need to buy one size primer, and you won't mix them up.. pistol primers in rifle (I've read) is bad...

[eerw]

I'm wondering if there is an advantage gained by using small rifle primers instead of using the regular small pistol primers for 40 major. Advantages in recoil maybe?

Thanks!

Tim

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

from my experience..no change in recoil or velocity..the small rifle primer is harder and won't flow or flatten as bad with high pressure rounds..

on the converse side if your round is not high pressure enough..the primer doesn't seal as well and your get gas release around the primer and will get a gas erosion ring on your breechface..

what primers are you using now..and what do they look like..

[Alan Meek]

I've always used Small Pistol Primers in my .40 loads

[Loves2Shoot]

I'm wondering if there is an advantage gained by using small rifle primers instead of using the regular small pistol primers for 40 major. Advantages in recoil maybe?

Thanks!

Tim

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

from my experience..no change in recoil or velocity..the small rifle primer is harder and won't flow or flatten as bad with high pressure rounds..

on the converse side if your round is not high pressure enough..the primer doesn't seal as well and your get gas release around the primer and will get a gas erosion ring on your breechface..

what primers are you using now..and what do they look like..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I learned that one the hard way with my 38 super, pushed the primer into the friggin' hole for the firing pin, and it left me wondering why my gun wouldn't go bang

[tpcdvc]

I'm using SPP now. I load both a major load and a minor load in 40. I'm getting a new Bedell limited gun that for which I will have to work a load up. So, that is why I was thinking about switching. I imagine I will stick with the SPP since I will still load both major and minor and there doesn't seem to be an advantage and there might be a disadvantage for the SRP in my minor load. If I shot open I might go a different way.

Thanks,

Tim

[eerw]

I ended up pretty much using what I had...as I predominantly shoot open (SRP) or production (SPP).

with .40 loads I have had no real problem with using either..

I do use Winchester for the small rifle and Winchester or Federal for the small pistol.

[sargenv]

I've actually started using Win SP for 9mm minor, 40 major, and 38 super major without any problems. If I switch over to Minor (ICORE) 40's I change primers to the Federal 100's since I have a lighter hammer spring. If I shoot 10 mm minor or major, I use the Federal Large Pistol primers. Currently my 38 super major load is 8.25 of SR4756 with a 130 gr rn Armscor bullet. I'm making major easily with this combination and no primer cratering or flattening. Initially I used Win SR's in the Super, but tried the SP's and haven't looked back. If I work up a load, I generally start with the Rifle primers and then swap out to the pistol primers after I've found my load. Seems to work for me. My Major load for 40's is a 180 gr RNFP Plated West coast (now something else) with 4.7 gr of tightgroup and 1.750" length.

Vince

[MikeFoley]

I use WSR for .40 and get a little more velocity and a lot more consistent ES and SD.

[texasag93]

SRP for all my 40 loads. As stated about, it is just easier to buy only SRP for all my 40 and 223 reloading. TXAG

[BismarckC]

When I started shooting several people were using Federal SRP. It worked for them and it works for me.

[Hey QuicksDraw!]

Winchester SRP as suggested by Brian for my fourty. Federals are too soft for me and I have blown a stack in my 650.

[Azone41]

Using rifle primers in a .40 is not going to give you a true sign of pressure because it's made for higher pressure loads. .40 is so easy to make major that I don't see a reason to reinvent the wheel.

[gobabygo]

I just switched to Win small rifle primers because they cost the same as pistol and I'll be loading major 9mm soon.

I just chrono'd some of the same loads using WSR and WSP primers and the difference was extremely small. Like 10 fps though based on the SD the difference was statistically insignificant.

The only benefit that I see is that I'll only have to stock one primer for these two calibers.

[Bear23]

Federal pistol primers are all i use. I shoot revolver quite a bit and need something to accomodate both revos and my limited guns.

I would see not reason to use rifle primers unless you are going 9mm/38 super in open.

[Jayson@IGF]

No need to use small rifle primers, but if you were to run out of small pistol and needed to you could use them.