Small Rifle (CCI#450) instead of Small Pistol (CCI#500)?

[taymag]

I dont plan on interchanging them, but I grabbed a box last night on accident from my stash when going for my #500's for 9mm (I use Remington for rifle, so impossible to mix the pistol/rifle boxes up usually).

 

Anyway, just curious if in a drought people use small rifle primers, specifically CCI#450 sm. rifle for CCI#500 sm. pistol (I think I've read this multiple times) since I have 5000 of them that ill probably never use unless times get tough again

[223to45]

I know several who run the small rifle primer in pistol cases regularly

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[Steve RA]

I use Tula SRM in 9mm, SP .45 and .223/5.56 so I only have to stock one primer for all that I load.

[Ken6PPC]

I know some people use CCI 400's instead of 500's, but 450's are magnum primers.  I would want to back off the powder charge, at the very LEAST!  

 

Also, you want to be sure to FULLY seat your primers if you decide to use RP in pistols.  Otherwise, the energy from the hammer can be used to finish seating the primer, and makes a misfire more likely. 

 

If you have lightened your hammer spring to improve the trigger pull, you are also more likely to have misfires using rifle primers.  

[jcc7x7]

20 hours ago, taymag said:

I dont plan on interchanging them, but I grabbed a box last night on accident from my stash when going for my #500's for 9mm (I use Remington for rifle, so impossible to mix the pistol/rifle boxes up usually).

 

Anyway, just curious if in a drought people use small rifle primers, specifically CCI#450 sm. rifle for CCI#500 sm. pistol (I think I've read this multiple times) since I have 5000 of them that ill probably never use unless times get tough again

yes, never had a problem just finished using 25,000

Now I'm back to pistol primers cause I found them etc etc

[RPatton]

They may be too hard for a striker fired pistol to function reliably.

If you have a 1911 with a 17# mainspring they may not function 100% without an extra long firing pin.

If you are already loading it hot, be aware that these primers will be even be hotter.

[MemphisMechanic]

I run CCI #550 (magnum small pistol) fairly often. Simply because they're always in stock when everything else is long gone. As long as you run enough striker/hammer spring to set them off and you do your chrono work to ensure you aren't unknowingly shooting beyond safe limits? Using rifle or magnum primers works just fine.

[MemphisMechanic]

There's a lot of evidence - including a statement from one of the companies which I beleive was CCI - that magnum pistol and rifle primers are often pretty much the same thing in different packages, too.

 

 

[Ken6PPC]

On ‎7‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 8:52 AM, MemphisMechanic said:

There's a lot of evidence - including a statement from one of the companies which I beleive was CCI - that magnum pistol and rifle primers are often pretty much the same thing in different packages, too.

 

 

 

That's true, but CCI later changed their story and said that magnum pistol is NOT the same as small rifle primers.  

 

Additionally, the OP was saying he had purchased magnum RIFLE primers, and they certainly are not the same as magnum pistol primers...  

[Banacek]

On 7/10/2017 at 7:52 AM, MemphisMechanic said:

There's a lot of evidence - including a statement from one of the companies which I beleive was CCI - that magnum pistol and rifle primers are often pretty much the same thing in different packages, too.

 

 

I had not heard that, at one point I found a ton of small rifle primers and I stocked up and I was getting hotter loads in my 9mm Major but it they are working great.  I have to chrono the same loads with pistol vs. rifle primers and compare.  Thanks!

[stick]

If I remember correctly, Rifle primers are slightly thicker than pistol. Not enough to make a difference in the primer pocket.  I have loaded rifle primers in pistol before (only as a last resort) I didn't load magnum or hot loads though.