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Small Rifle Primers In .40 Minor Load?


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Is there any reason NOT to use Winchester Small Rifle Primers in a .40 load using TG at a 140 pf?

I loaded a batch and saw they chrono'd about 20-30 fps faster than with WSP primers, but otherwise, no issues. Just wondering if I am missing something here.

The reason I ask is that I have 15,000 WSR primers left over from the 'hot' .38 super days...

Thanks!

:D

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There may be a probability of there not being enough pressure to seal the sides of the primer to the primer pocket. This could lead to gases venting out the back, and etching the breech face.

I always thought the rifle primers seated harder (a tad bigger?) And the only other downfall is that rifle primers are a tad harder than pistol.

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The sealing, as I understand it, is a result of pressure, from firing...not, so much, a press fit issue.

hmmmmmm, I did not know that :huh:

I used some small rifle primers for production loads and they worked fine, no breech face erosion that I could detect, but it was probably only 2000 rounds, not 15,000.

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Everyone reccomended SR primers when I started loading .40's. I have 25k+ on my limited gun all with small rifle primers. The first 15k were Winchester SR. The breechface is as smooth as the day that the gun was built. YMMV.

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information can save your gun. a friend gave me 3000 15 year old CCI standard pistole primers. I tryed a 100 for practice in my 'light steel loads' all was wheat I thought was fine untill I looked at my breach face and I have a nice pit ring that the gas left for me.

If I had known I could have used them with a hotter load and saved the life on my slide. :(

Ask yourself if you want an new slide? ;) or save the cost on new primers.

Oh and my steel load is about 130 to 140 PF with TG powder

Edited by AlamoShooter
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