Small hangun primers VS Large hangun primers

I'm new to the reloading scene and would like to know if my FN FNH 40 cal. S&W would use the small handgun primers or is it the large handgun primers that I should use. At what caliber does the change take place? Please cure my ignorance. Thanks

.40 S&W uses SM primers.

For the most part, the change takes place at .44 caliber, but not always.
For instance the 38-40 and 10mm pistol use Large primers.
Some of the traditonal LG primer calibers use SM primers in lead-free loadings.

What you need to do is buy a reloading manual like the Lyman #49, or others.

They all tell you what size primers to use in each caliber.

rc

As RC said - BUY and READ the manual.............your life is worth the few dollars they cost

Yeah, seriously... What they said.

I'm pretty new to reloading too. I'm just now getting to the point where I don't check everything 50 times. Without half of the knowledge that I gained from "ABC'c of Reloading" and "Lyman's 49th" I wouldn't be comfortable at all.

Not to cut down on you at all, but I'd learn exactly what you need long before ever touching a press. If you're not sure about what components to use, take the time to do some reading. You'd really be beating yourself up for the rest pf your days if you hurt yourself just because you didn't take the time to read up on the very serious task you are undertaking by reloading.

I personally don't own a press yet, but a friend of mine has one,and I've bought 200 rounds of JHP and am ready to buy some shell casings when one particular seller had some 40S&W casings that were polished and reprimed with small handgun primers. Thus the question. Am I to understand by the responses that not all 40 S&W's shells are small hand gunned primed?

Sorry RC I read through the posts so fast that I went and re-read them and saw that you stated that 40 S&W was indeed SM Primers. I will pick up that book you recommended though.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to read that manual before you even touch a press.

Reloading is more popular than ever due to the cost of ammo these days.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that it means more and more people are rushing into it without knowing the basics. You can seriously injure yourself and others in this hobby. In your case, you're also starting with a higher-pressure round in the .40S&W, and an error at those pressure levels is even more dangerous.

Buy the Lyman manual, read the instructional chapters a couple of times through, pick the brain of anybody around you who reloads, and THEN touch a press.

Believe me, you'll save yourself a ton of trouble, and you'll be pleased with your results from the first batch rather than frustrated or worse, bleeding.

The manual isn't just basic instruction. It's got load data for about every caliber you could ever want to reload, including your primer question.

-Mark

DEFINITELY get a reputable reloading manual. This is NOT optional if you want to reload. I can recommend the Lyman #49 as a good all-around manual, with a variety of powders, bullets and loads. I also HIGHLY recommend the ABC's of Reloading. It will guide you through all steps of reloading and tell you what good reloading practice is.

Its my buddy who is the reloader. I plan on watching. I'm just buying the supplies. I will eventually purchase a reloader press plus I will have already bought the 40 S&W dies which my friend will need. The book is a must which will enable me to get more into the sport of reloading.

The dies that I plan on purchasing are 10mm as well as 40 S&W. If they use the same die why would the 40 take small primer while the 10mm take the large primer. Am I showing my ignorance yet?=) "Well I gots to know"

As you learn about reloading, you will probably note that dies are typically used for de-priming, but re-priming is a separate operation not performed by a die.

Insertion of a new primer is sometimes accomplished off the press with a hand primer, or on the press with various primer feed mechanisms (or even hand fed, one primer at a time.)

What size primer is required is a function of the size of the hole in the case. You would use the same dies for .45 ACP with small pistol primer cases as you'd use for the more common large pistol primer cases, but you'd have to change your primer feed setup.

(And you'd resolve to be more careful in picking up range brass... :) )