any way to tell?

Sounds like it's time for someone to take up shooting wax bullets. It doesn't matter which primer you use and it's a heck of a lot of fun.

We are talking about 75 cents here. I know, I know, it is a major irritant to not know, but sometimes you just have to let go.

You might be able to tell the difference if you weigh them and compare to known primer types.

Good luck.

Lost Sheep

I have loaded small rifle with small pistol and small pistol with small rifle with no noted differences. I won't tell you to do the same, but... If you are at all concerned that you have a mix up in components, the no-brainer is to get rid of them. Once I lost a pound of brand new rifle powder because I made the rookie mistake of having two different cans of powder on the bench at the same time. It was hard to lose $$ like that, but that is the breaks.

I vote for wax bullets. Don't you just get a plug of wax stuck in the case with a primer in it? I've never tried it.

Why don't you look at the color of the foil?

As for a pound of powder I would have loaded one round as if it was the faster powder & shoot it to see if it was right.

Sometimes rifle primers are harder to seat. Maybe you can tell by seating in a pistol case with a tight pocket, deprime, then compare to a known SPP in the same case.

Here's another thought. The cup and/or primer mix must be slightly different. Maybe you could weigh 20 of your SPP on your powder scale and compare to see if there's a significant difference from 20 SRP.

Winchester uses a dot of lacquer on the anvil side. This helps differentiate the primer type. Standard rifle are blue. Standard pistol are red. I dunno if the magnums are a different color, cuz I haven't used any, yet. You can even see the lacquer in primed cases through the flash hole.

Small pistol and small rifle primers are the same size dimensionally. Unless you are loading at maximum, I would just reduce the charge 1 grain and shoot them. If you are at maximum, reduce the charge 2 grains and do the same.

homatok said:

Small pistol and small rifle primers are the same size dimensionally. Unless you are loading at maximum, I would just reduce the charge 1 grain and shoot them. If you are at maximum, reduce the charge 2 grains and do the same.

Click to expand...

If my 380 used a 1.5gn charge with SPP you would suggest useing .5gn with SRP or since that is my max load I guess the primer only would be enough?

This might be a little ghetto but i would grab three empty cases, prime one with a known small pistol, one with a known small rifle. Chamber and fire them right there in the basement and see if you hear a difference. If so, prime with one of the spilled lot and see which one it sounds like. Dunno if thats effective but that'd be my first move.

My first move would be to consider them pistol primers, and not load them in 60,000 PSI rifle cases!

They would be fine in any sane handgun load.
Especially fine in a .357 revolver.

rc

Like I said look at the color of the foil.

What's the foil?

If its only 20 primers and I could not be sure what they were I would just toss them. What are we talking here? 80 cents or less?

GLOOB said:

What's the foil?

Click to expand...

The foil covers the priming compound just the same as the lacquer you refer to in your post #6. Same function, different material.

Lost Sheep

Unlike said above my first move would be to throw them away.

My second move would be what rc said, "Consider them pistol primers, and not load them in 60,000 PSI rifle cases!"

If you just have to use them I would use them in a .357 Magnum because SR primers are really no hotter than SPM primers for the most part.

Some companies use different colors in their primer compounds. I'm not sure if all do but I know Winchester does. Look at your trays of SPP and SRP and see if the compound color is different and if they are match the unknown primers to the color...

BUT, I would probably just go back to my first choice, throw them away... (unless the color of the compound can be 100% for sure matched)

Quote:
Originally Posted by homatok
Small pistol and small rifle primers are the same size dimensionally. Unless you are loading at maximum, I would just reduce the charge 1 grain and shoot them. If you are at maximum, reduce the charge 2 grains and do the same.

If my 380 used a 1.5gn charge with SPP you would suggest useing .5gn with SRP or since that is my max load I guess the primer only would be enough?

I don't shoot anything that small, but in the senario you put forth I would likely either throw them out or find something bigger (not so close to the line) to shoot them in. The suggestion to use them in a magnun (357) handgun is a good one!

Perfect opportunity to practice your trigger control and reduce any flinch. Load them in your pistol brass without powder and bullets, insert one at a time and 'dry fire' them. If possible in a place where the noise won't be an issue as it will still be loud.