Can't tell large pistol from large rifle

[fatmanonabike]

Yeah I'm an idiot. Looks like I may have some of both in the same tray. Hate to pitch'em all. Any dimensional differences I can use to differentiate?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

No difference at all in the size especially if they are both from the same company.

Many primers will have a different color primer compound for different applications so if you have known primers of both flavor made by the came company as those in question, you can check the colors.

 

[Reefinmike]

large rifle primers are taller than large pistol primers. between that and the anvil color, you should be able to get them apart.

 

[rcmodel]

But, you can't measure the hight of the cups until after they have been seated and the anvil pushed into level inside the cup.

If they are both the same color primer sealer?

You are SOL.
Toss them.

Or at worst, try to use them in handgun, not high pressure rifle calibers.
But watch out for high primers that won't seat below flush with the case head in handgun cases.

BTW: How in the world did you manage to do that anyway?

rc

 

[savanahsdad]

I have trays of mixed primers , found on floor, only 4 or so left from that lot , forgot what I loaded last , ect ect.. those get used with wax bullets for basement shooting , never trash good primers , I have some of those rubber X bullets too

 

[rskent]

Sounds like its time to load up some low rent handgun plinking ammo.

 

[ljnowell]

I would load them
In some target handgun ammo and check them to make sure they all load flush or a little below. The worst that might happen is a light strike type dud.

 

[748]

That's why I use CCI standard large rifle and standard small rifle for everything.

 

[WestKentucky]

If you have bird problems they make great caps to flush birds out of your trees. No bullet no powder, no risk.

 

[gamestalker]

I don't advocate using rifle primers for handgun cartridges, that's not a viable or recommended approach to this hobby. Though it may work for some, it isn't the right way to consolidate components, primers in this case.

From a reliability stand point alone, many handguns don't produce enough firing pin inertia to reliably detonate a rifle primer.

And second, though probably not as much of a concern, is rifle primers burn hotter and longer than handgun primers do. This can have an effect of pressures and velocity deviations.

Third on the list of reason why we shouldn't use rifle primers for handgun applications is primer height. Rifle primers are slightly taller, thus making it possible that they won't seat deep enough, or below flush in a handgun cartridge primer pocket. And it's also possible that by attempting to force them deep enough in the pocket to sit at least flush, may inadvertently crush them, rendering them inert, or incapable of detonating when struck by the firing pin.

Aside from the few published exceptions, use pistol primers for handgun cartridges, rifle primers for bottle neck / rifle cartridges. Magnum and standard can sometimes be substituted as per appropriate cartridge type definition, but pistol for rifle is not acceptable.

GS

 

[fatmanonabike]

Thanks all for the info. Yeah the colors are different. That was the tipoff. That and some really poor grouping on paper. So I'll sort by color then get them labelled. Thanks again.

 

[fatmanonabike]

But, you can't measure the hight of the cups until after they have been seated and the anvil pushed into level inside the cup.

If they are both the same color primer sealer?

You are SOL.
Toss them.

Or at worst, try to use them in handgun, not high pressure rifle calibers.
But watch out for high primers that won't seat below flush with the case head in handgun cases.

BTW: How in the world did you manage to do that anyway?

rc

I'm guessing pill bottle labeled "Large Rifle" was mixed stock.

 

[rg1]

Small pistol and small rifle primer pocket depths are near the same but Large Pistol primer pockets are shallower than Large Rifle by about .009". Large rifle primers will probably be too tall and stick out of large pistol primer pockets. Their should be a difference in heights of your mixed primers. Measure the cup heights with your calipers. Measure the cup only and not the anvil.

 

[Reloadron]

For the curious at heart from our friends at SAAMI:


This does not mean that all primer manufacturers manufacture primers to the same exact dimensions.



The above specifications may be of some help to someone.

Ron

 

[SCC]

Since rifle primers are "harder" than pistol primers, the metal may be thicker resulting in different weights. I just did a test with CCI primers. Two small rifle primers each weighed 3.46gn. Two pistol primers weighed 3.24 and 3.28gn. YMMV

 

[OYE]

I'm guessing pill bottle labeled "Large Rifle" was mixed stock

.

Be happy they weren't your wife's pills. I've always thought it was more convenient to put pills in the primer boxes also. Easier to carry in the pocket.
OYE

 

[748]

I have been loading 45acp and 44mag with large rifle since 1999 as far as can remember. Never had a single issue.

The only problem I have had, finding pistol primers.

If you are going to load pistol ammo with rifle primers, don't just switch to rifle primers and keep the powder charge and everything else the same. You have to actually develop the load, check the primer seat depth and so on.

I don't plan on ever using another pistol primer to load a pistol round ever again.

 

[Elkins45]

I have been loading 45acp and 44mag with large rifle since 1999 as far as can remember. Never had a single issue.

The only problem I have had, finding pistol primers.

If you are going to load pistol ammo with rifle primers, don't just switch to rifle primers and keep the powder charge and everything else the same. You have to actually develop the load, check the primer seat depth and so on.

I don't plan on ever using another pistol primer to load a pistol round ever again.

Two thoughts:

1) Won't the thicker cups of rifle primers make it harder to read overpressure signs in handgun loads?
2) While it would seem that all of your current handguns have a strong enough blow to set off the thicker primers, that might not be the case for any new guns you acquire. It's probably more of an issue for a 45 ACP gun than it would be for a 44 magnum revolver, especially something striker fired.

 

[medalguy]

As I look at it, primers can be had today for about 3 cents each. Even a full tray is only three bucks. If you can't measure the height difference, is it worth three bucks to even worry about it?

 

[Pete D.]

primer

But, you can't measure the hight of the cups until after they

Sure you can. Get a caliper. The height difference between LRP and LPP is easy to measure.

 

[ljnowell]

Two thoughts:

1) Won't the thicker cups of rifle primers make it harder to read overpressure signs in handgun loads?
2) While it would seem that all of your current handguns have a strong enough blow to set off the thicker primers, that might not be the case for any new guns you acquire. It's probably more of an issue for a 45 ACP gun than it would be for a 44 magnum revolver, especially something striker fired.

In almost all handgun cartridges pressure signs on primers are a poor way of estimation pressures. In many, or even most, it's completely ineffective until you get to the point that it's way over pressure.

 

[buck460XVR]

I'm guessing pill bottle labeled "Large Rifle" was mixed stock.

Was it you that put them in the pill bottle or are they from someone else? If from someone else, they may very well be all "Large Rifle", just different brands or lots.

Primers are cheap, and once again readily available. If I had any doubts at all to as their type or origin, I'd do as RC said and dump them and move on. Sending pricey bullets downrange with unknown components to save .03 a piece on primers is not really cost effective.

 

[fatmanonabike]

That's great tnx for the info.