Domed primers

[tightgroup tiger]

Anyone know when they quit using domed primers?

I have a bunch of it from my father, father in law, and uncles from way back when.

Some of this stuff in the last picture, I bought in in the 1990's or before. The old stuff with domed primers is what I'm asking about.

 

[gamestalker]

Cool, I can't say I've ever noticed that before with the old stuff. I'm gonna have to dig out some of my old collector stash and see if they also have them.

Thanks for sharing.

GS

 

[GRIZ22]

I have some GI 45 from 1968 with domed primers. I started reloading in 1973 and never saw any domed primers.

So I would narrow it down they stopped making them between 68 and 73.

 

[ReloaderFred]

You could still get both when I started reloading in 1963. Hollywood made primer posts with both cupped and flat seating punches to accommodate both types. You could still buy large and small primed .38 Special and .357 Magnum brass then, too.

I've got primers that were made in Japan for Herters, and Vhitavouri primers, too. Both are from awhile back..........

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Gearhead Jim]

I bought a 1,000 rd case of civilian Winchester .45 ACP ball in about 1979, they were loaded with (large) domed primers. Of course, I can't be sure when that ammo was actually manufactured but believe it was reasonably new.

IIRC, most factory ammo at that time was using flat primers.

 

[rcmodel]

You could still get both when I started reloading in 1963. Hollywood made primer posts with both cupped and flat seating punches to accommodate both types.

1962 here.
My first Herter's press came with both Sm & Lg, Flat and Cupped primer seating punches.

It was a pain in the butt changing them back and forth all the time for a while.

Then, they just went away!!

No idea when that was, but before 1970 would be my best guess.

I got a new RCBS Rockchucker in 70 or 71, and it only came with flat punches.

rc

 

[ants]

I started in 1968, I didn't see any domed primers at all. They must have been gone by then.

 

[Offfhand]

For you youngsters (Meaning anyone who has been reloading for less than 50 years.) here's what a domed primer looks like. They came boxed in wood trays and back when I was in high school and running a part-time reloading business I used these by the thousands.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

That is really cool! That's the same color scheme as my .357mag loads.

Thanks for all the reply's, I didn't start reloading until 1972 so these are before my time. The domed primers look really neat and I almost wish they were still in production but I bet they were a lot harder on the priming assy than the flat one are.
I can see these getting crooked on the primer assy. They couldn't have been to bad, they used them for a long, long time.

Offfhand, thanks for posting that picture.

 

[JimKirk]

I started reloading in 1965 and don't remember any dome type primers at that time ...

Like RC ... I got my RCBS Rockchucker in 1969 and it also only had flat primer punches ...

I have a few "100 count" trays of Remington Small Pistol from about '67/'68 and they are flat...

 

[rogn]

Started reloading somewhere around 1958 using a 310 tong tool. The primers came in wooden slotted trays like those shown, but I cant remember ever seeing domed primers for reloading. I wonder if the retail sports stores were biased against them. None of the presses I acquired over time-CH and Lyman had domed punches. Loaded in that era for 222 Rem, 308W, 357, 38 spl, 22 jet, 7X57, and 30-06 all w/ flat primers. Again it could have been a retail bias.

 

[jcwit]

Still have some that I'm using.

 

[col.lemat]

In my Sierria rifle reloading manual copyright 1985 on page 22 they say " Most of the primers today are of the flat type." Then go on to mention to be sure and have the correct primer seating punch.
I have seen them in ammunition but have never given it a thought until just two days ago when I came across it gathering material for a class presentation on reloading. Started reloading in the late 1960's before there was data for the .223/5.56mm in any of the manuals. My conclusion is that I must have never bought any that I know of and always used the "flats"

 

[GaryL]

For you youngsters (Meaning anyone who has been reloading for less than 50 years.) here's what a domed primer looks like. They came boxed in wood trays and back when I was in high school and running a part-time reloading business I used these by the thousands.

Interesting. Made me look at my stash of old boxes of primers. I have 2 100 rnd boxes of Win Staynless (No 115). One box is somewhat abused. They are blue background with no yellow. I had never noticed that they are domed.

Any special trick to using those on a press with a flat cup, or is that a no-no?

I had thoughts of using up the loose ones from the damaged box.

 

[rcmodel]

Yea.

Wouldn't be prudent to use a flat punch on domed primers.

No health risk I suppose.

But you would do a lot of rearranging of the anvil and primer pellet getting them seated.

I suppose that would be fairly harmless on low pressure pistol primer range loads.

But I sure wouldn't recommend it on high pressure rifle calibers.

rc

 

[GaryL]

Thanks for info rc.

I probably wouldn't have used them anyway. But now they'll get relegated to man-cave museum duty.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I found a reference in Phillip B Sharp's "Complete Guide to Handloading" copyright 1937 where Remington Kleenbore primers were always flat and Winchester and Westerns were slightly convex. Page 65 on bottom left of page. Apparently the domed primers go way back.

I tried to copy it for reference but it won't up load.

I found these old 38 spl from the early 1950s also and they are domed also. I think they may be older than the other one I posted. They have the Staynless primers that are domed also.

So both shapes apparently have been around for a long, long time.