Dropped a Pan of Small Pistol Primers

[gifbohane]

Dropped a tray of Small RIFLE Primers (correction)

So I picked them all up and put them into the RCBS bench primer loader.

I loaded them all up and proceeded to prime 100 223 carts. Except I had 2 left over, meaning I swept 2 previously "lost" primers from around the bench.

So I "could" have loaded a small pistol primer into a 223 that requires a small rifle primer.

Any way to find the two possible errors by measurement? Or just take it in the shorts and deprime all of them?

 

[Walkalong]

You know the answer.

 

[LiveLife]

You know the answer.

Good thing it wasn't 1000.

Any way to find the two possible errors by measurement? Or just take it in the shorts and deprime all of them?

Check the anvil side of primer to see if the sealant color is different. If so, you can shine a light down the case or drop a fiber optic/bore scope to see if you can tell the difference.

If you can't tell the difference, it's depriming time.

 

[1KPerDay]

Shoot them. The two you pierce are the winners.

 

[John Joseph]

I'd shoot 'em
If they're not small rifle, they're small pistol.
A slight loss of performance at best. A squib at the worst.
Pay attention.

 

[SouthGA]

I'd shoot 'em
If they're not small rifle, they're small pistol.
A slight loss of performance at best. A squib at the worst.
Pay attention.

If these are not mixed with a larger population already, my opinion as well, emphasizing the pay attention.

 

[Walkalong]

You may be able to look down in the cases and see the coloring of the primer sealant and find the wrong one.

Whoops, @LiveLife beat me to it.

 

[George P]

I'd shoot them..........go from there

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I am sure that you have taken a close look at your cases to see if there were slight difference with the primers.

 

[ballman6711]

Look at the color on the anvil side of the two you have left over.

1) They are two different colors. You loaded one pistol primer.

2) They are the same color. You may have loaded two pistol primers or you may have loaded all rifle primers.
2a) Compare the color of the two primers to your package of unused small rifle and unused small pistol primers to determine whether your two leftover primers are rifle or pistol.

Hopefully your rifle and pistol primers have different colored anvils.

chris

 

[buba68]

I'd shoot 'em
If they're not small rifle, they're small pistol.
A slight loss of performance at best. A squib at the worst.
Pay attention.

Yes

 

[Demi-human]

At the worst?
A blown off tip of firing pin, rendering the rifle useless for the remainder of the range trip, and until a new pin can be purchased and installed...

When we have no other components and know the risk we are taking, experimenting with less than compatible options, and loading accordingly, perhaps.

But making a mistake and following up on it with machismo could cost more than the reworking of brass prep. What is it? Twenty minutes to punch them all, find the two red ones, and prime them again?
A small investment for a good range trip and the saving of parts money that I’d rather spend on bullets...

 

[whughett]

So I’ve confused my self again. You dropped a pan of small PISTOL primers, picked up 102 so two may have been what ????

 

[gifbohane]

So I’ve confused my self again. You dropped a pan of small PISTOL primers, picked up 102 so two may have been what ????

WHUG- Yeah you are right. I was so pissed off (at myself) that I wrote the heading wrong. It should have read I dropped a tray of Small Rifle Primers and picked up all of them and two extra that could have been small pistol primers. Because I only use 2 types of primers small rifle and small pistol. And those 2 extra could have been there since my last session with pistol.

Of course I did this at a time when primers are more valuable that paper towel rolls and condoms.

 

[whughett]

I’ve used numerous SR’s in Revolver loads but never other way round. What did you decide. I’ve de-capped live primers and reused several times over the years.

 

[JJFitch]

Shoot um' !

Some AR's require extra hard primers to avoid SLAM FIRES!

AR's have floating firing pins and may in fact "SLAM FIRE" with some SRP's or any SPP! !

While firing the questionable ammo keep it pointed down range while loading and charging and under your control incase of a SLAM FIRE!!

I have done a variety of primer test scenarios. On the day I did my tests using "my" AR I was testing CCI and Winchester SRP's and SPP's. No pierced primers, no slam fires and no change in POA/POI!

Chances are you will not notice the difference! Just do not make this a practice.

Smiles,

P.S.: Two pierced primers will not destroy you AR!

 

[jmorris]

I’d box them primer up and see if “one of these things is not like the others.”, preferably two.

 

[Blue68f100]

Are you sure 2 were not spent primers that got a way?

In either case you will/may found out when you fire them.

If it is SP you will likely have slam fire due to a much softer cap.

 

[gifbohane]

What did you decide. I’ve de-capped live primers and reused several times over the years.

WHUG I pulled the primers this morning. Will examine them as others have suggested. So far I put them in a plastic bag with a note "Use for Armagedden"

Blue No there are unfired primers.

Case closed, lesson learned, now onto the next mistake.

 

[rsrocket1]

You know you can use small rifle primers for pistol ammo right? Do you load for handguns. If so, you just got yourself 102 small pistol primers!

Unless you shoot a rare revolver with ultra weak springs, you can almost always use SRP's in SPP applications. I don't shoot tip top max loads, but I've never measured a chronographed difference between SPP and SRP loaded ammo. I've even used small rifle magnum primers in 9/40/38/357 loads during the last primer shortage and never had a problem. I don't use pistol primers in my .223/5.56 loads but I never hesitate using SRP's in handguns. 90% of the time I buy only CCI 400's because they work in all small primer ammo for me. I even have a couple boxes of Remington small rifle bench rest primers that I'll probably use on 9 or 40 range fodder if this primer shortage goes beyond the start of the year just because I got them for $25/box earlier this year.

 

[Demi-human]

Of course I did this at a time when primers are more valuable that paper towel rolls and condoms.

It is easy enough to find two out of a hundred, even using calipers and measuring every single one. Two will definitely be different than the rest. No big deal. Reuse them when there’re are separated. What else would you do with them anyway? No worries, man, worse things have been done.
Chin up, carry on...