Recipe Question - Primers

[Ribbler]

I'm a brand new reloader. I obtained the following recipe for reloading .40 S&W cases from the Manufacturer's manual for:

180 JHP

Barrell Length: 4.0"
Primer: Win. W.S.P.
Powder: Bullseye
Charge Weight: 5.5 grains
FPS: 1,015
PSI: 33,900

I loaded 40 shells and then realized that I had used CCI primers instead of the Win. W.S.P.s. Is this a problem? What difference might these primers make? Should I start over or am I safe to fire these rounds? Thanks in advance.

 

[MaterDei]

Hi Ribbler and welcome to The High Road.

Different primers do indeed have different characteristics such are their hardness, etc. Some even seem to work better or worse with various types of brass. Other than that, provided they are the same size (small vs. large) and type (rifle vs. pistol, magnum vs. standard), they are interchangeable and I wouldn't be hesitant to fire them at all if I were you.

Happy shooting!

 

[Ribbler]

Thanks MaterDei, I did fail to mention that both primers are small pistol primers. I'll shoot em'!

 

[Werewolf]

Well - actually...

In the latest Lyman Reloading Manual (I think that's where I read it - Might be the ABC's of reloading) there's an article about primers and pressure.

There can be as much as 2000 PSI difference in firing pressures between comparable primers. If IIRC WSP are on the high side because Winchester doesn't make a magnum pistol primer per se'.

However since the WSP gives 33,900 adding 2000 to that is above the max SAAMI spec for .40S&W (35,000) you may be pushing the limit.

 

[redneck2]

Is this "starting load" or max load? If it's on the low end, I'd probably use them. If it's max, you may want to think it over. Winchester primers are the hottest available, so I suspect they would have the highest pressure, but that's only a guess.

Since Bullseye is a very fast powder, and the 40 is a high pressure round anyway, a little overcharge would have a big effect, as would too deep of bullet seating (short OAL)

Bullseye will work, but remember that the slower the powder is, the more forgiving it is and the longer your cases will last. In my 10mm, I like AA5 for mid-range stuff. It's slower than Bullseye and therefore more forgiving to minor load variations. Also meters super well. With Bullseye, double charges may be hard to detect. With something in the range of AA5 or slower, the case would probably overflow with a double, or at least be close to the top.

FWIW...most guys that are starting out want to max out their loads. Macho thing I guess....bigger, badder, tougher, faster. As maturity sets in, you'll figure out that you can only kill paper about so dead and lower end loads are more fun, cheaper, and safer to shoot...and the paper is still just as dead

 

[Black Snowman]

The CCIs should be lower pressure than the WSP. Your load should be fine.

My favorite powders for 40 S&W are Tite-Group, Universal, and AA #7. They give some of the best velocities for the pressure, are low flash, clean burning and all seem capable of excellent accuracy.

My favorite primers are CCI because they tend to be the hardest to ignite and if my guns work for them I know they'll work with any factory ammo. Plus if I'm seating primers too shallow it will show up more easily as light strikes. This also makes them hard to ignite when you don't want them too. Like when they sometimes get mangled in my progressive press.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Gentlemen: With extensive testing and experimenting using a cronograph and Winchester primers and CCI primers I can tell you that the loads that he built using CCI primers will not be as powerful as if he had used WSP. There is approximately on average of 100 to 200 fps between them, CCI being the slower. He is safe to shoot them. Yeahhh we all said it...

 

[stans]

Yep, seems to me that my experience has been that Winchester primers are a little "hotter" than CCI. I guess that is why Winchester does not even make a large pistol magnum primer, but CCI does. I have also found that CCI primers are the hardest to ignite. They also seem to be harder to seat if the primer pocket is on the tight side.

 

[lee n. field]

I'm a brand new reloader. I obtained the following recipe for reloading .40 S&W cases from the Manufacturer's manual for:

That is going to be a maximum load, and you need to work up from 10% under that.