ArizonaShooting.ORG

Can you substitute small rifle primers for small pistol primers? I have a boat load of CCI 41’s but ran short on small pistol primers. I will be loading 9mm 147g for subsonic using Win 231 powder.

You can, the cups are a little harder so make sure your firing pin will set them off

Do I have to dumb down the powder and start from scratch in load development?

no

I've done it in the past without noticing any issues. I don't dumb down the load but I'm not running max loads either. YMMV

Azarmory message me what you need. If i have any I will let you use some

I normally only stock SR primers.
You dont need to do anything different until you get close to max loads.
And yes some handguns won't set them off reliably (my charter arms bulldog).

Lobo2087 wrote: ↑April 2nd, 2020, 10:56 pm Azarmory message me what you need. If i have any I will let you use some

PM’ed, thanks

this is a timely thread thanks.

I typically use SR primers for pistols unless the pistol has a light trigger job then I use Federal for their light strike ignition. SR primers will be like using SPMag primers and as long as you can light them off they will be fine... makes supply logistics a lot simpler and cost savings buying just one type in quantity.

Yeah - it really depends on the gun your going to shoot the loads thru.

What about the issue a lot of competitive shooters complain about: breechface erosion?

Competitive shooting is a special situation in that they are racing against a clock so they tend to down-load as much as possible for a softer recoil and quicker target picture. Have you ever tried the multi-tap speed shooting like you may see in IDPA or cowboy action videos- these guys do it enough they got it down but how many good hits does the average joe make when he tries it with oem ammo... (don't answer that). Often competitors have lightened triggers too which put their loads in the category using a soft primer cup such as Federal is known for.

Point is, low power loads don't always develop the required pressure to seal and under some conditions gas can leak around the mouth and primer. IMO that gas cutting is what causes most of the erosion. You don't see that on guns that shoot a steady diet of full power loads do you?

I don't think I would substitute small magnum primers.

Interesting topic. I don't have any Large Pistol Magnum primers and I'm getting ready to start loading 44 Mag. Think I'm okay using Large Rifle, and if so, should I use Magnum or regular?