38/357 Primers

Crazy4nitro · January 24, 2007, 08:54 PM

I searched the forums but I'm just as unsure as I was before I started.

OK, I just got my 38/357 Dies today in the Mail. Now I happen to have about 1000 small rifle Primers in a Box of Goodies a friend Dropped off.

Will it be acceptable to use these in my 38/357 Loads?

Also

I have 110gr JHP bullets with Bluedot,Bullseye,2400 and lil'Gun Powders to work with,so I'm Open to any Combo's anyone might have. I have a S&W649 357 and a S&W Model 10 (38 Special) that i'm shooting so I will be plinking And I'm Not afraid to throw some Hot ones down the 649.

Thanks for listining to My rambling.

Crazy4nitro

p.s. I will be searching the powder Manf. website for their suggestions.

arkie2 · January 24, 2007, 09:11 PM

Now I happen to have about 1000 small rifle Primers in a Box of Goodies a friend Dropped off.

Will it be acceptable to use these in my 38/357 Loads?

NO!

Okay, now that I have your attention, you need to be a lot more informed than you seem to be about reloading. Have you done any reading? Several good books are available and that's the place to start, not asking this forum can you use rifle primers in pistol loads (although I have seen some on here say they do that). The proper primer for a pistol load in this case would be small pistol primer (.38) or small pistol magnum primer (.357), depending on what the reloading manual called for. Do you have a loading manual yet? I recommend Lee's Modern Reloading and The ABC's of Reloading for starters.

RERICK · January 24, 2007, 09:24 PM

Yeah what arkie2 said.

NO NO

Trapper L · January 24, 2007, 09:34 PM

Rifle primers will have a thicker cup and the pistol may not hit it hard enough to reliably set it off. Rifle primers will also burn at a different temperature rate. I would suggest using the correct primers of your choice and stay with them. If you are using a hand priming tool or a stack priming tool that uses a tube, avoid the Federal primers and use caution with the Winchesters.

Crazy4nitro · January 24, 2007, 09:37 PM

Yes I have Hornady's handbook of Cartridge reloading Hardback books Vol. 1 and 2. I find no help there
I dont mind being chewed out as I would rather ask then guess. Also as you have stated that some do interchange the primers. I believe I will just Drag my Butt down and grab some spp and be done with it vs. "Pouring a bunch of chemicals in a Drum,just to see what happens".

I am not really looking to Cut corners or be cheap,I guess I was Just fired up to have a Message board to pull together some good wise opinions.

Thanks all

Crazy4nitro

K96771 · January 24, 2007, 10:22 PM

There are no bad questions. To your credit, you asked...

XD-Guy · January 25, 2007, 07:39 AM

NO!! DON'T DO IT you need small pistol primers

sanson · January 25, 2007, 09:18 AM

I'm loading light powder charges in a .357 carbine with small Rifle primers.. working very well / my published data says to use pistol primers but using light charges what can go wrong.

Zippy06 · January 25, 2007, 12:40 PM

I agree with the other guys.

Crazy. It sounds like you have a good start. "When not sure find out/ask questions."
The guy who sold me my kit, almost regretted it. I bugged the hell out of this guy. But, I did buy my stuff from him. Back then, there was no INTERNET. And the only book he sold was from Lyman.
And he sold me on Lee.
I'm doing some .357's, in a little bit.
Have fun. Be safe. and wear safety glasses.

ECLIPSE45ACP · January 25, 2007, 12:50 PM

Primers are something ALL directions need to be followed on. Reloading in general all rules should be followed. Spend the few extra bucks and get the ones you need, better than having a nice exlosion in the reloading room.

Crazy4nitro · January 25, 2007, 06:04 PM

Case Closed,I spent a whole $2.29 for 100 small pistol Primers.
Wa-La 50 fresh 110gr JHP over 7.8gr of Blue-Dot with load data Straight from Alliant's home page. I expect a light,nice plinking load all for probably less then $3 a box.

At this Point a range report is mandatory,but due to small children it might be a lil' bit.

TY for all responses and Info

Crazy4nitro

arkie2 · January 25, 2007, 07:24 PM

Good for you and I know you'll enjoy your trip to the range. Didn't mean to jump down your throat but I'm glad you got the message.

Crazy4nitro · January 25, 2007, 07:29 PM

Shoot,
That was nothing,I'm Thick skinned. I'm a Devil's advocate usually so I'm used to a good debate. Although Your point was Good as things can go wrong QUICK..
C-ya 'Round.

Crazy4nitro

Jim Watson · January 25, 2007, 08:33 PM

At one time, Federal did not make a Small Pistol Magnum primer. They recommended using their Small Rifle Standard primer in .357 Magnum reloads.

I did some trials with the Winchester small primer .45NT versus regular .45ACP. A Small Pistol Magnum primer in NT brass gave higher velocity and presumably higher chamber pressure than Small Rifle Standard.

There are some other applications but I would be accused of contributing to the delinquency of a handloader (per Jeff Cooper.)

**44 AMP** · January 28, 2007, 03:58 PM

Glad to see you went out and got the right stuff. If it were an end of the civilized world situation, and small rifle primers were all you had, with no chance of getting any orthers, it could be done, adjusting loads for the higher pressures you are going to get, and of course, running the risk of your gun having misfires (due to the thicker primier cup).

Since we are not in that situation, there is no need to "make do".

Don't use rifle primers in pistols unless the manufacturer recommends it. Don't use Magnum primers for loads where they are not needed. All it does is increase the pressure (sometimes drastically), and often is actually detrimental to accuracy with light loads.

Primers are cheap. Buy a carton of each and you are covered for quite a while.

dodgestdshift · January 29, 2007, 09:33 AM

4Nitro:

Take extra care when sorting your cases so you don't put a 357 magnum load in a 38 special case. If shot in your 357 it could cause problems because of space difference in the smaller case. When shot in your 38 special the results could be disasterous, since once the case is loaded you can't tell what the load is, and the 38 special is not make to take 357 pressures.

January 24, 2007, 08:54 PM	#1
Crazy4nitro Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2007 Location: Lou-a-vul KY Posts: 142	38/357 Primers I searched the forums but I'm just as unsure as I was before I started. OK, I just got my 38/357 Dies today in the Mail. Now I happen to have about 1000 small rifle Primers in a Box of Goodies a friend Dropped off. Will it be acceptable to use these in my 38/357 Loads? Also I have 110gr JHP bullets with Bluedot,Bullseye,2400 and lil'Gun Powders to work with,so I'm Open to any Combo's anyone might have. I have a S&W649 357 and a S&W Model 10 (38 Special) that i'm shooting so I will be plinking And I'm Not afraid to throw some Hot ones down the 649. Thanks for listining to My rambling. Crazy4nitro p.s. I will be searching the powder Manf. website for their suggestions.

January 24, 2007, 09:37 PM	#5
Crazy4nitro Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2007 Location: Lou-a-vul KY Posts: 142	Yes I have Hornady's handbook of Cartridge reloading Hardback books Vol. 1 and 2. I find no help there I dont mind being chewed out as I would rather ask then guess. Also as you have stated that some do interchange the primers. I believe I will just Drag my Butt down and grab some spp and be done with it vs. "Pouring a bunch of chemicals in a Drum,just to see what happens". I am not really looking to Cut corners or be cheap,I guess I was Just fired up to have a Message board to pull together some good wise opinions. Thanks all Crazy4nitro Last edited by Crazy4nitro; January 24, 2007 at 09:41 PM. Reason: typo

January 24, 2007, 10:22 PM	#6
K96771 Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 2006 Location: NJ Pinelands Posts: 120	There are no bad questions. To your credit, you asked... __________________ Tom

January 25, 2007, 12:40 PM	#9
Zippy06 Senior Member Join Date: January 1, 2007 Location: S.E. MI Posts: 117	I agree with the other guys. Crazy. It sounds like you have a good start. "When not sure find out/ask questions." The guy who sold me my kit, almost regretted it. I bugged the hell out of this guy. But, I did buy my stuff from him. Back then, there was no INTERNET. And the only book he sold was from Lyman. And he sold me on Lee. I'm doing some .357's, in a little bit. Have fun. Be safe. and wear safety glasses. __________________ Zippy06. U.S.N. Vet. NRA. Lee Turret(circa 1986). 9mm, .357 Mag., .40 S&W, .223 Rem., .30-30 Win., .308 Win. G17, S&W 686, G22C, Colt H-Bar, Marlin, Savage 10FP. Be safe. Be happy

January 28, 2007, 03:58 PM	#15
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,835	No, don't... Glad to see you went out and got the right stuff. If it were an end of the civilized world situation, and small rifle primers were all you had, with no chance of getting any orthers, it could be done, adjusting loads for the higher pressures you are going to get, and of course, running the risk of your gun having misfires (due to the thicker primier cup). Since we are not in that situation, there is no need to "make do". Don't use rifle primers in pistols unless the manufacturer recommends it. Don't use Magnum primers for loads where they are not needed. All it does is increase the pressure (sometimes drastically), and often is actually detrimental to accuracy with light loads. Primers are cheap. Buy a carton of each and you are covered for quite a while. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

January 24, 2007, 09:11 PM	#2
arkie2 Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2006 Posts: 475	Now I happen to have about 1000 small rifle Primers in a Box of Goodies a friend Dropped off. Will it be acceptable to use these in my 38/357 Loads? NO! Okay, now that I have your attention, you need to be a lot more informed than you seem to be about reloading. Have you done any reading? Several good books are available and that's the place to start, not asking this forum can you use rifle primers in pistol loads (although I have seen some on here say they do that). The proper primer for a pistol load in this case would be small pistol primer (.38) or small pistol magnum primer (.357), depending on what the reloading manual called for. Do you have a loading manual yet? I recommend Lee's Modern Reloading and The ABC's of Reloading for starters.

January 24, 2007, 09:24 PM	#3
RERICK Junior member Join Date: July 9, 2005 Posts: 369	Yeah what arkie2 said. NO NO

January 24, 2007, 09:34 PM	#4
Trapper L Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 804	Rifle primers will have a thicker cup and the pistol may not hit it hard enough to reliably set it off. Rifle primers will also burn at a different temperature rate. I would suggest using the correct primers of your choice and stay with them. If you are using a hand priming tool or a stack priming tool that uses a tube, avoid the Federal primers and use caution with the Winchesters.

January 25, 2007, 07:39 AM	#7
XD-Guy Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2006 Posts: 102	NO!! DON'T DO IT you need small pistol primers

January 25, 2007, 09:18 AM	#8
sanson Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2006 Location: FL panhandle Posts: 547	I'm loading light powder charges in a .357 carbine with small Rifle primers.. working very well / my published data says to use pistol primers but using light charges what can go wrong.

January 25, 2007, 12:50 PM	#10
ECLIPSE45ACP Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 177	Primers are something ALL directions need to be followed on. Reloading in general all rules should be followed. Spend the few extra bucks and get the ones you need, better than having a nice exlosion in the reloading room.

January 25, 2007, 06:04 PM	#11
Crazy4nitro Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2007 Location: Lou-a-vul KY Posts: 142	Case Closed,I spent a whole $2.29 for 100 small pistol Primers. Wa-La 50 fresh 110gr JHP over 7.8gr of Blue-Dot with load data Straight from Alliant's home page. I expect a light,nice plinking load all for probably less then $3 a box. At this Point a range report is mandatory,but due to small children it might be a lil' bit. TY for all responses and Info Crazy4nitro

January 25, 2007, 07:24 PM	#12
arkie2 Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2006 Posts: 475	Good for you and I know you'll enjoy your trip to the range. Didn't mean to jump down your throat but I'm glad you got the message.

January 25, 2007, 07:29 PM	#13
Crazy4nitro Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2007 Location: Lou-a-vul KY Posts: 142	Shoot, That was nothing,I'm Thick skinned. I'm a Devil's advocate usually so I'm used to a good debate. Although Your point was Good as things can go wrong QUICK.. C-ya 'Round. Crazy4nitro

January 25, 2007, 08:33 PM	#14
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,542	At one time, Federal did not make a Small Pistol Magnum primer. They recommended using their Small Rifle Standard primer in .357 Magnum reloads. I did some trials with the Winchester small primer .45NT versus regular .45ACP. A Small Pistol Magnum primer in NT brass gave higher velocity and presumably higher chamber pressure than Small Rifle Standard. There are some other applications but I would be accused of contributing to the delinquency of a handloader (per Jeff Cooper.)

January 29, 2007, 09:33 AM	#16
dodgestdshift Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2002 Location: Marilla, N.Y. (outside Buffalo N.Y.) Posts: 113	4Nitro: Take extra care when sorting your cases so you don't put a 357 magnum load in a 38 special case. If shot in your 357 it could cause problems because of space difference in the smaller case. When shot in your 38 special the results could be disasterous, since once the case is loaded you can't tell what the load is, and the 38 special is not make to take 357 pressures. __________________ The shortest distance between two politicians is through your wallet. Don N.