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Old February 21, 2000, 12:18 PM   #1
Bill in NM
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Had what my wife would call an "oopsy" yesterday, and need some input. After working on taxes (ugh!), went out and loaded up a hundred rounds of .243 for my AR-10. Was going to load up some more today (That thing goes through ammo like Clinto goes through cigars at an intern convention), and noticed that my empty box of primers said "Large Pistol". Looking at them, sure enough, I did use the wrong primers. After a couple minutes of saying bad words, I figured I'd ask for some help. Should I pull these rounds apart, or should they be OK? If it matters, I am right at max load of 41.2gr of Win 760, and this is strictly plinking ammo, nothing serious. I'd rather not have to pull them apart, but I'd rather do that than have a dangerous situation arise.

Thanks!
Bill
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Old February 21, 2000, 12:44 PM   #2
Mal H
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What brand are the LP primers? I can't give you my opinion until I know that. But, I can say for a fact that you shouldn't use W760 with them. If you do go ahead based on the advice you get here, you should consider pulling the bullets and using a powder that is easier to ignite like I4895 or Varget, for example. W760 usually requires a LR Magnum primer, although it isn't an absolute requirement.
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Old February 21, 2000, 02:51 PM   #3
Bill in NM
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Sorry, meant to include that info. I usually use WLR, but these are some old Winchester Staynless Large Pistol primers that were my fathers before he passed away several years ago. The Staynless primers work great in my .45ACP. Been using WLR's with 760 with no problem.
Should I consider using mag primers for the .243 if I plan on using 760?
Thanks,
Bill
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Old February 21, 2000, 03:43 PM   #4
Mal H
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Well, the decision to try them is strictly yours. I will tell you what I would do - I'd go ahead and try one. If that one worked, I'd try another. When I have tried all 100 and they all worked, I'd say it's safe to do. It's sort of like testing all your matches before you go into the wilderness.

Just be aware that you are using old primers that are a little less powerful than the suggested primer with a powder that is a little harder to ignite. I checked about 6 different manuals, all of them except Speer said standard LR primers are ok with W760. I had only looked at the Speer manual originally.

You've probably figured this out already - it is a good idea to keep your pistol and rifle primers in separate locations. I keep my rifle primers and rifle powders together on one shelf (but not too close together) and the pistol stuff on another.


[This message has been edited by Mal H (edited February 21, 2000).]
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Old February 21, 2000, 05:29 PM   #5
Art Eatman
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IF you just go ahead and shoot: The odds are you'll get somewhat weak ignition. They'll go bang, and probably won't develop any over-pressure (probably under-pressure). I'd expect poor accuracy due to a wide spread of velocities...

FWIW, Art
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Old February 21, 2000, 05:39 PM   #6
Bill in NM
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Mal,
Thanks. If nothing else, I learned several things from this incident.

1. Keep 'em seperated. Thanks. They are on seperate shelves in one cabinet.
2. That Mag primers might be a good idea for 760.
3. Never reload after working on taxes!!

Ok, IF I do decide to try these, what signs should I look for? My thinking is that with Pistol primers, pressure should be lower. Is this a correct assumption?
Thanks again
Bill
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Old February 21, 2000, 08:20 PM   #7
Cougar
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USE WITH EXTREME CAUTION!!!!

Just a thought...

I had heard once that rifle primers are made with a harder metal cup that can contain the pressures of a rifle (high pressure) round of ammunition. Think about it. A .38SPL has a pressure of 18,000psi. A .357 runs about 30,000. A .308 runs 55,000psi or so.

I would not want to be behind that rifle when it is fired for the first time. I would have the rifle held in a rest and pull the trigger with a string. You might get a pierced primer and blowback gasses in the face.

You could call Winchester's tech line and ask their opinion, but I would bet that they will tell you NOT to use your loads with the incorrect components just from a liability standpoint.

Personally, I would dismantle your misloads. Better safe than sorry.
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Old February 21, 2000, 09:16 PM   #8
killer45auto
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I agree with couger I know for a fact that when you use the .454 casull you use rifle primers cause of the cup which is 60,000 and most regular pistol primers are not rated for that kind of cup pressure so i would dismantle myself

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Old February 21, 2000, 11:32 PM   #9
Mal H
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Cougar's safety admonitions are very good. You should think seriously about whether you really don't want to spend the effort to go ahead and just pull the bullets.

You will have broken the cardinal rule of reloading - always reduce your powder load by 10% whenever any component is changed.

The difference between pistol and rifle primer cups is not the material they are made of, it's the same for both, but rifle primer cups are anywhere from .003" to .009" thicker depending on the manufacturer.
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Old February 22, 2000, 02:09 PM   #10
Bill in NM
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Thanks to all for the information. As much as I hate to, I think that they're going to be pulled tonight. It all comes down to a bit of time wasted vs. damage to me and/or my rifle. It just annoys the hell out of me that I did it in the first place.
Thanks again,
Bill
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