44 mag question

[FullCry]

I have a 44 mag revolver and a Lee turret press and I'm about to get a set of dies for this round and all the components I need to load. I assume this round uses large pistol primers? If so can you also use large rifle primers or is this out of the question? It appears online that primers are still hard to come by so seeking an outlet if I can't find what I need. Thanks in advance for any replies, FullCry

[dogrunner]

If they seat in the case they'd likely do in a pinch.......still I'd hesitate to recommend it even tho I have personally substituted small pistol for small rifle in .30 carbine with good results..............My best suggestion is to try a couple, look for any pressure signs or ignition issues and proceed from a starting load.

Generally speaking I've found LP primers easier to get than either LR or SR........guess it's a regional matter..............Might I suggest you try some of the internet sites such as Powder Valley or Wideners..........Last time I checked both had ample stocks of Wolf primers, tho the U.S. stuff was scarce as ever.

[49willys]

I would think large rifle primers have more oomph to them than a pistol primer.Are they even the same diameter?I agree with Dogrunner,start low and be very carefull.Good Luck

[Lost Sheep]

I hope someone will come along with more specific knowledge, but in the meantime I will chime in with some second-hand knowldege.

Rifle primers are built to contain higher pressures than pistol primers, so are made of harder or thicker metal. The revolver firing pin strike's energy/momentum may not be enough to ignite the primer.

I have heard that the height of rifle primers is greater than pistol primers. If that is true, you might not be able to seat the primer deep enough to avoid the too-high primer from dragging on the recoil shield of your revolver.

The latter would be easy to check with a micrometer (or seating one and feeling/observing it with your finger/eyeball. The former could be checked by wasting a few primers by loading them in your cases (sans powder and bullet) and seeing if your revolver sets them off reliably. Or waiting until someone who knows for sure to post an answer.

Good luck

Lost Sheep

[FullCry]

I'm not going to try it. That is why I made this post. Thanks

[SL1]

Fullcry,

Large rifle primers require a deeper primer pocket than large pistol primers (because they are "higher" in the dimension along the axis of the primer/case). So, if you seat large rifle primers in a pistol case that is designed for large pistol primers, you get "high primers" sticking-out beyond the case head when they are seated as deeply as they can go.

That could be DANGEROUS because, when you fire a revolver with these primers, the gun recoils back, and as it stops going back, the cartridges continue back and bang the high primers into the recoil shield. The primers are already against the bottom of their pockets, and can't be pushed in deeper, so it is possible for the blows on the primers to fire one or more of them. Because the chambers with those cartridges are not the ones aligned with the bore, the bullet(s) may be blocked from exiting, and the chamber(s) would explode.

A lot of people don't realize that LARGE rifle primers have a different height dimension than large pistol primers, and get the idea to try swapping them because they see people swappintg SMALL rifle primers for small pistol primers. But, the situation with SMALL primers is different because the small versions both have the same height dimension.

SL1

[saudst]

Senior Member


Join Date: February 20, 2008
Location: Ohio
Posts: 131 Sure, it may help. I was only a year or less into reloading at 19 and mistakenly primed the 44 cases with CCI rifle primers and did not notice that the primers were above flush untill I was completed loading. I was smart enough not to try to seat them deeper, thought they may go off. But I was stupid enough to go ahead and shoot them any way. About 2 rounds into the first cylinder full the gun seemed to recoil more and when I looked down, 2 of the chambers to the right of the top strap were missing. I was lucky as all the explosion went over my hand and I never got touched. 25 years later and I still run my little finger over the case head as I prime and the gun hangs above my bench. Please don't do this. I have mentioned in the past not to use the rifle primers even in small pistol pockets as you take your first indicator of high presure away, flatened primers. Just my opinion, but if you are blowing pistol primers, the way to cure that is back off the charge or find another load, not a stronger primer.


Be safe, Tim.
__________________
Tim. "Fear of death will not prevent dieing, but it may prevent living".

[Sevens]

Everything else has been addressed, but I'll say that:

even tho I have personally substituted small pistol for small rifle in .30 carbine with good results...

This is a bad idea and if the results for you were "good" -- it's still a pretty bad idea. .30 Carb runs higher pressure than most typical handgun loads to begin with. And if you are hitting these primers in a rifle that was designed to pound rifle loads, you are asking for trouble.

If/when the pressure starts to leak at the primer because you short-cutted with a pistol primer when it was meant to run a rifle primer (and it's thicker rifle primer cup), take notice that it's not at all far from your eyeball when that white-hot pressure tries to leak out of there.

Tips and tricks are a good part of what we do, but when it comes at the cost of safety, it's not a great idea. If you do it then you take the risks, and I don't have a problem with that. But when it's passed off in a discussion as something a new handloader might try, it's just bad advice.