Obviously, this hasn’t been much of an issue until now but I’m in the situation where I could use pistol primers where I would normally use a rifle primer.
Fortunately, I found some small pistol primers on the store shelf today (Scheels at $3.99/100ct) and am wondering, what the limitations on using these primers are?

I am an enthusiast of Rook Rifles and shooting rifles chambered in pistol cartridges.

My assumption is that low pressure pistol/rook cartridges will do just fine with a pistol primer depending on firing pin design and hammer spring strength (regarding possibility of primer puncture).

Am I correct in my understanding that pistol primers are simply made of thinner material to allow a pistol’s firing pin to ignite the primer with a strike that is lighter than a rifle’s hammer strike?

I'm not sure there's much difference in cup thickness/hardness of standard small rifle primers and standard small pistol primers. Different brands might vary some bit. However, to be on the safe side, I would limit the pressures when used for a rifle cartridge to the upper limit for most high-intensity handgun cartridges. I've used them in .22 Hornets at around 40K -- 45K PSI. I doubt you would have any trouble with them in a Rook Rifle cartridge.

I cut pistol primers off at about 40-K.
they will take a little more, but that's my rule of thumb.

as a precaution I'd snap a couple off in the rifle in question the SP's are a little shorter.

From what I recall reading the only difference
between them is how long the fire lasts.

George

quote:

My assumption is that low pressure pistol/rook cartridges will do just fine with a pistol primer depending on firing pin design and hammer spring strength (regarding possibility of primer puncture).

I do not change a thing when loading for my pistol caliber carbines.

If the cartridges call for a pistol primer I load a pistol primer.

It would not brother me to use them in similar pressured rounds.

Small rifle and small pistol primers are the same height. Large rifle primers are a bit taller(.123) than large pistol primers (.115). I have used large pistol primers in a rifle with no ignition problems but you could run into problems going the other way.
C.G.B.

I always thought that pistol primers were thinner because of smaller/potentially weaker ignition systems. I have no data to back that up. It must exist somewhere. And I do what Stone said; limit them to 40K stuff. And I do use pistol primers in black powder cartridges like 45-70 and 40-65 without issue.

Starline makes a couple of cases for large handgun rounds cut for LR primers. I read plenty of posts from shooters who use LP primers in these cases with no firing issues.

I use small rifle primers in my .218 Bee---No Problem, very accurate! In some of my rifle calibers (.30-30 .35 Rem. 45-70 .30-06 (med loads) and most of my cast bullet plinking/practice loads
and any fouling shots I use CCI Large Pistol Magnum primers due to the fact that I have 7-8 thousand of them. They shoot fine for what I use them for. They do SEAT DEEPER in the case though. They do react like the cups are thinner!
WATCH FOR PIERCED PRIMERS !!!

Hip

I have also found that small pistol primers work very well with "rook" type cartridges and others like 25-20, 32-20, 22 Hornet and 218 Bee. I figure if small pistol primers are rated for 9mm Luger and even 357 Sig, they're tough enough for those mentioned above.

I have also used large pistol primers for various older, low-pressure rifle rounds with great success, either with black powder or with low pressure smokeless loads. A couple of rifles that come to mind were both hammer rifles with rather anemic mainsprings or bad firing pin geometry; they wouldn't reliably ignite large rifle primers, but worked great with large pistol primers even though the LP primers have a shorter cup.

And the point being?? I use rifle primers in rifles and pistol primers in pistols..I do believe that standard 210 are as good as 215s, and couldn't prove any difference in testing, Never the less I have always used magnum primers in magnum caliber rifles and standards in non belted calibers without problems.

I have never had problems with ball powders and std. 210 primers and its a printed no no in many magazines. In fact I get better accuracy using std primers with H414, ww760,CFE-223, H322, H335 to name a few.. Got one ignition problem with a too lite charge of H322 and H335, upped both 1.5 and 2 grs and the problem went away.

I guess the real point is "YOU GOTTA USE WHUT YA HAV"!

Hip

There is a very good article in depth article on primers in CBA's "The Fouling Shot" No. 270 (Mar-Apr 2021).

Had a situation years ago where a friend's '92 Winchester in .44-40 would not stabilize bullets loaded with pistol primers, but the same load worked perfectly with rifle primers.

It was probably an effect caused by the specific powder used (Somchem S265) being pretty hard to ignite, but this powder is probably not found in the US.

I guess there's no harm in trying.

The 44-40 and 38-40 are suggested to use standard rifle primers, even if shot in a pistol. I use FEd 210s in my 38-40..

I suppose if it could get to the point where some will have to use what they can get..

In my case, I'll just have to shoot up what I have loaded, that should take me another 86 years..