I would appreciate any feed back on what you think about the two primers on the left. The two on the left have a mound instead of a normal primer dimple. All 5 rounds had the same load of 17grns h110 (.5grns below max) and 158 grn JSP. velocity was around 1120 out of a S&W 19-4 4" barrel. .357 mag.

The firing pin bounced back & was not in contact with the primer from an over load that will soon or later break a model 19.

I agree with 243nxb, the K frame smiths are not made to take that kind of punishment. If you have the need for speed from a 357Mag get a Ruger or step up to an L or N frame Smith. With that load and the look of those primers you are pressure testing your revolver with every shot.

That's a bummer. I just loaded up a bunch of those...

I had always thought they were made for that kind of punishment. Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate it.

Well, in that case you obviously have an urgent need for a new pistol. It's kismet.

Jerry Liles

The left cases are normal high pressure primers that have "flowed" back into the face of the breech plate and pushed the hammer back.
A change in the brand of primers,non-magnum primers being used can cause this as well.

quote:

Originally posted by 243winxb:
The firing pin bounced back & was not in contact with the primer from an over load that will soon or later break a model 19.

quote:

Originally posted by Luckyducker:
I agree with 243nxb, the K frame smiths are not made to take that kind of punishment. If you have the need for speed from a 357Mag get a Ruger or step up to an L or N frame Smith. With that load and the look of those primers you are pressure testing your revolver with every shot.

I would like to know on what basis you two make these statements. Despite the fact these loads should be hot these primers show no evidence of high pressure. They are as round as they came out of the shipping tray. I see no evidence whatsoever of high pressure. I have seen this phenomenon many times before and I have never correlated it with high pressure.

You are 0.3 grains over Hodgdon's recommended max load. It's very surprising these primers are not flat. Tell me, were you able to detect any inconsistency in the shots? Did they seem as potent as a maximum or near max load? Did you store and transport them with the bullets down? I had a problem once with 454 Casull, H110, don't remember the particulars. The loads were weak and erratic though they should have been potent and I had one misfire sticking a bullet which was hard to get out. I dreaded the prospect of tossing or pulling 200 rounds. I came up with an idea: place the cartridges bullet up and shake them so the powder could infiltrate the space between the primer and the case. These weak and erratic loads suddenly became potent and consistent due to the effect of having a couple of tenths of a grain of powder in close proximity to the primer. I am eager for you to try this as I am trying to develop some knowledge of the effect of fine grain powders infiltrating the primer space.

You can shoot some hot magnum loads out of your 19 just know it is not as durable as a heavier more robust revolver and will not last indefinitely as a Ruger on an N frame might.

Call the company that made the primers and get an e-mail address, send them your photo and ask what they think.

quote:

Originally posted by Suwannee Tim:

[ . . . ]

[QUOTE]You can shoot some hot magnum loads out of your 19 just know it is not as durable as a heavier more robust revolver and will not last indefinitely as a Ruger on an N frame might.

Agree completely. We have J, K and L frame .357s, but our practice rounds are almost always .38 Spl. We do keep them loaded with .357s for protection.

quote:

Call the company that made the primers and get an e-mail address, send them your photo and ask what they think.

Excellent advice: but it might be easier to simply email them the URL of this thread and the pictures you posted here.

I'd appreciate hearing what you learn from them . . . I've never seen excessive pressure manifested in this way, and if can be I'd sure like to know. (I'm skeptical, because I'd expect the other primers to be at least a little abnormal.)

How difficult is extraction? How closely have the charges been measured with regard to uniformity?

It's interesting how the primers can look so different when loaded in the same brass with the same load.

quote:

You are 0.3 grains over Hodgdon's recommended max load. It's very surprising these primers are not flat. Tell me, were you able to detect any inconsistency in the shots? Did they seem as potent as a maximum or near max load? Did you store and transport them with the bullets down? I had a problem once with 454 Casull, H110, don't remember the particulars. The loads were weak and erratic though they should have been potent and I had one misfire sticking a bullet which was hard to get out. I dreaded the prospect of tossing or pulling 200 rounds. I came up with an idea: place the cartridges bullet up and shake them so the powder could infiltrate the space between the primer and the case. These weak and erratic loads suddenly became potent and consistent due to the effect of having a couple of tenths of a grain of powder in close proximity to the primer. I am eager for you to try this as I am trying to develop some knowledge of the effect of fine grain powders infiltrating the primer space.

You can shoot some hot magnum loads out of your 19 just know it is not as durable as a heavier more robust revolver and will not last indefinitely as a Ruger on an N frame might.

Call the company that made the primers and get an e-mail address, send them your photo and ask what they think.

1. I was using Speer bullets and used data from a speer manual showing 17.5grains as max (I worked up to and then loaded the rest at 17) .

2. There was no inconsistency in the shots, I was actually surprised by the nice group they made.

3. They were transported bullet down

Other info: The loads were measured from an RCBS uni-flow measurer and double checked every 5 rounds for consistency. They were not hard to extract from the cylinder after firing.

I will try and contact CCI and reply with their response.