Sometime back I read where a shutin used rifle primers in his pistols, all colt SA and m-92 win. in calibers 44-40, 45 colt..Having a 38-40 I considered it but never got around to it, as I couldn't find any information on it...Has anyone here done that, I didn't think they would even fit??

Rifle primers share the same diameter as Pistol primers, but rifle primers are taller and shouldn't be used in pistol ammo. I suppose the primer pockets in the pistol brass could be reamed deeper to so that the rifle primers would sit flush after seating, which would be okay if the load was worked up from scratch with these primers due to higher chamber pressures than when using pistol primers. Another consideration is the cup used in rifle primers is thicker and one might have trouble with a pistol ignition system hitting them hard enough to detonate. Ran into this loading 454C brass into a 45LC and using small rifle primers for my Ruger Vaquero, these primers worked good until I changed out the Vaquero hammer for a standard Blackhawk hammer and started getting misfires.

Small pistol and small rifle primers are the same dimensions size-wise.

Isn’t the .454 Casull standardly loaded with magnum small rifle primers?

The .22 Hornet is commonly loaded with small pistol primers.

Large pistol and large rifle are the same diameter but LR is taller. Thus they cannot interchange due size.

Small pistol primers & Small rifle primers – are about .175 inches in diameter and .120 inches tall.
Large rifle primers – which measure about .128 inches in height and .212 inches in width.
Large pistol primers – which are an average of .120 inches tall and.212 inches wide.

So in a 38-40 or 44-40 rifle, what rifle primers would work for a win mod 92 rifle, Im still vague on this..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
So in a 38-40 or 44-40 rifle, what rifle primers would work for a win mod 92 rifle, Im still vague on this..

None…unless you mill the primer pocket deeper.

Standard Large Pistol Primers — that is what the case is milled for and work fine for those cartridges. Seems like a difficult to achieve solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.

Edited:

I guess if you just can’t get any LPPs.

I went out and milled out a .45 Colt hull and inserted a Rem 9 1/2, loaded with some Blue Dot and a 230 Berry.

Shot fine…no different that the Wolf primers I was using.

So…it can be done…the only reason it would need to be is the absolute inability to get LPPs.

CCI LRPs would be my last choice due to hardness of the cup.

If the large pistol pocket is clean a large rifle primer will be flush with the case head.
I’ve been using Winchester LR primers in .44Mag and .45Colt during the current primer drought. I actually think my loads using 2400 are slightly more accurate than with LRP. For what it’s worth, I haven’t had any issues using them in my 629, Ruger Blackhawks, Marlin 1894 or Ruger #1.

Small rifle primers work in 9mm as long as they’re not the “Mil-Spec” CCI #41 or S&B small rifle primers. Edit to add, the military style srp are too hard to fire reliably.

I could not get a 9 1/2 flush in my WW case without milling it a bit with a primer pocket uniforming reamer. But it did not take much, was easy to do, and shot to the same POI as ones with a LPP.

I found a carton (1000) of old but clean LP Federal #150 magnum primers, they should work in the Marlins 45-70 and my 38-40 mod 92 win if what I read is correct, right??? although I have plenty of 210s and 215 fed/ rifle primers for the 45-70..just curious? Never in my 87 years has this been a subject of interest as this is the first "primer" shortage Ive seen or recall anyway..

Ray,
I use CCI #350 primers which are LPM primers in both of my .45-70's with NO problems. One is a Marlin M1895 and one is a Siamese Mauser. Can't tell you about the .38-40.

Hip

Back in the 0bama primer shortage…I was not prepared. Caught me without supplies. In that shortage, for some reason, Wolf Large Pistol Magnum primers became very prevalent and numerous. I bought a 100 and tried them in all the cases I needed — .45 Colt, .45 ACP, .38-40.

With powders I use in those, Blue Dot and Unique, I got back to my original loads and really could not tell any difference that I was using a magnum primer — FWIW. There were so many of these Wolf LPMPs in my area that when name brands started coming back…they sold them off cheap, I bought a bunch, and am still loading them.

I never tried Large Pistol Primer in .45-70. They will fit…might seat a little deep.

Lane, I have alternated LP W/ LP mag. with no negative results over the years. But I have always kept a good quantity of primers in stock. Not because I hoard them but because I like to reload + one needs a product to do so. Like you, my pistol powders of choice are Blue Dot, Unique, + 2400.

I use LR primers in my .44-40. For some reason I don't understand but probably is related to the powder we get here, the bullets tumble when using pistol primers.

Although I now use a Forster primer pocket uniformer to deepen the pockets, I didn't do so for decades and thousands of rounds and the slightly protruding primers never caused me any problems in my Rossi Win'92 copy. I can't recommend it with a clear conscience though.

Some background: for many years we were under an arms embargo and the only powders available were the local Somchem brand. They only had one powder suitable for the .44-40 and at low pressures like the .44-40 runs, it is a powder which is difficult to ignite properly. Powder in question is Somchem S265.

I have a .38-40 Win 73 and 2 Colt revolvers that I interchange ammo in. At least one of the revolvers does not like the proud primers. I can’t remember about the rifle.

A primer pocket uniformer will make rifle primers fit in handgun rounds just fine, but they are also thicker and harder to set off. Some of my revolvers will set them off every time, but a couple will only make 2 out of 3 go bang. I hate having to hold the shot for 10 seconds to make sure it's not a hangfire. Almost always a second hammer strike will set them off.