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Primers, what are standards, Large Rifle, Small Ri

mstone1776
I see primers listed as Small Pistol, Large Pistol, Small Rifle, Large Rifle. Then the are shotgun primers : are there American standard dimensions and properties? Does anybody Anybody know where to see thes defined?

Thanks
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6 comments

Date Votes
  • 11b6r
    There is a physical difference in the size. Every reloading manual I have ever seen listed the appropriate primer to use in that caliber.

    Besides the 3 you listed, there is also Small Pistol and Large Pistol. And a magnum or standard in each.

    Standard diameters are .175 and .210. You may also encounter a non-standard sized primer used in some of the NT (non toxic- lead free) ammo.

    Think small and large diameters equal 4 mm and 6mm approximately.
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  • perry shooter
    Small rifle and small pistol are the same diameter they used to be different in height the rifles slightly taller same thing with large primers the pistol and rifle same diameter with the older pistol slightly shorter then rifle The metal for rifle primers is slightly harder then pistol primers .The shot gun primers are completely different in looks and for the most part if made in the last 10 years are all the same size.
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  • mstone1776
    quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
    Small rifle and small pistol are the same diameter they used to be different in height the rifles slightly taller same thing with large primers the pistol and rifle same diameter with the older pistol slightly shorter then rifle The metal for rifle primers is slightly harder then pistol primers .The shot gun primers are completely different in looks and for the most part if made in the last 10 years are all the same size.


    Thank You Very Much. Do You mean that in a pinch, one can get away with using small rifle with small pistol, and large pistol with large rifle?

    I understood that Some foreign makers have shot gun primers for 12 gauge, 16 gauge and 20 gauge. Would the difference be the properties of the composition, not the physical dimensions.

    I also see Foreign specs between Small Rifle (5,45x39 and 5,56x45) and Large rifle (7,92x54 and 7,62x51) (Russian). These could be cartridge size variants or military variants? I'm not talking about Wolf Brand, they seem to conform to American "habits/specs)
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  • Hawk Carse
    quote:Do You mean that in a pinch, one can get away with using small rifle with small pistol, and large pistol with large rifle?

    No.

    Any pistol primer in a high intensity rifle cartridge is at risk of being punctured which is hard on the firing pin if not the shooter.

    A large rifle primer is taller than a large pistol primer and cannot reliably be seated flush in a large pocket pistol case, which runs risk of slam fires.

    You can load small rifle primers in small pocket pistol cases, at below maximum loads. The only risk is misfires due to the thicker rifle cups, IF you do not overload.

    Do you have a handloading manual? It will specify what primer to use in what instance.
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  • 11b6r
    quote:I also see Foreign specs

    Umm.... you ARE aware of the difference between Boxer primers (US) and Berdan primers (much of Europe) ? IIRC, most of the Berdan primers are metric in size, and of course, do not interchange.

    Re: Swapping pistol and rifle primers in a pinch- you may have a problem- rifles primers usually have harder metal, and pistol may not activate them. AND- difference in height- rifle are taller than pistol. Put pistol in rifle, firing pin may not reach it reliably. Put rifle in pistol, may have "high" primer- subject to binding or unintentional firing. Ungood.
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  • givette
    Reiteration for safety:

    Modern reloading manuals will indicate what primers by brand were used in working up the loads published. In the absence of a brand and number, it will always say large pistol/rifle, or small pistol/rifle.

    'Ferinstance, one of my reloading manuals said they used CCI 300's working up the load. A few pages later, on a different caliber, they said they used "large pistol". They will use the word "magnum" where magnum primers were used. If you don't see the "magnum" designation, then the default is "standard". You get the idea. Simply follow their lead. Best, Joe
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