Large rifle primers
- Thread starter mjpchief
- Start date
I will agree with s4s4u. It is not worth the gamble. They are likely corrosive if they are as old as you think. Corrosive is not the end of the world but a pain to make sure your firearm is completely scoured clean of the residue. .
Cool collectible
contender
Ruger Guru
Sell them to an ammo collector.
protoolman
Service-Sixer
I've messed with old primers a lot. They would be fine to use. Not unsafe at all, especially in 45-70 as it's a low pressure round. The problems would be , brittle skirts and gas leakage, duds, and the era they seem to be pretty good chance of corrosive. So based on actually owning and using similar over the years they are junk.
Shoot a primer only onto a piece of clean, degreased mild steel and wait a week to see if they're corrosive. If not, load a few with starting powder loads and go from there. I'd likely shoot them up even if they're corrosive, just use an ammonia based cleaner to swab the bore after shooting. I've fired thousands of old surplus rounds with corrosive primers with no ill effects.
NikA
Hunter
They're marked 5.5mm, which is a Berdan primer size, not the standard Large Rifle Boxer primer size. Need to check which type they are first. I agree with other posters that they are not necessarily unsafe to use with proper testing.
wheelgun1958
Hunter
Flip one over. If it has an anvil, boxer. If no anvil, berdan.
May load a couple of really light loads just to try. As far as being corrosive I clean after every shooting session and I shoot a lot of black powder. Won’t load a lot of them. Don’t like breaking down loads to reprime. Don’t have any ammo collectors around here. If anybody on the forum would be interested in them let me know. Thanks for the advice.
"I got this old primers," comes up in forums and talks over coffee. Then "should I use them."
I have to ask for WHAT purpose? That next moose or elk hunt that costs thousands of dollars, or what?
Me, I wouldn't use those for anything. Sell them to a collector and go buy some new primers. At the range, hunting or self defense. I want no guessing about the primer, powder, cases or bullets. Especially primers. What's to be gained be saving a few bucks on primers that you have NO knowledge about how old and how they were stored for years. Along with hard to get or no loading data available.
I have to ask for WHAT purpose? That next moose or elk hunt that costs thousands of dollars, or what?
Me, I wouldn't use those for anything. Sell them to a collector and go buy some new primers. At the range, hunting or self defense. I want no guessing about the primer, powder, cases or bullets. Especially primers. What's to be gained be saving a few bucks on primers that you have NO knowledge about how old and how they were stored for years. Along with hard to get or no loading data available.
As for your question “for what purpose?” First I don’t spend thousands of dollars hunting moose or elk. Stopped hunting anything years ago when my legs give up on me. Only hunting I do is paper from a bench. I have all the weapons I need for self defense. Didn’t know the primers were in the box when I bought it at the antique shop. Not going to be an issue if I have a miss fire at my bench. Usually shooting by myself. Don’t need to save money on primers. I have over 3,000 large primers anyway. Not usually a subject of conversation at my coffee shop.
Just happened to stumble on these primers in the box I purchased. Only looking for information about them for my own curiosity. If you read my post completely you would have noticed that I did ask if anyone would be interested in them as a collector. As for loading data, I work up my own loads. Have been doing it that way for years.
You have a nice day sir.
Just happened to stumble on these primers in the box I purchased. Only looking for information about them for my own curiosity. If you read my post completely you would have noticed that I did ask if anyone would be interested in them as a collector. As for loading data, I work up my own loads. Have been doing it that way for years.
You have a nice day sir.
I would put them up as oddities. I would not use them.
My guess is they are probably berdan anyway.
My guess is they are probably berdan anyway.
Donnieweps
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2018
- Messages
- 293
I wouldn't touch them, stored under unknown and likely conditions that a primer shouldn't have been in. Take a pass on them. Not worth the possible, likely? problems.
Well now we know, range use. Not hunting anything.
I still would not waste anytime finding out if they will fire, fit or work up a load for a limited amount of primers that you likely will never see again. But that's me not you. Do what you want. Yep, I work up loads for all my rifles but using a component of know limited quantity, unknown age and storage. No thanks. Post how they work if you use them.
It is very likely that you have stumbled onto some Berdan primers. If so, they will most likely be corrosive and are designed for a case with two flash holes. I don’t know if they will work well in the boxer primed cases or at all. I understand that Berdan primed cases are difficult to reload and are probably difficult to find in the U.S.
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I would NOT use unknown primers of any type. You could get “hang fires,” or, “misfires.” Both very dangerous.
You could label the packaging DO NOT USE. Disposing of them could be dangerous, if not done properly.
I once saw a guy try to load another round behind a dud. The dud had pushed the bullet into the barrel. He was going to fire a live round behind the stuck bullet. I stopped him before he could get the live round chambered and showed him what had happened.
