kbm6893
Member
At some point I’m gonna load .357. I use HP38 for everything, including .38 special. Primers are hard to find right now. If I can’t find small pistol magnum primers, can regular ones do in a pinch?
Small Pistol Primers for .357 Mag
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Just another 22 shooter
Member
For lighting HP38 in a 357 magnum, small pistol primers will work fine.
Primers go with the powder used not the caliber.
Hodgdon used mag primers for anything labeled magnum for constancy only (per them many years ago)
Hodgdon used mag primers for anything labeled magnum for constancy only (per them many years ago)
No. Whether to use magnum pistol primers or regular pistol primers depends on the powder you're using, not on the round you're loading for.
For example, HS-6 in .357 Mag should use magnum primers. Unique in .357 Mag will work just fine with regular primers. Will regular primers ignite the HS-6? Yes. Will magnum primers ignite Unique? Yes. But the magnum primers don't give you any benefit with Unique. With the HS-6 the powder burns more consistently and more completely with the hotter primer, so you get more consistent accuracy.
I've never used HP-38, but if I recall correctly it isn't a "hard to light" powder, so you probably don't need magnum primers for it.
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For plinking, use whatever you have.
Use what you have you do not need Mag primers for that powder
Regular primers are fine with HP 38 and lots of other powders. It's all I use. I use regular primers for 2400 powder, Longshot and several other "slower" powders you do not need Mag primers for most of the faster or medium powders,
Sistema1927
US Veteran
For HP-38 you will find that regular small pistol primers work just fine. In a pinch, you can also substitute small rifle primers for small magnum pistol primers.
fredj338
Member
You pnly need a magnum primer for 1 or 2 powders, the rest can be loaded quite fine with std primers.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Generally speaking, high density loads of slower burning powders may benefit from the additional output of magnum primers, but those uses are a pretty narrow slice of the usual uses. Standard primers are more than adequate for the majority of needs. As others have pointed out, when changing the primers in a load you need to start over again to work the load up for the primers to be used. DO NOT ASSUME THAT ANY PART OF THE LOADING RECIPE CAN BE CHANGED WITHOUT CAREFULLY WORKING UP THE NEW LOAD FROM SCRATCH.
Loyaljeeper
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I have come to the conclusion that all the small primers are interchangeable as long as your not pushing for max loads. Large rifle primers are not interchangeable.
.38SuperMan
Member
When I was shooting 38 super major loads in USPSA years ago I used 540/HS6 and small pistol primers. I never had an issue or accuracy problem. Running high pressure loads I had some pretty flat primers but never blew one.
More recently, this year, I started loading 357 again and tested HS6 for moderate Rifle loads Using standard primers and had no problems. Matter of fact accuracy was excellent.
The only time I use magnum primers is for hot loads with H110.
More recently, this year, I started loading 357 again and tested HS6 for moderate Rifle loads Using standard primers and had no problems. Matter of fact accuracy was excellent.
The only time I use magnum primers is for hot loads with H110.
Thanks for the replies. I’d prefer to stick with only one type of primers to avoid mixing them up anyway. Reason why I only use .45 ACP brass with small primers pockets. One type to buy and store and no chance of popping a large primer as I try to seat it in a small primer case that got by me. When I do load some up I’ll load a few with the small pistol primers and fire them off. If all is well, and I’m sure it will be, I won’t even bother with the magnum primers. By the way, I do not intend to load maximum charges anyway. I think Hodgson says 3.7 HP38 is a max charge for 158 grain LSWC. I intend to stay middle of the road as always and load 3.4-3.5 grains. Weigh every charge as always.
As always, this forum comes through for me. Thank you.
As always, this forum comes through for me. Thank you.
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gwpercle
Member
The size powder charge and burning rate dictates if a standard or magnum primer is used .
Large charges of slow powders, especially ball powders , will usually benefit from a magnum primer but just because the name says 357 Magnum ...it doesn't mean you must use magnum primers .
HP38 is a easy to ignite powder and will not require the use of a magnum primer . Check your load data ...it will specify the primer standard or magnum , best to go with the load data's primer .
Gary
The 357 Magnum is one versatile cartridge and is an easy cartridge when it comes to reloading. You can use magnum or standard small pistol primers with the fast or medium burning rate powders and even 2400, which is a slow burning powder. The one time you really need to use magnum primers is with slow burning ball powders, these would be HS-6 and H-110/W-296. Using standard primers with these powders will result in erratic and often incomplete powder ignition.
For powder selection, I have used Bullseye and HP-38/W-231 in the 357 Magnum, but I will say that you have to be very careful as safe charges of these powders are small and take up little of the case's available capacity. It is very easy to double charge a case, which takes a perfectly safe load to a load that can damage or destroy a firearm and injure the shooter or anyone standing nearby.
With the exception of 148 grain target wadcutter loads, I prefer medium burning rate powders like AA#5 and Unique. They take up a lot more of the case capacity and a double charge is easy to see before the bullet is placed into the case mouth.
For powder selection, I have used Bullseye and HP-38/W-231 in the 357 Magnum, but I will say that you have to be very careful as safe charges of these powders are small and take up little of the case's available capacity. It is very easy to double charge a case, which takes a perfectly safe load to a load that can damage or destroy a firearm and injure the shooter or anyone standing nearby.
With the exception of 148 grain target wadcutter loads, I prefer medium burning rate powders like AA#5 and Unique. They take up a lot more of the case capacity and a double charge is easy to see before the bullet is placed into the case mouth.
Most welcome.
If you look at data from other sources than Hodgon you will find just regular old standard primers for other than a few slow powders.In addition other sources (Speer, Hornady etc will have different powder charge min and max. There is some leeway between all of them. Different tests, equipment, date and time. They are all published to be within SAMMI specs
I'm using 2400 also and I've never used a mag primer with that powder. I consider 2400 to have a medium burn rate. HP-38 is a lot faster powder so the mag primer would be even less of a consideration as you say. I don't think HP-38 is an ideal powder for 357 velocities but the truth is there are many powders that will work in a 357 case. I've even loaded American Select in a 357 case with 38 spl velocities. Works fine. 357 is a very versatile revolver cartridge.
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