So, I grabbed a box of magnum small pistol primers instead of the standard small pistol primers. Reloading stuff you can't take back. Will I do any harm in using the mag primers??

 

Im no pro, but dont see why not. Mags produce higher velocities so I would assume you could use them on a standard shell. But you should wait until someone with more experience answers.

 

Reloading is something you should "NOT" experiment with!

 

It's going to depend on the cartridge and the powder load. If you are at max with a 9mm, it may push it into the "not so safe load". If it's a larger case and you are not at max loads, it shouldn't matter as far as pressure goes but it may effect accuracy and POI. Mag primers burn hotter and longer. It's called brisance.

 

I guess I give them to my father in law then. Heh.

 

Or buy yourself a 357 and start reloading them. That would be a much better use of them

 

Do not use them!!

A very bad idea as the pressure is a good bit greater with magnum primers as to the standard primers.

There is a reason there are magnum primers and standard primer.

 

That is a great idea!!

 

Potentially, yes. Don't use 'em. It's your face and hands that are on the line when you pull the trigger.

 

digging this one out from a few days back....

Personally, I have used magnum primers in rifle applications that suggest standard primers. According to the research I've done, the magnum primers add about 1/2 a grain of powder charge. So just be sure to cut back your powder the middle or low part of the allowed range. Several VERY experienced reloaders actually recommend using magnum over standard in all applications when you may be shooting in extreme cold and/or wet situations.

 

I've decided that since my father in law also reloads, and has a 357 Mag, I'm just going to give them to him. I'm not going to mess with cutting powder back by a bit, or mistakenly get primers mixed up. I'll stick with the recipe I already have.

 

Definitely have to be careful about cutting back powder. Too much and you get flash over when the primer fires. Good way to blow up a handgun.

 

I'm not suggesting going outside the ranges given for a particular powder. For example if it says use standard primers and min load is 50 grains, max load is 55. I'd load in the range of 50-54.5. Like I always do with new loads is start light, then work my way up as I fine tune accuracy.

For me, since I hunt in extreme cold and wet conditions, I follow the recommendation of using mag primers in all my rifle loads. I don't keep standard primers on hand so mixing them isn't a concern for me.

Just putting it out there that it can be done, and done safely. However, if you have the concern about mixing them up, or are not comfortable doing it then it sounds like you made a good choice.