[Bigal]

I bought some Winchester primers today for the first time. I tend to find good prices and buy several thousand. I wanted to try gallery loads in my shop so I put a primer in a few .38sp cases, topped it with a 000 buck ball (63 grains, .350") and fired it into a target trap. All was well except the cylinder wouldn't rotate or open til I really forced it. I repeated this with PMC, Rem, Federal, and old military brass. Same results. Switch to a new Rem. .357 case and same thing but to a lesser degree. All shells fell freely from the cylinder once it was forced open. The primers were all set back into the face of the frame of my King Cobra and fairly flattened. It seems they are too hot to get the gas into a too-small flash hole. I've used these brass extensively with CCI and Rem. primers and they still grip well.
Do these primers not grip the pocket well? They are the brass colored small pistol units that say " for standard or magnum."
I now have 5500 of these things and don't know what to do with them. Maybe they will work in an autoloader since they aren't likely to bind it up if they set back. Maybe I'll get a .357 barrel for my contender.
Any helpful ideas?

 

[IDShooter]

Bigal,
    I bet the problem you are experiencing is from LOW pressure. It is natural for the primer to set back some when fired, however the powder then ignites creating lots of pressure which basically pushes the case back around the primer, reseating it. Since I gather your gallery loads are not using powder (or not much? ) the cases are not being pushed back and reseating the primers. I would expect this to happen with most primers and have had it happen myself when shooting the X-ring rubber bullets. The differences you are experiencing with different cases is probably due to varying tightness of the primer pockets among different brands or cases that have been reloaded alot. Primer pockets will loosen over many reloads, especially with high pressure loads, but under normal circumstances this isn't even noticable.
     The only solution I know of is to drill out the flash hole on your cases, but then you must be ABSOLUTELY certain not to use them for regular loads thereafter. I think a better solution might be to purchase some of the Speer plastic bullets and cases especially made for indoor shooting. Good luck and let us know what happens! BTW, your WSP primers should be fine for ordinary loads.  ID

 

[MikeG]

I'm with ID, too little pressure is surely the culprit.

 

[Bigal]

Thanks a lot for the insight. I am impressed with the fund of knowlege available on this site. I am a fairly experienced reloader but once in a while something weird happens. Thanks.

 

[James Gates]

The answers are correct..Low pressure. The answer on drilling out the primers is also correct....don't mix cases.
There is another thing our company shooters did years ago when using hard wax bullets....drill out the case for shotgun primers, then the difference in case is apparent....JCG

 

[Big Bore]

I agree with the others, too low pressure and the solution is to enlarge the primer pockets.  I just want to reiterate the importance that if you do so, you must not, under any circumstances allow these cases to become mixed for use with full pressure loads.  I had not heard of the 209 primer trick, but it sounds like an excellent way to keep Murphy at bay.

 

[Bigal]

As an aside, this was another example to me of just how powerful a single primer can be. I was amazed at just how difficult it was to force the gun open when the only thing holding it was a primer flattened against the face. Initially I thought the firing pin must be engaging the primer and preventing the cylinder from swinging out.
Ya'all be careful with those things.