What's wrong with this photo? Do you see it?
This 357 Magnum cartridge is a reload using Remington 5-½ primers. The 5-½ is a small pistol primer, but so is the Remington 1-½. I have read that the 5-½ is a magnum primer while the 1-½ is not. So what's the difference? I have also read that Remington's 5-½ has a thicker metal case than the 1-½. That would explain why I couldn't get this cartridge to fire after at least five tries, even though my S&W model 327 TRR8 has an extra long firing pin from Cylinder & Slide.
To be fair, my S&W has also had a trigger job that brings my trigger pull down close to 1 lb. To do this, my gunsmith replaced the hammer spring. I suspect that spring is a lighter one, which means the hammer strikes the firing pin with a little less energy. Experts reading this can verify if that is true or not for trigger jobs.
So why am I using Remington 5-½ primers? Because at the time, that was all I could get. It was that or nothing, so I took it. Now I am paying for that with multiple light strikes from these loads. But that's OK because I'm just using these for target practice. My loads that I am saving for serious shooting—IYKWIM—are using Federal #100 primers (and Hornady FP/XTP bullets). And I have NEVER had a light strike from my Federal primers. I have stopped using CCI #500 for that very reason.
So, my question to all who are reading this, is: Do most magnum primers have thicker cases? Or is this just a Remington thing? What is the difference between a magnum primer and a non-magnum primer anyway? Why would I ever want to use a magnum primer?
This 357 Magnum cartridge is a reload using Remington 5-½ primers. The 5-½ is a small pistol primer, but so is the Remington 1-½. I have read that the 5-½ is a magnum primer while the 1-½ is not. So what's the difference? I have also read that Remington's 5-½ has a thicker metal case than the 1-½. That would explain why I couldn't get this cartridge to fire after at least five tries, even though my S&W model 327 TRR8 has an extra long firing pin from Cylinder & Slide.
To be fair, my S&W has also had a trigger job that brings my trigger pull down close to 1 lb. To do this, my gunsmith replaced the hammer spring. I suspect that spring is a lighter one, which means the hammer strikes the firing pin with a little less energy. Experts reading this can verify if that is true or not for trigger jobs.
So why am I using Remington 5-½ primers? Because at the time, that was all I could get. It was that or nothing, so I took it. Now I am paying for that with multiple light strikes from these loads. But that's OK because I'm just using these for target practice. My loads that I am saving for serious shooting—IYKWIM—are using Federal #100 primers (and Hornady FP/XTP bullets). And I have NEVER had a light strike from my Federal primers. I have stopped using CCI #500 for that very reason.
So, my question to all who are reading this, is: Do most magnum primers have thicker cases? Or is this just a Remington thing? What is the difference between a magnum primer and a non-magnum primer anyway? Why would I ever want to use a magnum primer?