Nosparks wrote:So after hours of reading... Manuals all say no with no explanation, most forums that have any talk about this matter are pistol related. But I found one interesting thread on 1911Forum.com, that stated the what I wanted to hear. And by hear I mean answer to my question.
I will quote Tom Freeman from 1911forum.com
I use nothing but small rifle in 9x19 and 40. For 38 Special and 38 Short Colt ammo, I use Federal Small Pistol as they are going through a revolver with a very light trigger job.
However light loaded 9x19 and 40 loaded with rifle primers can cause breech face erosion as you can get gas leakage around the primer. In other words, if you sub small rifle in a pistol caliber, make sure you are at the higher pressure end of things.
Small pistol primers in a rifle caliber is a very bad idea as you will blank/pierce most primers.
Large pistol and large rifle do not interchange.
So I assume that with so many styles of firearms, a universal rifle or pistol primer would be difficult to produce or more likely create to much liability for a company. This was all I was after, not for just my knowledge but for anyone else looking for this answer. A simple no has never worked for me, my mother and wife will testify to that!!
See, you not only found some of the answers, but you also educated some of us to Boot.
I would also argue, that rifle primers in a pistol cartridge will have a plethora of miss-fires, due to the reduced firing-pin energy need to reliably ignite the rifle primer in a pistol case. Rifle primers generally have harder cups.
Also, pistol primers can be pierce by the firing-pin, due to the increased pin energy. Thin or softer cups, being the problem.
And, I forget which is which, but one way or the other, either pistol primers in a rifle case or rifle primers in a pistol case, one or the other can generally be seated a little high in the primer pocket, sticking out just slightly, and therefore is in danger of igniting prematurely.
And, if you need increased brisance, which we usually do, the pistol primer won't generally equal their rifle cousins.
This practice, of swapping primers, can be done and most of us have done it, but they as I, have all seen bad results because of the practice.
Now then, wasn't going through this extended exercise more lasting for your reloading career, than just a straight-forward, "No"? Not only did you receive a much more intense answer, but at the same time so did the readers. Another, and prolly a better benefit, will be the follow-on answers, sure to edify, there's allot of experience out here, wherein I too am educated by them..
..t