Accidentally used CCI 450 primers in my 380 ACP reloads

[photogpat]

Checked in with the CCI/Speer Expert out in Lewiston (speerexpert@vistaoutdoor.com), sent him your details.

From the horse's mouth this morning:

"See if he owns a bullet-puller, if not I’d suggest the collet type. Both cup thickness and amount of output will mean he gets to unload them. The best solution is to pull bullet, retain powder, fire each primer in the gun and resize/reload. If not fired, he has 100 primers which are hazardous waste, fired they are brass."

[Erud]

Checked in with the CCI/Speer Expert out in Lewiston (speerexpert@vistaoutdoor.com), sent him your details.

From the horse's mouth this morning:

"See if he owns a bullet-puller, if not I’d suggest the collet type. Both cup thickness and amount of output will mean he gets to unload them. The best solution is to pull bullet, retain powder, fire each primer in the gun and resize/reload. If not fired, he has 100 primers which are hazardous waste, fired they are brass."

Fun! I bet this is a mistake that only happens once!

[Ghost]

Granted it's not my body nor my gun but I'd throw a 450 in a case and see if the gun will even set it off. If it won't I'd try several more times to confirm it won't. If it will then I'd work up a load and see if I can get up to where all the other rounds were loaded to with no issues.

[JJ]

Yadda yadda, safe reloading practices, yadda yadda verify components yadda yadda.

Now that's out of the way, source another 100 450's, reduce charge 10%. Work up to target charge over chrono, looking for erratic velocities and your standard brass checks for pressure.

If your work up goes well, then I would shoot the lot and not look back. Yadda yadda, responsible reloading safety, yadda yadda.

[Aztecf]

I think I will go with JJ's recommendation.

[shooter115]

During the primer crunch I loaded several thousand .40 rounds with magnum pistol primers. Equaled to about 10 fps higher velocity and that was it. Couldn't feel the difference at all. Try what Ghost and JJ suggested, you might be just fine.

[Aztecf]

Well it looks like Cobb and MxGreg were on the right track, it seems primer cup thickness is the main issue. I had about about a 30-40% FTF rate.

[bofe954]

I had heard you could get breech face erosion. The heavier cup doesn't seal when fired due the lower pressure of pistol vs rifle rounds.

Rifle primers are commonly used by 9mm major shooters...

[Seismic Sam]

That is my dilemma, I was cleaning up the primer packaging after I was done and notice it.

I guess I'll just wait for Seismic Sam to rip me a new one.

Consider yourself ripped. HTF did you let a 100 450 primers get into your component flow?? Seriously, how did you do that??

Answer: You're a sloppy reloader, don't pay attention to detail, and just reached into your primer stash and grabbed another box of something or other. At least you had the courage to post this, so you get some points for that. Thank God you discovered this in time and nobody else got hurt. As far as you, you would have been fully deserving of a Kaboom for a mistake like this.

[Ghost]

That is my dilemma, I was cleaning up the primer packaging after I was done and notice it.

I guess I'll just wait for Seismic Sam to rip me a new one.

Consider yourself ripped. HTF did you let a 100 450 primers get into your component flow?? Seriously, how did you do that??

Answer: You're a sloppy reloader, don't pay attention to detail, and just reached into your primer stash and grabbed another box of something or other. At least you had the courage to post this, so you get some points for that. Thank God you discovered this in time and nobody else got hurt. As far as you, you would have been fully deserving of a Kaboom for a mistake like this.

That's the spirit

[Aztecf]

Ripping received, now the post can be locked

[Aztecf]

I'm sure Sam will post when he makes a mistake

[Seismic Sam]

I'm sure Sam will post when he makes a mistake

Hell yes I will. If I eff up I'll get a lot less s^^t for that that most of the stuff I post.

Oh, and it occurred to me that you need a second ripping because I remembered that CCI (and most other primers) are COLOR coded, so when you grabbed that box of 450's you reloaded 100 ROUNDS IN A ROW and obviously never bothered to check the primer color AT ALL, and primers are always loaded CUP side up. Sloppy, plus the light was on in the attic but nobody was home.

[Seismic Sam]

I'm sure Sam will post when he makes a mistake

Never had a squib, never had a kaboom in 42 years. I take the primers I'm going to use out of the can and pile them on the reloading bench, so I can verify that they are all the same.

Only time I regret was loading up some hot 10mm loads with Blue Dot, finishing reloading, and then pouring the powder back into the Alliant can with the Blue lettering. Started cleaning up and found a SECOND can of Blue Dot on the bench. WTF?? Turns out I had allowed a 2nd can of powder on my bench, which was Alliant RL-25, which also had blue lettering. !@#$%$#@#$%^&^%$#@#$%^&^%$#$%^&!!!! It was also a nearly full can, so I was out the ungodly sum of $18 - $20 for the now contaminated powder, and that really pissed me off. Never allowed more than one can of powder on my bench after that, and I sprinkled the whole pound over my hot pepper plants that I make salsa with, and I swear that was the hottest batch of stuff I ever made....

[SIGP240]

Although I am neither expert nor correct, but I substitute primers on occasion out of necessity . The one issue is spotty detonation with lightly sprung hammer guns. Striker fire types with factory springs probably are better option. My favorite test is firing primer only in gun then measure bullet travel to see how hot they really are. Also the Gloxk in 380 needs to be held properly to achieve cycling.