just FUBARed

[HavokCycle]

im currently loading .223 rounds. in my haste i grabbed my last box of winchester primers. after 16 rounds i noticed the color of the primer gel was different.


what i did, was grab a box of small magnum primers and promptly stuffed them into .223 brass. the real problem comes from, i didnt bother emptying my loaded rounds tray, so now i have about 100 some properly loaded .223 roudns mixed in with magnum small pistol primed loads. actually since 4 are staged, i only have 12 rounds mixed in.

what can i do here?

 

[straight-shooter]

Unload and deprime all of them.... Safety first!

Next, Live and learn from this lesson. I had to do this in the past one time. Hopefully will not do it again. Tends to leave an impression on ya.

 

[Broom_jm]

I'm not even entirely clear on what you did, based on what you wrote, but straight-shooter's advice is the only safe way to go. Break 'em down and start over.

 

[HavokCycle]

I'm not even entirely clear on what you did, based on what you wrote, but straight-shooter's advice is the only safe way to go. Break 'em down and start over.

the short of what i did - i primed .223 loads with magnum small pistol primers.

 

[straight-shooter]

Rifle primers have a thicker cup so they can actually be used in either rifle or pistol.

Now the other way around and it's a no go. You don't want a thinner cup pistol primer loaded in a rifle cartridge.

Someone correct me if i'm misinformed on this but it's what I previously read.

 

[HavokCycle]

good news. upon EXTREMELY close inspection, the offending primers have a decidedly copperish hue to them. its rather distinct compared to the correct ones. ive successfully removed all the incorrect rounds and feel safe to continue with more attention to detail.

 

[straight-shooter]

Good to hear, keep on with the keepin' on!

 

[DRob]

Reloading

There are two kinds of reloaders. Those who have made mistakes like that and those who are going to.

The good news is that you caught it in time.

 

[biggen]

You've got it right "Straight-Shooter"
Here's a quote from an article on primers

Handgun primers have thinner cups than rifle primers, making them easier to ignite with the typically weaker firing pin fall of handguns. Small Pistol primer cups are .017" thick, while Large Pistol primer cups are .020" thick. This is the reason using handgun primers in .22 Hornet rifle loads sometimes results in pierced primers in some guns. Obviously their substitution in the high pressure .223 Remington would not be a good idea.

Here's the link: Primer Info & Chart + Milspec Primers for Semi-Autos & Other Primer Applications