Did you know that an estimated 393 million guns are owned by American civilians? 

Pistol primers are tiny metal cups that contain a highly explosive substance. Typically, primers come in bricks of 1,000 or packs of 100.

When struck, the primer ignites after being stuck to the hammer or firing pin. The flash hole, which is the opening between the primer pocket and case interior, is where the powder charge ignites when the primer catches on fire.

Do you want to learn more about pistol primers? Continue reading to find out everything you need to know about these gun primers.

What Are Pistol Primers?

The primer is the part of a cartridge or shotshell that is least understood. 

The primer is one of the five parts of a shotshell in shotguns, along with the hull, powder, wad, and shot. However, what is a primer and what purpose does it serve?

Three parts make up a primer in shotshells and center-fire cartridges: the cup, the igniting compound, and the anvil. The igniting ingredient is within the metal cup.

The gunpowder in the cartridge or shotshell is set off or ignited by the igniting chemical. The foundation that ignites the primer is the anvil.

Cartridges for rimfire weapons lack a cup and anvil. The interior of the rim is where the primers fasten. The propellant in the rimfire cartridge is in direct contact with the igniting ingredient. The ignition compound ignites when the firing pin compresses the rim.

The cartridge propellant is then ignited as a result. Flames from the ignition can ignite the propellant through the flash hole(s) of the case or shotshell thanks to vents in the anvil.

The phrase “spark that ignites the gunpowder in the cartridge or shotshell” is commonly used to describe the first ignition of the primer. To better understand how the compound ignites, picture cutting metal with a blowtorch. Through the flash holes of the cartridge, a flame emerges.

Similar to the blow torch concept, as it does this, molten slag and flame are both thrown through the propellant.

The primers used in rifle and handgun ammunition are different. Primers for rifles are thicker than those for pistols. This is due to the rifle primers’ hotter flash of combustion. The ignition compound used in rifle primers burns longer than it does in pistol primers.

What Do Pistol Primers Do?

The purpose of the primer is to simultaneously ignite all of the propellants in the cartridge. This makes ignition predictable.

To achieve this, the ignition compound must penetrate the propellant completely rather than only lighting the powder at the flash holes in the cartridge with a spark. This process gets completed in 1,500 microseconds or one-millionth of a second!

Different Types of Gun Primers

Primer comes in two varieties: Boxer and Berdan. Nearly all rifle and pistol cartridges made in the U.S. contain Boxer primers.

Boxer primers are composed of an anvil, an igniting compound, and a brass or metal cup. For the passage of the flame and sparks, cartridge cases made for Boxer primers contain just one flash hole.

Berdan primers are typically seen in European cartridges. There are no anvils to ignite the compound in Berdan primers. The anvil gets built into cartridge cases that fit a Berdan primer where the primer is. The primer gets penetrated by the anvil.

In addition, cases made for this kind of primer contain two flash holes in the primer opening to permit the passage of flame and sparks.

Shotshells have a somewhat distinctive primer that resembles a Boxer primer more closely. The primer for a shotshell contains two cups. All the parts are in the first cup. The anvil and igniting compound get placed after the first cup.

Next, the outer cup gets put on top. The firing pin impacts this cup to initiate the igniting process.

Pistol Primer Parameters

When purchasing primers, you must consider a few fundamental factors.

First, consider the size of different primers. Some cartridges (such as the 45acp, 44 special, and 44 magnum) call for a large pistol primer, while others (such as the 9mm, 38 special, and 357 magnum) call for a small pistol primer.

You must get the appropriate size primer for that application depending on the type of cartridge you are reloading.

Next, you must be aware that there are various primer types. The kind of primer used determines how intense the priming flame will be overall. The powder charge gets ignited with a tiny flame in non-magnum loads (like the 38 special).

Given that there is a lot more powder to burn, magnum loads demand greater activation energy. Some primers function with both standard and mammoth loads.

Lastly, you must consider the hardness of a primer. The force needed to ignite the primer is the hardness of the primer.

Federal is one type of softer primer, while CCI is one type of tougher priming, and some lie somewhere in between (Winchester). You might need to utilize softer primers if the trigger or action of your pistol has been lightened or modified.

Primer Volatility

Primer ignition compounds are extremely flammable. Due to the volatile nature of the chemical, each primer is individually packaged when purchased for reloading.

Due to the lead content of this ignition system, prolonged exposure might be harmful to your health. Because of this, lead-free ignition chemicals are readily available.

How to Store Primers

Primers must stay in a dry, cool environment. Extreme heat has the potential to dry up the priming chemical and make materials fragile. This can result in a malfunction during reloading.

If you are removing an unfired primer from a cartridge case under the same circumstances, the primer may ignite. Avoid de-priming a cartridge case if at all possible.

The priming compound may be too wet to shoot correctly if your ammo becomes wet or gets stored in a region with excessive humidity. If ammunition or loose primers get wet, they should be properly disposed of.

Misfires, hangfires, and squib loads can all be brought on by damp primers or ammunition. Any of these things have the potential to turn hazardous!

All ammo and loose primers should be kept in a waterproof container for optimum storage. Plastic or wood should be used for the container. Despite being fairly common, metal ammunition cans should be avoided.

Primers can be quite volatile, as was already mentioned. A chain reaction with other unsecured primers or loaded rounds of ammunition may occur if something triggers a primer.

If there is a chain fire and loose primers or ammunition are kept in a metal ammo can, the metal container could shatter and send flying shrapnel!

Firearm Storage Safety

All guns should be kept unloaded, secured with a firearm safety mechanism, and kept in a lockable container to prevent harm or death from improper gun storage in a home where kids are likely to be present. The location where ammunition is kept should be kept apart from the gun.

The two most popular locking systems are cable locks and trigger locks. In order to restrict access to the trigger, trigger locks are typically two-piece devices that fit around the trigger and trigger guard.

A post on one side slides into a hole on the opposite side. A key or combination locking mechanism secures them.

A strong steel cable is frequently looped across the firearm’s action to obstruct functioning and prevent unintentional firing. But neither cable locks nor trigger locks are intended to restrict access to the weapon.

The two most popular sizes for locking storage containers are smaller lock boxes and bigger gun safes. The fact that lock boxes and gun safes are made to entirely prohibit accidental handling and removal of a handgun is one of their advantages.

Lock boxes are typically made of strong, high-quality metal and are unlocked using a key or a combination lock. Safes for firearms typically weigh at least 50 pounds. Although gun safes are often the priciest means of storing firearms, they are also typically more dependable and secure.

Purchase High-Quality Primers From Diamond K Brass

You can better grasp how your shotshell or cartridge works if you know what pistol primers are. You are protecting your ammunition by safeguarding the primer.

Your rifle, pistol, or shotgun’s accuracy and performance can be impacted by water or moisture that affects the primer. Maintaining your ammunition is equally as crucial as maintaining your weapon.

Do you need to purchase new gun primers? Click here to shop affordable, high-quality primers and gun accessories from Diamond K Brass!