large pistol. rupture on the second firing. Currently, you'll encounter primers in a variety of sizes: small pistol, small rifle, and large rifle; shotgun ammunition has primers similar to those in [6 . jpg] Cross section of rifle cartridge. Pistol cartridges are nearly identical to this cartridge except for the straight walls and wider bullets found on most such cartridges. [7 . jpg] Cross section of Boxer primer. rifles, but the "battery" style is self-contained, with the anvil striking the front of the primer rather than the base of the cartridge. (European brass cartridge shotgun shells often use rifle primers — but you're not likely to encounter any of these.) Unfortunately, large rifle and pistol primers are nearly the same size as small rifle and pistol primers. Although this allows you to reload rifle ammunition with pistol primers in a pinch, the results can be disastrous. Some semi-auto rifles with a floating firing pin (like the AR-15) may fire when the bolt closes on the cartridge--not a safe situation. All types of rifles also have heavier firing pins that may pierce pistol primers, sending a cloud of hot gas back into the action — and maybe into the shooter's face. Likewise, pistols may lack enough force to fire ammunition that has rifle primers in it. So plan on using pistol primers in handguns and rifle primers f or rifle ammunition unless you have no other choice than to experiment with unorthodox combinations of components. If you have to choose between buying small rifle (or small pistol) primers or large ones, purchase the smaller ones because they're the hardest to reload. Shotgun primers are the largest and therefore the easiest of all primers to reload. Too, since shotguns are generally reserved for close encounters, only a few loaded shells are probably ever going to be used with a shotgun. On the other hand, an assault rifle might conceivably go through several hundred shells in a short time if the shooter is facing a motorcycle gang or rioters. For this reason, stocking up on small rifle primers that can be used to reload the 5. 56mm/. 223 Remington cartridge (or whatever chambering you might use in your personal defensive firearm) makes a lot of sense. Magnum primers are a bit hotter than the standard primer and are used with powders that sometimes don't burn reliably with standard primers. Because any powder you use might be old or of poor quality, you should consider purchasing magnum primers, provided they can also be used for the cartridges you regularly reload. A quick check of the company's reloading literature or a call to the company will help you out here. (Just be sure to get the information while it is still available. If the government starts closing things down, there will be a run on components, accompanied by a slamming of the doors to knowledge.) All right--suppose you've found a batch of empty cartridges with primers in place. How do you reload the primers? It's important not to rush things since primers are basically small explosive charges; mistakes can create serious injuries. The process is also very exacting and time consuming. During the reloading process, you'll knock out the empty primer when you resize the cartridge (with most reloading kits) . Most reloaders simply toss the empty primers. But if you'll be reloading them, you need to save each one. Since it is hard to reload primers, it also doesn't hurt to have a lot of spares. When it comes to reloading primers, commercial ones are easier to recycle than military ones. Military primers are seated in cartridges with a crimp, making it hard to remove them without damage. By contrast, commercial primers pop out easily — and it is even possible to unload a live primer without damaging it: a trick you might want to keep in mind if you trade for a cartridge for which you have no firearm. When you start working with live primers or commence creating chemicals for reloading old ones, it is important to remember that primer chemicals are explosive. It's essential that you exercise extreme caution when reloading primers. Never keep large amounts of the chemicals used for reloading primers in the area where the primer is being seated. Also, always wear eye protection and protective clothing when working with primers (or during any other reloading task) . This rule is doubly important if you elect to reload your own primers. And if you have any doubts about your abilities, it's better not to tackle the job than to injure yourself. Reloading primers is dangerous business, at best, and not for those who are inexpert with explosives. The hard part of reloading primers, of course, is to create the explosives that will arm