doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Remington size 157 primers

What's the story on avaiability and price when found on these? I have a pile of Federal paper 16 ga that can use them. I picked up 100 primers in a misc bag of reloading stuff at a yard sale? How hard to find more ?

I think Remington called them #57 primers, and CCI designated the same size primer as #157. They were discontinued over 30 years ago, but still show up occasionally at gun shows and garage sales. They can usually be bought quite a bit cheaper than fresh 209's, and should be fine if they were stored properly. I also seem to recall reading that #57 sized primer pockets can be swaged or reamed out to take # 209's, but don't quote me on that.

Federal hulls that I had from back in the 1950's & henceforth forward all used the regular #209 size primer. Never heard of a Federal using the Rem #57 size, though perhaps there were some.
Off hand all the hulls that that I can recall made for the #57 size were of the composition base wad type. Keith is correct, they can be easily swaged to take the #209. In fact I have known folks who simply pushed in a #209 primer with no dire consequences.
Personally if I had a good sized batch of them I would prefer to make up a swage with a good taper to the lead in & press them out to size.

Keith is right on all counts.

I've picked up several thousand of them over the last year or two, at gun shows. The #57 paper hulls can be opened out for 209s. IIRC, Remington used 57 (and later 97) into the late 70s or early 80s in their hulls - paper and plastic - changing over to 209s only in the 80s. The last batch of #57 I bought (better part of a brick) were in the green and orange Remington packaging of that vintage.

I bought them primarily b/c I have a set of 20 ga Alcan all-brass hulls made in the 60s and designed for the #57 size primers. (I'm still looking for some in 16ga....) For those, because the heads are solid brass and won't move like the head of a paper shell, I will need a special reamer/drill to open up the pocket once the #57 are gone. But, that is likely to be a long time from now, if ever.

YES!!
I use the *57 size primers for the ALCAN hulls

In the old days I used fired 209 primers to swage Remington hulls with *57 size primer pockets. Prime with the fired primer, de-prime and then prime with a live 209 primer. It worked fine.

Are you sure they are Federals with *57 primer pockets. In my 43 years of reloading the only hulls I've personally seen with *57 primer pockets are Remington and Alcan. Of course, when it comes to reloading, nothing is set in stone and there may be Federals with *57 primer pockets.

My fault. "Peters Victor"

YES!! and be careful as the old saw dust base wad can come loose and lodge in the barrel when you shoot the shell.
Been there, done that
Mike

I was one of those that just forced 209s into 57 pockets back in the day with no mishaps. Ignorance is bliss!

I had a brick of Peters 57's I bought them at a show for something like $7. The thought was to use them in hulls after swaging the primer pockets. After assembling few of those, I came to my senses.
They sat around for quite some time and recently went to friend to shoot out of his 209 chambered blank gun for K9 field training.

I still have another partial brick of CCI, if I can ever find those in the pile of 'stuff I really needed to buy',,that's where they're going as well.