Federal Small Pistol Match Primers – Gold Medal No. GM100M

Federal Small Pistol Match Primers – Gold Medal No. GM100M

Basic Information

• Brand: Federal Premium

• Product Line: Gold Medal Match

• Primer Number: GM100M

• Type: Small Pistol Match Primer

• Size: Small Pistol

• Packaging: Typically available in boxes of 100, cartons of 1,000, and cases of 5,000

• Made in: USA

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Overview and Description

The Federal GM100M is a match-grade small pistol primer designed for competitive and precision pistol shooters. It is manufactured under tighter tolerances than standard primers to ensure extremely consistent ignition, especially critical in disciplines like Bullseye, USPSA, IPSC, and IDPA.

These primers are part of Federal’s renowned Gold Medal Match series, which is widely recognized for producing benchrest-level reliability and shot-to-shot consistency.

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Key Features

1. Match-Grade Consistency

• Extremely tight manufacturing tolerances for cup dimensions, priming compound amount, and sensitivity.

• Each batch is built to minimize velocity deviations and maximize group consistency.

2. Reliable and Clean Ignition

• Uses Federal’s premium lead styphnate priming mix, known for instant and consistent ignition.

• Reliable even in pistols with lightened hammer springs or tuned triggers, commonly found in competition handguns.

3. Quality Control

• GM100M primers go through more rigorous quality control than standard Federal primers (like the #100).

• Ensures uniform seating, burn rate, and ignition timing — essential for tight accuracy at high levels of competition.

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Applications

Ideal for competitive and precision handgun cartridges that use small pistol primers, such as:

• 9mm Luger

• .38 Special

• .357 Magnum (non-magnum loads)

• .380 ACP

• .32 S&W Long

• .40 S&W (some brass uses small primers)

• .45 ACP (NT brass) — special note: some .45 ACP cases (e.g., Federal NT) are small primer instead of large

These are not magnum primers and are not suitable for loads that specify small pistol magnum primers (e.g., GM200M or CCI 550).

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Performance Characteristics

• Standard pressure and flame intensity suitable for a wide range of pistol powders.

• Highly consistent standard deviation (SD) and extreme spread (ES), which is crucial in match shooting.

• Excellent for short-range precision shooting and timed pistol stages where ignition timing and velocity matter.

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Federal GM100M vs Federal #100 (Standard Small Pistol Primer)

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Reloading Considerations

• Primer Pocket Size: Only use in cases with small pistol primer pockets.

• Pressure Sensitivity: Designed for standard loads; not ideal for magnum-level pressures.

• Seating: Seats well with most priming tools due to precise cup dimensions.

Best Practices:

• Use consistent brass (ideally sorted by brand and lot).

• Test loads with chronograph to see the reduced SD/ES benefits.

• Avoid mixing standard and match primers during load development.

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Typical Users

• Bullseye shooters

• USPSA/IPSC competitors

• Precision reloaders

• Pistol accuracy enthusiasts

• Reloaders working on load development or testing powder consistency

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Availability & Cost

• Generally more expensive than standard small pistol primers.

• May be in shorter supply due to lower production volumes and high demand from competitive shooters.

• Often subject to purchase limits or backorder in times of high demand.

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Storage and Safety

• Store in a cool, dry place away from heat, static, and open flame.

• Follow standard safety practices — do not decap live primers or attempt to modify them.

• Always follow current, verified reloading data from trusted manuals.

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Related/Comparable Primers

• Federal #100 – Standard small pistol primer (non-match)

• Federal GM200M – Small pistol magnum match primer

• CCI 500 – Standard small pistol

• CCI 450 – Small rifle magnum (not interchangeable)

• Winchester WSP – Winchester small pistol primer

• Remington 1½ – Standard small pistol primer