Re-priming Berdan primed cases
JMcdan2768
be used again; i. e., reprimed. My quick response was, "I don't think so."
However, somewhere, sometime, I saw an article about priming and reusing these
cases. Do any of you remember how? Please share your knowledge. J. V.
McDaniel, Milton, Fl., JMcda...@aol.com
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Gandalf
> ...
Many, many years ago I read an article about a device used to decap
Berdan primers. it was a device that used the power of a standard boxer
primer to remove the Berdan primer. The only thing I really remember
about the article other than that was that the reviewer said it worked
perfectly, which is not common for Berdan de-capping devices. I'm sure
there are a number of ways to accomplish this; the reloaders in Europe
must have some system that's relatively easy to use.
James E. Bragge
reprime berdan cases, however, it is tedious. The primers must be pried out
with a special tool from the base of the case. And I have never personally
seen berdan primers available in any gun store in WA or HI. I do not recall
seeing any at gun shows or in a few of the mail order catalogs I have. Hope
this helps.
RB
.> I was recently asked if fired cases originally primed with Berdan primers
could
gregory garland
instructions involved removing the cap with an awl, using care not to damage
the primer pocket, and then recapping much like the lee loader setup.
I wonder though, where would one find berdan primers?
Regards,
Gregory.
Phil Schempf
JMcdan2768 wrote:
# Do any of you remember how? Please share your knowledge. J. V.
# McDaniel, Milton, Fl., JMcda...@aol.com
As far as de-priming, I've heard of 2 ways. I've seen pictures of a tool that
looks vaguely like an old fashioned can opener that hooks to the rim of the case
and levers out the spent primer. Another method I heard recommended is to fill the
case with water, set it over a hole slightly bigger than the primer, and drive the
primer out with a dowel that fits snugly in the case mouth. The hydraulic pressure
of the water forces the primer out. Seems like a good way to take a bath. I
assume that Boxer primers will not work in a Berdan pocket and I have never seen
Berdan primers for sale, but then I have never looked for them.
Good luck.
Phil
Doug Owen
JMcdan2768 wrote:
#
# I was recently asked if fired cases originally primed with Berdan primers could
# be used again; i. e., reprimed.
Easily done. Years ago, it was the only way to feed the SMLE.
RCBS makes a neat decapper, looks kind of like a bottle opener. Comes
with a peg to hold the case, you hook it over the extractor and a pin
punches through the primer dent and pries the cap out. Takes a bit of
adjusting to get it right (and miss the anvil), but once done it's fast
and neat (unlike the water and dowel or primer powered methods).
The Lee primer will generally seat the primers just fine (they tend to
be a shade larger than US. Old Western Scrounger will sell you RWS caps
in lots of sizes.
Doug Owen
Jerry Burkowitz
#perfectly, which is not common for Berdan de-capping devices. I'm sure
#there are a number of ways to accomplish this; the reloaders in Europe
#must have some system that's relatively easy to use.
I've heard that people use a rod that tightly fits the neck of the
cartridge, then they fill the cartridge case with water and use
hydraulic pressure and a sharp whack to pop out the spent primer over
a hole big enough to let it pop out.
Here's an idea I haven't tried, but would like some feedback:
Picture using a dremel rig to remove the anvil bump in the bottom of
the Berdan primer pocket, and use a drill bit to open and slant one of
the holes toward the middle of the pocket, and then size the pocket
for a Boxer primer. If the crossection and fluid resistance of the
holse are roughly the same, and if the holes are such that they allow
the Boxer primer flash to pass unobstructed, why couldn't one do the
conversion> With a jig setup, it should go rather quickly.
Lone Ranger
pries it out. Another trick is to find/turn/make a dowel just big
enough to fit the fired case mouth, fill the case with water, hit the
dowel with a hammer. Hydraulic pressure pops out the primer. Damm
messy but it will work. The Old Western Scrounger (don't have the
address) used to and I think still does sell Berdan primers. Have fun
and good luck.
Vernard H. Holton, Jr.
RCBS sells the can opener tool.
The water in the case method also works. I use a steel dowel. Bring a
large bath towel.
Regards,
Vern
David Steuber
' assume that Boxer primers will not work in a Berdan pocket and I have never seen
' Berdan primers for sale, but then I have never looked for them.
You assume correctly. The Berdan primer uses a post on the case as
the anvil while the boxer primer has the anvil built in. Also, the
diameter of the cup is a little different. Trying to prime a berdan
case with a boxer primer will probably detonate the primer.
OTOH, if primers are ever taken off the market, it will be easier to
make berdan primers from scratch than boxer primers. So maybe that
berdan brass should be saved for a rainy day. I include Wolf's steel
cases in brass.
--
David Steuber | Hi! My name is David Steuber, and I am
NRA Member | a hoploholic.
All bits are significant. Some bits are more significant than others.
-- Charles Babbage Orwell
J. Freeman
address j.a.f...@worldnet.att.net and check the berdan priming album for
pics of berdan depriming tool. Also there is a spec/price sheet of berdan
primers from Old
Western Scrounger.
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WVanhou237
<stump...@email.msn.com> writes:
#
#The old time cases for sharps rifles were generally berdan primed. The
#instructions involved removing the cap with an awl, using care not to damage
#the primer pocket, and then recapping much like the lee loader setup.
#
I wonder if anyone ever tried using hydraulic pressure to remove the Berdan
Primers, Say, fill the case with water, and use a tight, neck fitting, punch
and
tap it with a hammer.
Bill Van Houten (USA Ret)
"No matter how hard you try, you can't throw a potato chip very far."
"Linus"
Joe_A
news:8jq4pb$s3p$1...@xring.cs.umd.edu...
# In article <0ce0642441301...@msn.com>, "gregory garland"
# <stump...@email.msn.com> writes:
#
# #
# #The old time cases for sharps rifles were generally berdan primed. The
damage
# #the primer pocket, and then recapping much like the lee loader setup.
# #
#
# I wonder if anyone ever tried using hydraulic pressure to remove the
Berdan
punch
# and
# tap it with a hammer.
# Bill Van Houten (USA Ret)
# "No matter how hard you try, you can't throw a potato chip very far."
# "Linus"
#
#
#
I havent heard of any hydraulic press use but someone about a year or so ago
said that they were using their Dillon 650 and Dillon dies to break through
the top pf the primer pocket and drive out the primer.
A usenet seard=ch would probably turn up the info.
Joe
John M.
> ...
RCBS makes tools for de-priming and seating. You can find them at
Huntington's http://www.huntingtons.com/
Huntington's used to sell RWS primers too, but I don't see them listed
anymore. Old Western Scrounger may be the only source on the web.
The URL is http://www.ows-ammunition.com/
IMO reloading Berdan cases is not worth it unless the case is not
available in Boxer style. Not even then, if loaded ammo is fairly
easy to come by.
Jerry & Karen
punch of the proper size machined by a friend. Filled the case with H2O and
smacked the punch with a small hammer. H20 went everywhere but the primer
DID come out. still have that punch somewhere....
Happy Independence Day!
Shoot early...shoot often... have FUN!
WVanhou237
writes:
#
#Tjhe hydraulic method was mentioned in ome of my reloading manuals. I had a
#punch of the proper size machined by a friend. Filled the case with H2O and
#smacked the punch with a small hammer. H20 went everywhere but the primer
#DID come out. still have that punch somewhere....
#
Something like ramming a post in a water filled post hole, Huh ?
A paper towel in the hand that guides the punch should cure the
problem.
Bill Van Houten (USA Ret)
"No matter how hard you try, you can't throw a potato chip very far."
"Linus"
Andrew Walls
Berdan
# Primers, Say, fill the case with water, and use a tight, neck fitting,
punch
# and
# tap it with a hammer.
It is posseble to buy a tool called "Hydro punch" that operated by the
method you describe. My advice is if it is posseble to buy boxer primed
cases in the calibre you are reloading don't mess around with Berdan.
--
Andrew Walls
Near the Arctic Circle
Norway
fsp
#I was recently asked if fired cases originally primed with Berdan primers could
#be used again; i. e., reprimed.
I have done it several times. Two problems- getting primers, since
berdan primer sizes are not as standardized as are boxer, and getting
the old primer out. One of the reloading companies has a tool for
doing this, I made mine by grinding a scoop point on a broken punch.
It needs really good steel, as you tap it sideways into the firing pin
indentation and rotate down. I use a steel rod in a vise to hold the
case- must be a tight fit.. I was able to find Norma primers which fit
the Swedish ammo I was using.
Frank
Handyman
fsp wrote in message <8k4ffk$ms5$1...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...##I was recently asked if fired cases originally primed with Berdan primers
could
##be used again; i. e., reprimed.
#I have done it several times. Two problems- getting primers, since
#berdan primer sizes are not as standardized as are boxer, and getting
#the old primer out. One of the reloading companies has a tool for
#doing this, I made mine by grinding a scoop point on a broken punch.
#It needs really good steel, as you tap it sideways into the firing pin
#indentation and rotate down. I use a steel rod in a vise to hold the
#case- must be a tight fit.. I was able to find Norma primers which fit
#the Swedish ammo I was using.
I didn't have any Berden primed cases to work with, but this thread got
me wondering... so I've just finished deprimeing some .270 brass with air
pressure. Shell holder in a vise, rubber tipped blow gun, and PRESTO,
patented pneumatic primer popper! The next project is to rig a target and
backstop downrange from the vise :)
Regards
Bruce
MACKLIN
will just slip in the case mouth and a hammer. Drill a flat based shallow
hole in a piece of hard wood and then drill a 1/4 inch hole all the way
through so the primer can fall out.
Hit it with a hammer. Dry the cases before loading.
There are hand tools designed to pry the primer out w/o damaging the case.
If you have the air compressor and the primers are not too tight that should
work, too.
Robert R. Hollingsworth
of water, but this may be because the military brass had a fully crimped
in primer.
In Europe I saw a claw type Berdan decapper that grabbed the rim or
grove of the case and was then screwed into the primer which was then
pried out. This system stil managed to bend the posts on some cases.
Another just used a lever to scoup out the primer, and this also
damaged some cases.
Some years ago there was a device advertised that used the blast of a
boxer primer to blow out the berdan primer, so one had to have a boxwer
primer and the right sized berdan primer for every reload.
Some folks have made depriming pins for berdan primed cases. One cuts a
case just above the base to see exactly how far apart the flash holes
are or how far of center the single flash hole is and how big around the
flash holes are. A rod that tightly fits the mouth of the case has holes
drilled in one end and hard steel pins set in the holes to fit the flash
holes. The rod is placed in the case and turned until the rods line up
and fall in the flashholes and then the primer is tapped out the same as
with a boxer primed case. Main prblem is that as the flash holes tend to
be smaller on berdan cases, the pins are necessarily very thin and
easily bent if not properly aligned.
Some folks have swaged a boxer primer pocket into an existing berdan
case or gon so far ad to drill and tap the base of the case to accept a
screw in piece having a boxer primer pocket.
As has been pointed out there are more than two sized of berdan primer
and sometimes cases of the same caliber from different manufacturers
will have different size primer pockets.
By far the easiest way to deal with berdan primed cases is to write them
off as "non-reloadable" or convert a boxer primed case to the needed
dimensions.
Shoot, and reload, safe,
-Bob Holingsworth