How is Tula "non-corrosive"?

[monotonous_iterancy]

On boxes of Tula it says "non-corrosive". How can this be if they're Berdan primed? Aren't all berdan primers corrosive?

 

[CmdrSlander]

No. You just have that impression because most Berdan primed ammo is old and most old ammo is corrosive. Noncorrosive primers are a fairly recent (~50 years) thing.

 

[Inebriated]

Not all berdan primers are corrosive.

 

[firesky101]

also not all russian ammo is berdan primed. I don't remember if it was tula or not, but I have seen boxer primed steel case russian .223.

 

[Tommygunn]

No. You just have that impression because most Berdan primed ammo is old and most old ammo is corrosive. Noncorrosive primers are a fairly recent (~50 years) thing.

Non corrosive primers are older than that; .30 Carbine ammunition has always been noncorrosive and that was developed at the beginning of WW2.
I think it may be almost a century old by now.

 

[Mobuck]

Most of the US 30/06 ammo was corrosive up to 1952. 30 carbine was all NC for whatever reason. My calculator is in the shop but I don't think 1952 was 100 years ago. If so, I'm a LOT older than I thought I was.
To answer the OP, corrosive or noncorrosive has nothing to do with berdan or boxer design.

 

[jstein650]

(if this appears twice, my modem is on the fritz )
A little off topic, but... Am I right in that cordite is also non-corrosive? - that the priming used in most cordite ammo (e.g. .303 Br.) was the problem?

 

[Kp321]

Cordite is non corrosive, as is all smokeless powder. Cordite burns hot and is very erosive to rifle bores, not corrosive.
The problems come from the primers. If I recall correctly, the Germans (probably RWS) developed non-corrosive priming compounds in the early 1930's. I think the story was that the military did not want to go into a war with the new, unproven primers so the corrosive primers were used throughout WW II. There was a long held belief that corrosive primers were more stable long term than non-corrosive.

 

[lonniemike]

I do believe that both the Swedes and Swiss have used non-corrosive berdan rifle ammo for over 100 years with excelent results.Best

 

[CmdrSlander]

Non corrosive primers are older than that; .30 Carbine ammunition has always been noncorrosive and that was developed at the beginning of WW2.
I think it may be almost a century old by now.

I should say non-corrosive primers in wide use.

 

[Tomcat47]

Tula from Walmart is Boxer Primed Non Corrosive!

It is steel case reloadable casing as well!

 

[-v-]

Bearden vs Boxer has everything to do with primer geometry and nothing with the actual priming compound used. Boxer uses an anvil placed in the primer, whereas for Bearden the anvil is formed as part of the casing (hence two flash holes).

 

[hang fire]

I do believe that both the Swedes and Swiss have used non-corrosive berdan rifle ammo for over 100 years with excelent results.Best

That would be the Danes.

 

[Jim Watson]

Trivia: One early non corrosive (non-chlorate) primer WAS mercuric.
Harmless to barrel steel, death to brass. In those days, the ammunition companies did not much support reloading. They had just as soon spoil the cases so you had to buy factory. That was how CCI got started.

 

[jstein650]

Mercury Fulminate, interesting. Not too hard to make btw, but nasty stuff for sure. Do you remember what CCI stood for? Something like Cascade Cartridge something comes to mind. Wikipedia had nothing on that...

 

[EchoM70]

Yes CCI stands for Cascade Cartridge Inc.


OP, like others have said just because ammo is berdan primed it does not mean it is corrosive. Also from the Tula I've seen it has been boxer primed.

 

[monotonous_iterancy]

The Tula 7.62x39 I know about says Berdan primed. I'm glad to learn that they're not corrosive. I heard that all Berdan primers were mildly corrosive.

Are the steel casings reloadable? I didn't know that.

 

[Inebriated]

They are, but hardly worth the hassle. There was actually a thread in the reloading section not long ago about reloading steel.

 

[-v-]

I think the older threads about the hassle of reloading steel usually centered around replacing the bearden primer, and finding new bearden primers. If the steel is boxer primed, it should be no more difficult to reload then regular brass. I recall in another thread someone checked the hardness of an average brass case vs the mild steel used in steel cased ammo, and they were actually very close to one another, with some steel cases in the sample actually being softer then brass (who knew?). That said, I could see this stuff wearing crimping and expanding dies much faster because I would wager steel is much less malleable then brass.

 

[Trung Si]

The Tula 7.62x39 I know about says Berdan primed. I'm glad to learn that they're not corrosive. I heard that all Berdan primers were mildly corrosive.

You Heard wrong!
For Instance,Most of 7.62X51 (.308) Surplus Ammo is Berdan Primed and Non Corrosive!
And there is no such Thing as Mildly Corrosive, It either IS or It Ain't!:banghead:

 

[GBExpat]

On boxes of Tula it says "non-corrosive". How can this be if they're Berdan primed? Aren't all berdan primers corrosive?

wow

 

[lonniemike]

hang fire I guess I just learned that the Swiss are a Danish tribe far removed from Dane Land. The Swiss have been using non-corrosive primer compounds for closer to 150 years than 100 years. The Swiss used mercuric primers until 1951.
Jim Watson more trivia: mercury is death to brass after repeated use of mercury not just one shot with a mercury type primer. Best