Hi, I just ordered a tool to de-cap Berdan primers for 8X57 Mauser casings. Is anyone here loading these? The only reason I'm looking into this is I have tons of berdan primed once fired brass in this caliber. I have been loading this caliber in Boxer casings for a while so I'm not a newbe, Any advice is appreciatted.
Is anyone here reloading Berdan primed casings?
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Shadow 7D
Member
you can do it, there are decapping tools (like a hinged claw) and primers, I saw a tin in the misc. junk the other day at a LGS, BUT finding the right size, having a consistent supply and ...
means most people don't, I have heard of people drilling the primer hole and converting the case to boxer.
means most people don't, I have heard of people drilling the primer hole and converting the case to boxer.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
If you find a source for buying Berdan primers anywhere in the U.S.A., I'd be very surprised.
Here is a lot of info on all the goofy sizes they come in.
Just not in the United States.
http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/berdan_supplies_dimensions.html
rc
Here is a lot of info on all the goofy sizes they come in.
Just not in the United States.
http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/berdan_supplies_dimensions.html
rc
FROGO207
Member
I bought the RCBS berdan deprimer tool and find after doing about 300 that the failure rate (nicking the ball inside the primer pocket) is 2 in 5 for me. Then I drilled out the casing on a lathe and tried to seat a new primer. They were loose and even gluing them in did not work. Another on here said that he turned small bushings and threaded them into the brass and this was not any good either. Best to turn it in for scrap and buy boxer primed ammo/brass. You will be far ahead this way. Also most berdan primers are corrosive still. This is not what I was looking for. If you want cheap hunting rounds buy Lee RGB dies and some surplus brass or steel cased ammo. Just pull the bullet, then reload with your choice of propellant/bullet using the primed case you salvaged. This will be cheaper than tool and primers IMHO. I do this for 7.62 X 54R and 303 British with excellent results in both. I buy steel 7.62 X 39 as it is so cheap still. I have dies and reload a few dozen of these using reloadable brass for special use.
I was interested in pulling my x39 bullets from steel cased ammo and replacing with AA1680 and a VMAX bullet. I want better accuracy and not have to chase around expensive x39 brass. I am looking to have better accuracy out of my AR-15 x39 for 200yd plates. Would this combo be much more accurate than stock Wolf but just under a brass case?
cheygriz
member
Buy a box of Winchester white Box or Remington UMC x39 and try it. If it is more accurate, buy a case and just resign yourself to "chasing the casings." 
NuJudge
Member
I am. There is a lot of variation in Berdan primers: different diameters, different heights, different hardnesses, different explosive strengths, so be careful.
All the 8x57mm Berdan brass I have seen has had .217" diameter primers. The primers required for 8x57 are relatively tall, hard, and high strength.
There are lots of European ammunition makers still making Berdan primers. RWS is still advertising them, and I know of recent batches imported into Australia, but the last importation into the US was probably 20 years ago. I loaded lots of them into German WWII 8x57 and Chinese 7.62x39 cases, and they worked well in everything.
Murom/Tula in Russia is making them. PMC imported a small batch, then a large batch of Murom KV-7.62N primers in "PMC" logoed packaging about 10 years ago. PMC is long since out of them. They were .217" diameter, tall, strong, but seemed kind of soft to me. I have shot a lot of them in 7.5x55, 8x56R, Albanian 7.62x54R, and some other cases. They were intended for .308 class cartridges, and they gave excellent accuracy. Because I believed them to be a bit soft based on my observations, I was not willing to use them in semi-auto firearms that did not have a firing pin retraction spring or Garand type safety bridge.
Murom exported a small batch of their primers to the US recently, and they were for sale briefly at Grafs and Powder Valley. The packaging was the TulAmmo brand. The primers were the Murom KV-24N, and they were intended for 7.62x39 cases. I loaded a lot of them in 7.62x39 and 7.5x55 cases, and they worked great in the former. In the 7.5x55 I got hangfires and duds. One person posting on another board drilled the flash holes slightly larger on the 7.5x55 brass, and he reported excellent ignition then.
These primers were .217" diameter, short, apparently had less explosive force, and they seemed hard.
Grafs is reportedly bringing in more Berdan primers. The reports are they are going to bring in both these types of .217" primers. I would hope they brought in .254" diameter for most 7.62x54R brass.
On a Berdan case, the primer anvil is actually part of the case. My experience is that mashing the anvil really does not hurt ignition.
There are also a variety of methods of hydraulic removal of spent primers.
All the 8x57mm Berdan brass I have seen has had .217" diameter primers. The primers required for 8x57 are relatively tall, hard, and high strength.
There are lots of European ammunition makers still making Berdan primers. RWS is still advertising them, and I know of recent batches imported into Australia, but the last importation into the US was probably 20 years ago. I loaded lots of them into German WWII 8x57 and Chinese 7.62x39 cases, and they worked well in everything.
Murom/Tula in Russia is making them. PMC imported a small batch, then a large batch of Murom KV-7.62N primers in "PMC" logoed packaging about 10 years ago. PMC is long since out of them. They were .217" diameter, tall, strong, but seemed kind of soft to me. I have shot a lot of them in 7.5x55, 8x56R, Albanian 7.62x54R, and some other cases. They were intended for .308 class cartridges, and they gave excellent accuracy. Because I believed them to be a bit soft based on my observations, I was not willing to use them in semi-auto firearms that did not have a firing pin retraction spring or Garand type safety bridge.
Murom exported a small batch of their primers to the US recently, and they were for sale briefly at Grafs and Powder Valley. The packaging was the TulAmmo brand. The primers were the Murom KV-24N, and they were intended for 7.62x39 cases. I loaded a lot of them in 7.62x39 and 7.5x55 cases, and they worked great in the former. In the 7.5x55 I got hangfires and duds. One person posting on another board drilled the flash holes slightly larger on the 7.5x55 brass, and he reported excellent ignition then.
These primers were .217" diameter, short, apparently had less explosive force, and they seemed hard.
Grafs is reportedly bringing in more Berdan primers. The reports are they are going to bring in both these types of .217" primers. I would hope they brought in .254" diameter for most 7.62x54R brass.
On a Berdan case, the primer anvil is actually part of the case. My experience is that mashing the anvil really does not hurt ignition.
There are also a variety of methods of hydraulic removal of spent primers.
yooper_sjd
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There is another option...If you have good, and I mean really good Berdan brass, and commercial brass is expensive. You can go through a whole mess of trouble on converting it from berdan to boxer. And the decapping thing is whole time consuming. If you bought a decapping tool. all you gotta do is get rid of the nipple, drill yourself a center flash hole. and swag the pocket so it will hold a boxer primer. There have been several discussions on how to do it on a few boards. One of them is Surplusrifleforum.com, some folk there got hard to find calibers, and have resorted to converting due to some of the ctg prices when surplus ammo is cheap. winter time nothing to do, start converting ctgs. I have done well over 6 k in 8mm for myself and others. it can be time consuming but truely puts the definition of making your own ammo.
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