Military Brass

[Jack Hinton]

Whats the best way of reloading military brass?

I have seen a guy on "youtube" drilling out the old primer and then into the cartridge itself to make a single flash hole....

would be grateful of any advice

 

[nicholst55]

A lot depends on what you mean by 'military brass.' USGI brass is boxer-primed, and only needs to have the primer crimp removed - a simple, one-time operation easily accomplished with inexpensive tools made by RCBS or others.

Foreign brass, both military and civilian, is frequently berdan-primed. Berdan primers are different sizes than boxer primers, and normally have two (sometimes three) small, angular flash holes. The easiest way to reload berdan-primed brass is to use berdan primers and the appropriate tooling for them. Unfortunately, berdan primers are difficult to locate in the U.S. and usually quite expensive when found.

Boxer-primed brass is available for the most popular foreign cartridges. For me, using it is the most cost and time-effective method of reloading for those cartridges. Right now, finding even boxer primers is an exercise in futility. Adding the hassle of locating berdan primers is something that I don't care to do.

 

[NuJudge]

You are referring to Berdan-Primed brass? My $0.02 is to use Berdan primers, and it works fine. Such primers are very difficult to find in the US, but they may be easier to find in NZ. They are easier to find in Australia. Before you try one of the conversion mechanisms, try to find Berdan primers. They come in many different diameters, sizes, heights, and hardnesses. The most common size is .217", used in .308, .30-'06, 8x57, 7.65x53, 7.62x39, some .303, a little 7.62x54R, and many other calibers. Most .303 uses .250". Most 7.62x54R uses .254".

The different heights are not that much of a problem, but hardnesses are if you are loading for semi-autos, which you probably are not in NZ.

Berdan primer removal takes some extra gear. There are some makes of brass where primer removal is all but impossible, eg Australian surplus .308.

In order to convert a .217" Berdan primed case to .210" large rifle, one has to get rid of the Berdan anvil, somehow get the primer pocket swaged .007" smaller, and fixture the case to drill another flash hole.

Many people are not willing to deal with depriming Berdan cases. I can't bring myself to trust cases reworked from Berdan.

 

[tlen]

Reload like any other brass but be sure to remove the primer crimp first. Use a Lyman primer pocket reamer.

 

[Bob J]

Assuming you mean boxer primed.....

I use a lee decapping die and a dillon swager to remove the crimp.... Fast and easy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1VQoPDik04

 

[Jack Hinton]

Ahhhhhh so wise cheers team, while semi autos are nice nothing can beat a classic like a classic 303 or K98k the work issued bushmasters just seem like BB guns.

 

[fguffey]

Jack Hinton, there are forums that do not allow questioning the answers, you did say "would be grateful of any advice". There is no logic to cutting the flash hole to the same size as the primer pocket, one the primer should have a shoulder to seat on, two the flash hole is a restrictor to flow,it is possible the flash hole diameter reduction reduces pressure on the primer at peak pressure, with out the restriction PSI on the primer would be the same as PSI on the case wall, I am aware .210 (radius squared X 22/7 = the area of a circle) is greater than .070 (radius squared X 22/7), and what ever happens inside of a case when fired is fast and violent.

Then there is the LIGHT PRIMER STRIKE theory, I say the primer is crushed and absorbs the strike and the case, powder and bullet can not accelerate fast enough to get out of the way fast enough, but without a shoulder to offer resistance to forward movement, who is to say the straight primer pocket would allow 'light strikes'. And there is the WEB (top of the case head), the increase in the diameter of the flash hole will allow more outward pressure (PSI-in all directions) on the inside wall of the flash hole, I believe the increase in diameter would increase the area exposed to peak pressure and defeat the design function of the web (hold the case together).

http://www.realguns.com/archives/106.htm

Nomenclature, case head, web (top of the case head), flash hole, primer pocket, cup (top of the web) and wall? case body, not listed is the T'ain'T.

What military brass, 30/06? Again, the 30/06 military case head, including the web, is thinner than the case head thickness of commercial brass by .060 thousands, if the primer pocket extends from the bottom of the case up to the bottom of the web (top of the flash hole + or - a few) and the primer pockets on both the military and commercial case is the same depth, the reduction in thickness of the case head is in the web, I do not hesitate, I use military brass, I know with heavy loads, commercial brass is safer because of the thicker case head, I do not drill flash holes, I have friends that drill all flash holes to the same diameter, and I agree with his reasoning.

F. Guffey

 

[fguffey]

Jack Hinton, New Zealand, 303, Berdan primers? many years ago I called the Western Scrounger for Berdan primers, he talked me out of it, seem the primers cost more than the bullets, with all of my equipment and tools I thought about another option, use an end mill to cut the top of the primer, (leave the primer wall) and remove the anvil without going through, if necessary add a small flash hole, then ream the wall of the Berdan primer with a small rifle primer pocket reamer, then use small rifle primers, standard or magnum, I got over it and found some 303 brass for my 1905 Ross, I never got to the point I was desperate, and all of my 303s have forward locking lugs, and are accurate.

F. Guffey

 

[Remo-99]

Whats the best way of reloading military brass?

a classic 303

If your talking about 303 military brass, most military surpus 303 ammo brass I've come across is so brittle it splits at the neck alot of the time on the first firing and working it further by resizing only increases the rate at which you get neck splits.

The short magazine lee enfield wasn't the strongest action, but for a light, fast handing bolt gun, they must have done something right, for them to be still popular, at over a hundred years on.