Primed Brass Quandry

[perdurabo93]

So some years back I bought a spam can of Albanian 7.62x54R to shoot in my Mosin 91/30 rifle. I quickly discovered that this ammo is really prone to burst primers so I opted to pull them all down, resize the projectiles to .308" and re-use the powder for other purposes (the powder worked just like IMR 4895, BTW and performed exactly as expected). BTW I am 110% sure that these cases are BRASS and not steel. Magnets don't lie.

Anyway, so I forgot about the old berdan primed brass until a little while ago. I want to take this brass and send it to Scharch/Top Brass to get credit for their Brass Exchange program but I don't want to jump through the hoops of sending it ORM-D via UPS. The only customer center is too far away from me and isnt worth the fuel to get there, and UPS store/Pak-Mail type places will not accept ORM-D of any kind. Top Brass will credit you $2.25/lb for ANY yellow brass of any kind in any condition. I know some people take the risk and send primed brass via USPS priority, but I'm not going to take the chance as I KNOW for certain that primed brass is explicitly prohibited for shipping via USPS and I'm not going to risk everything to ship $10 worth of primed brass.

I could just pop the primers in a mosin, but I sold that rifle years ago and I don't have anything left that shoots 7.62x54R nor does anyone I know. $10 worth of brass isn't worth buying another mosin just to pop the primers and it isn't worth building some contraption to pop the primers with either. Any idea what I can do with this stuff other than just throw it away (which I'm sure is probably illegal in some way as well)? Is there an easy/fast way to pop or remove these berdan primers that doesn't actually require a rifle chambered in 7.62x54R?

 

[rcmodel]

Get a burn barrel and build a charcoal or wood fire in it, then dump the empty primed brass in the fire/hot coals and put a lid over it.

A steel 5 gal bucket or larger steel barrel with a lid will safely contain the primer frags when they pop.

There is no other safe way to pop or deprime them short of firing them in a rifle chambered for them.

Before someone mentions it, NO, soaking them in oil or WD-40 will not work reliably on all of them.
Even if it did, they will still be primed brass in the eyes of the law, and the nose of the explosive sniffing dog.

rc

 

[GLOOB]

Seems like a Lee decapping pin would make a good gravity-powered firing pin. Perhaps you have the appropriate diameter tubes lying around. I'm picturing a tube large enough to hold the cases. Then a smaller tube inside that through which to drop the decapping pin. Put on your glasses and ears, and start popping some primers.

Can't vouch for the safety. But it sounds like fun.

 

[wrench]

heat is your friend.
hold the piece of brass with a pair of pliers, and place the primer in the flame of a propane torch, it'll pop in a couple of seconds.
Now...
the primer will fly out of the brass.
Do not point it at yourself, or at the fluorescent lights above your workbench.

 

[chris in va]

Pop the primers and save the brass. Lots of people looking for 54R brass out there as it is so darn rare.

 

[ron59]

I've de-primed 9mm brass (primers still being "unpopped") on my 550 several times. Just go a little slow, don't slam the arm down. I've only done 5 or 6 this way, but don't consider it to be that much of a big deal. Just go slow and be careful. Definitely would wear eye protection though.

 

[rcmodel]

He said it was Berdan primed in his first post.

That makes de-priming with a reloading die impossible.

rc

 

[rodregier]

There are uncommon tools for depriming Berdan, although they would be scary to use on live primers.

Perhaps you can find a local who has a rifle chambed in 7.62x54R and get them to pop the primers?

 

[amlevin]

Why not just fire it in the rifle. Makes about as much noise as a loud cap-gun.

No fires, no flying brass, no neighbors bitching about the smoke and smell.

If you want to keep the firing to yourself, take a "Homer Bucket" from Home Depot or something like it, cut a hole in the lid, and toss some wet rags in it.

Stick the muzzle in the hole and fire away.

This process will take less time than figuring out what else to do.

I've used this method to get rid of some 7.62X51 Blank ammo. Shoot it into the bucket and then scrap the brass.

 

[rcmodel]

The OP's first post said:

I could just pop the primers in a mosin, but I sold that rifle years ago and I don't have anything left that shoots 7.62x54R nor does anyone I know.

rc

 

[Remo223]

sounds like a good reason to go buy a moisin

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm amazed at how few people really read the posts before they offer an opinion!

A vice and a center punch come to mind. (but you did ask for a safe way, didn't you?)