Berdan primed 38spl?

[Shadow9mm]

Well, I found my first ever Berdn primed 38spl today, wrecked a decapping pin. Was once fired brass from an indoor range I bought decapped about 750 now I gotta dig out a spare pin. Head stamp , 38SPL SB AA. I guess I always figured most of the berdan primed stuff, other than some of the imported rifle cartridges, were all kept mostly overseas...

Update, after a little digging it appears is may be S&B produced for the Danish military? I'm mighty curious. Anyone else have any ideas? Also I found a 2nd one, but was being fairly gentle, relatively speaking, and managed not to break my last pin. Got all 1000 deprimed and they are getting their first bath. Great quality brass at a great price, but filthy.

 

[44 AMP]

While I don't know for certain, its entirely possible S&B makes berdan primed ammo for the European market. The stuff they make for the US market is boxer primed.

Another example of why I like to decap all fired brass I acquire by hand, the first time. Doing this, I haven't bent or broken a die mounted decapping pin in decades.

 

[Nick_C_S]

I have been loading 38 Spl since 1984. Much of it range pickup. I have never experienced a single piece of berdan primed 38 Special brass.

Learn something every day.

 

[Shadow9mm]

I have been loading 38 Spl since 1984. Much of it range pickup. I have never experienced a single piece of berdan primed 38 Special brass.

Learn something every day.

That's 2 years before I was born... smh... guess I'm just lucky, or unlucky, depending on how you look at it.

 

[BillM]

Spanish.


SB AA
Empresa Nacional Santa Barbara de Industrias Militares S.A., Palencia (Spain)
Date Codes:
AA=1981
AB=1982
AC=1983
AD=1984
AE=1985
AF=1986

 

[Unclenick]

Yep! Spanish. S&B marks their cases with two little circles on opposite sides of the diameter of the head.

Note that if these had been S&B from the early '80s, they could also have been Berdan primed. I had a bunch of their '82 308 Win that was. I had an email exchange with them in which they said that during the "iron curtain days" they offered contract manufacturing of anything a customer specified.