These are in stock and available to be shipped for under $30/1000. Has anyone considered/re-considered reloading milsurp brass cased 7.62x39, 308, 8mm etc? I picked up some milsurp 8mm in brass cases for 35cents per round and it seems a waste to just scrap it, considering brass cased boxer primed stuff sells for over $1 per round. I understand the de-priming needs a dedicated tool, but it seems like the extra effort outweighs bankrupting myself buying all brass boxer ammo.
Tulammo large rifle berdan primers
- Thread starter coachteet
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Magnum Wheel Man
New member
that's interesting... I'm just trying to decide what to do with 40-50 Berdan primed 8 X 57 brass cases I found in my stuff while going through my 8mm brass...
decapping is pretty easy using the "hydrolic" method... how would you seat the primers ??? ( read the suggestions on a site I found that supplys Bedan primers, & sounds like slight, but permanent mods need to be made to LR Boxer prime systems to regularly load Berdan primers )
who has them in stock ???
you could have my cases if you paid for shipping, if you decided you wanted to try it yourself ( if I decide not to... but I'm inclided to stay with boxer cases, as I have several 100 of those )
decapping is pretty easy using the "hydrolic" method... how would you seat the primers ??? ( read the suggestions on a site I found that supplys Bedan primers, & sounds like slight, but permanent mods need to be made to LR Boxer prime systems to regularly load Berdan primers )
who has them in stock ???
you could have my cases if you paid for shipping, if you decided you wanted to try it yourself ( if I decide not to... but I'm inclided to stay with boxer cases, as I have several 100 of those )
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Grafs has them $114.99 plus hazmat and shipping. I am new to re-loading, so I don't have anything to compare it to. But it seems to me that if you buy the correct tools, berdan is not rocket science or particularly involved. Its just different for us because it isn't the standard Americans are set up for.
I just don't want to make a costly mistake. I realize the primers would require different loading data, and don't know if it's readily available with the powders we use here, etc.
I just don't want to make a costly mistake. I realize the primers would require different loading data, and don't know if it's readily available with the powders we use here, etc.
Magnum Wheel Man
New member
if you are new to reloading ( my suggestion ) skip the Berdan, & stay with Boxer... that said, I would suspect you would do the same as any changed out component, & start at the lowest loading in the book, & work your way up...
might want to use one of the easiest to light powders... ( just a suspicion ) based on the 2 smaller flash holes, instead of one larger... it might not matter, as I've never loaded Berdan, may light up powders just as well, or better ???
BTW... never delt with them, but my internet search turned up DAG AMMO, that seem to have them in stock, at $163.00 for 5,000 of the same primers
might want to use one of the easiest to light powders... ( just a suspicion ) based on the 2 smaller flash holes, instead of one larger... it might not matter, as I've never loaded Berdan, may light up powders just as well, or better ???
BTW... never delt with them, but my internet search turned up DAG AMMO, that seem to have them in stock, at $163.00 for 5,000 of the same primers
I would look very hard at the real cost of re-priming boxer cases. Assuming Berdan cases are throw away, if you get 5 loadings out of boxer primed ammo, the cost per round for the brass is (1.00-.35)/5 is 13 cents a round for the brass. That seems like a cheap way to not mess around with Berdan primers.
If you can snag some brass of gunbroker for $32/50 shipped, you may want to consider starting with 64 cent boxer brass.
However, if you are going to stick with the Berdan cases, hydraulic or pry are the two ways to get it out. You can find threads and videos on "converting" the Berdan cases to use boxer primers. For reloading, that may be the way to go. This guy has one way to do it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkKJfvMyuDg
Others have successfully drilled out the Berdan primer while leaving the ring of the primer to make it the right size for a boxer primer.
If you can snag some brass of gunbroker for $32/50 shipped, you may want to consider starting with 64 cent boxer brass.
However, if you are going to stick with the Berdan cases, hydraulic or pry are the two ways to get it out. You can find threads and videos on "converting" the Berdan cases to use boxer primers. For reloading, that may be the way to go. This guy has one way to do it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkKJfvMyuDg
Others have successfully drilled out the Berdan primer while leaving the ring of the primer to make it the right size for a boxer primer.
His dollar price was for loaded ammo, not brass.
However I look at it, the bother with Berdan primers seems great. There is simply no way to deprime Berdan primed cases at the same speed you can achieve depriming boxer primed cases. They also come in more than one diameter, none of which match the 0.210" and 0.175" diameters of Boxer large and small primers exactly. I would not want to wind up with one where the primers would not fit a Boxer priming tool. A lot of 7.62×51 NATO is apparently loaded with a 0.254" Berdan primer, where the Boxer is 0.210". That extra 0.045" is not going to fit in the sleeves of my benchrest grade priming tools, for sure.
However I look at it, the bother with Berdan primers seems great. There is simply no way to deprime Berdan primed cases at the same speed you can achieve depriming boxer primed cases. They also come in more than one diameter, none of which match the 0.210" and 0.175" diameters of Boxer large and small primers exactly. I would not want to wind up with one where the primers would not fit a Boxer priming tool. A lot of 7.62×51 NATO is apparently loaded with a 0.254" Berdan primer, where the Boxer is 0.210". That extra 0.045" is not going to fit in the sleeves of my benchrest grade priming tools, for sure.
The Tula 7.61 nato Berdan primers recently imported were sized right for the surplus 308 Berdan brass tried in. I do not know if the diam is different from the 7.62x39 berdan primers, but the height reportedly is (taller). Tula has a website, last time checked. I don't have any experience with other berdan primed calibers but the 7.62x51.
Like anything else, you can investigate the use for your purposes. If boxer brass and primers are available, they are much easier. If they are not available, and u are out of ammo you may want to explore alternatives.
Given the several thousand of surplus bougt over the years, decided to investigate the alternative, if ever needed in the future. The RCBS depriming tool works, with most the cases. Yes it is more time consuming than boxer primed brass, but not that hard.
Like anything else, you can investigate the use for your purposes. If boxer brass and primers are available, they are much easier. If they are not available, and u are out of ammo you may want to explore alternatives.
Given the several thousand of surplus bougt over the years, decided to investigate the alternative, if ever needed in the future. The RCBS depriming tool works, with most the cases. Yes it is more time consuming than boxer primed brass, but not that hard.
Ultrasonic would.
Yes, I don't think the shell holder would be an issue. If the ram that seats the primer is just flat you'd be OK with that. But I don't think I'd expect the quarter inch ones to fit in an APS strip or into the primer surrounding cup of a Lee Ram Prime or that of a Forster Co-ax press priming tool, nor those of a Sinclair hand tool or a K&M hand tool. Whether or not they will pass through the feed slot of a priming tray on a tool that has such a tray, I don't know either.
Yes, I don't think the shell holder would be an issue. If the ram that seats the primer is just flat you'd be OK with that. But I don't think I'd expect the quarter inch ones to fit in an APS strip or into the primer surrounding cup of a Lee Ram Prime or that of a Forster Co-ax press priming tool, nor those of a Sinclair hand tool or a K&M hand tool. Whether or not they will pass through the feed slot of a priming tray on a tool that has such a tray, I don't know either.