Berdan cases

oldscot3 · June 24, 2016, 02:35 PM

With the cost of brass being what it is, I'm glad I saved all my old berdan brass from years ago. I bought a tool to deprime them, but lost it in a move; I never have reprimed any.

I'm not interested in converting them to boxer, but wonder if anybody offers a service where you could send them and get them back resized and primed?

I thought about Quality Cartridge but it appears that their business is making oddball brass from parent cases and then applying the correct headstamp.

overthere · June 24, 2016, 03:30 PM

What cartridges are you shooting? It would have to be something pretty exotic for it to be more economical to have it sent off to re-priming and sizing for each reload vs buying once-fired boxer brass and size/prime them yourself.

Smoke & Recoil · June 24, 2016, 04:47 PM

The Berdan primers can be removed hydraulically too...by filling the case
with water, then insert a steel rod of proper diameter and striking the rod.

Ware glasses though.

condor bravo · June 24, 2016, 05:07 PM

I have never heard of that Berdan prep service being available. To do it yourself, in addition to the removal tool that you lost, Berdan primers, slightly oversized to Boxer primers, are also required. I've read somewhere that they might be available from Graf & Sons but then you are looking at hazmat fees. If you are talking about common .308 cases for instance, check out www.oncefiredbrass.com for good pricing on once fired brass.

oldscot3 · June 24, 2016, 05:52 PM

8x57, 7.65x53, and 7.5 Swiss, all good FN and GP11 brass.

I think I need #5608 primers. I guess regular priming equipment will work. They're only very slightly larger in diameter but the cup is slightly more shallow. The usual suspects like Grafs don't have them.

I'll probably be hard pressed to beat the price of PPU brass.

T. O'Heir · June 25, 2016, 12:31 PM

"...8x57, 7.65x53, and 7.5 Swiss, all good FN and GP11 brass..." All of which are readily available, at reasonable cost, with Boxer primers. Fiddling around with Berdan primed brass is not worth the excess effort and cost. IF you can find Berdan primers.
Make some drawer pulls and pitch the rest. Is really worth the drive to a scrap yard either.

oldscot3 · June 26, 2016, 07:38 AM

PPU is available at about .60 for brass and .90 for loaded ammo. That's what I'll do until I happen across berdan primers sometime, somewhere.

Currently the only source I can find that has them readily available is in Canada, which means ATF import forms in addition to hazmat charges. No thanks; my ocd impulses aren't that strong.

June 24, 2016, 02:35 PM	#1
oldscot3 Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: texas Posts: 997	Berdan cases With the cost of brass being what it is, I'm glad I saved all my old berdan brass from years ago. I bought a tool to deprime them, but lost it in a move; I never have reprimed any. I'm not interested in converting them to boxer, but wonder if anybody offers a service where you could send them and get them back resized and primed? I thought about Quality Cartridge but it appears that their business is making oddball brass from parent cases and then applying the correct headstamp.

June 24, 2016, 04:47 PM	#3
Smoke & Recoil Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: East shore of Lake Michigan. Posts: 714	The Berdan primers can be removed hydraulically too...by filling the case with water, then insert a steel rod of proper diameter and striking the rod. Ware glasses though. __________________ Sent from my Tandy 1000

June 24, 2016, 05:07 PM	#4
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	I have never heard of that Berdan prep service being available. To do it yourself, in addition to the removal tool that you lost, Berdan primers, slightly oversized to Boxer primers, are also required. I've read somewhere that they might be available from Graf & Sons but then you are looking at hazmat fees. If you are talking about common .308 cases for instance, check out www.oncefiredbrass.com for good pricing on once fired brass. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with??

June 25, 2016, 12:31 PM	#6
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...8x57, 7.65x53, and 7.5 Swiss, all good FN and GP11 brass..." All of which are readily available, at reasonable cost, with Boxer primers. Fiddling around with Berdan primed brass is not worth the excess effort and cost. IF you can find Berdan primers. Make some drawer pulls and pitch the rest. Is really worth the drive to a scrap yard either. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

June 24, 2016, 03:30 PM	#2
overthere Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2012 Posts: 290	What cartridges are you shooting? It would have to be something pretty exotic for it to be more economical to have it sent off to re-priming and sizing for each reload vs buying once-fired boxer brass and size/prime them yourself.

June 24, 2016, 05:52 PM	#5
oldscot3 Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: texas Posts: 997	8x57, 7.65x53, and 7.5 Swiss, all good FN and GP11 brass. I think I need #5608 primers. I guess regular priming equipment will work. They're only very slightly larger in diameter but the cup is slightly more shallow. The usual suspects like Grafs don't have them. I'll probably be hard pressed to beat the price of PPU brass.

June 26, 2016, 07:38 AM	#7
oldscot3 Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: texas Posts: 997	PPU is available at about .60 for brass and .90 for loaded ammo. That's what I'll do until I happen across berdan primers sometime, somewhere. Currently the only source I can find that has them readily available is in Canada, which means ATF import forms in addition to hazmat charges. No thanks; my ocd impulses aren't that strong.