[PRR1957]

For those of you who have never seen a Berdan primer.

Berdan on the left. Boxer on the right.

 

[sharps4590]

PRR, are those yours or did you pirate a picture? Doesn't matter, I'm just curious. Do you load any Berdan primed cases? I have a very few, maybe 6. Mostly German 8 X 57 military and one 9.3 X 75R Nimrod case sent to me by Axel Eichendorff from Germany....after he pulled the bullet, dumped the powder and de-primed it.

 

[zant]

Powder Valley normally has in stock...I have a few K just in case I have to reload steel case.

 

[PRR1957]

Found the picture online. Never intentionally tried to reload a Berdan cartridge. I did remove a primer from a Russian 7.62x39 once, but destroyed the primer in the process. Back in the late 1980’s Handloader magazine they used to have a small advertisement for a Berdan primer removal tool. It would hook onto the cartridge rim and a sharp point would pierce the primer center, and then it would be pried out.

 

[sharps4590]

I've seen pictures of the tool but never in person. Evidently they work quite well. They're still available somewhere.

Odd thing...Europe adopted the Berdan method, invented by an American, and we adopted the Boxer method, invented by an Englishman.

 

[zant]

I paid 50$-10yrs ago for Berdan tool---my buddy just uses a tight dowel/water and hammer-pop right out.

 

[tedwitt]

Could you use a nail set punch, if it would fit?
Just thinking out loud, or typing in silence. lol

 

[sharps4590]

I doubt it ted. There's usually 2 or 3 holes in the primer pocket and they're pretty small, smaller than the flash hole of a small rifle or pistol case and they aren't centered. They are located around the circumference of the anvil. And that's just an opinion based on pictures and reading and examining Berdan cases. I've never tried either the pry out tool or the hydraulic method zant mentioned.

 

[sparkyv]

The reloading process already has too many steps for me to bother with Berdan primed cases. I toss in the trade/recycle bucket and move on. Note, I don't shoot any exotic European calibers.

 

[sharps4590]

Most, if not all, European/British cartridges can be made from some Boxer primed parent case so unless it's a labor of love or wanting to be historically correct there's really no reason to use Berdan primed cases.