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Thread: Converting Berdan primer pockets to Boxer

  1. #201
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance Four Fingers of Death's Avatar
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    I have a Steyer95 and a good stock of Nazi 1938 ammo and clips. I have everything to cast and reload apart from brass. It looks like I'll be going down this track as well. I did see on YouTube, the Ammo Channel from memory, the guy drilled the primer pocket out and then swaged a small piece of copper tubing into the new hole, trimmed it on the grinder then re-swaged it. This method looks easier(ish). I will try it first.
    "I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

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  2. #202
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    Quote Originally Posted by Four Fingers of Death View Post
    I have a Steyer95 and a good stock of Nazi 1938 ammo and clips. I have everything to cast and reload apart from brass. It looks like I'll be going down this track as well. I did see on YouTube, the Ammo Channel from memory, the guy drilled the primer pocket out and then swaged a small piece of copper tubing into the new hole, trimmed it on the grinder then re-swaged it. This method looks easier(ish). I will try it first.
    Attachment 199391

    As you can see the case on the right is a converted Steyr 95 nazi case. I did a couple hundred for a friend. No problems.

    Larry Gibson

  3. #203
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance Four Fingers of Death's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Gibson View Post
    Attachment 199391

    As you can see the case on the right is a converted Steyr 95 nazi case. I did a couple hundred for a friend. No problems.

    Larry Gibson
    It looks like I'd better get the Steyer out and shoot a few rounds and then clear away all of the junk in front of the drill press, haha. Thanks.
    "I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

    "Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let's go! We're burnin' daylight! " - Will Anderson (John Wayne) "The Cowboys."

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    http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/

    Psycholigist to Sniper; 'What did you feel when you shot the felon Sargeant?'
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    From my Irish Ancestors: "You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was."

  4. #204
    Boolit Grand Master


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    Any questions about the process don't hesitate to PM. It's actually easier than it looks.

    Larry Gibson

  5. #205
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance Four Fingers of Death's Avatar
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    Thanks. I have been reading through the posts and a lot of guys mentioned decapping berdan primers. I saw a couple of methods on Youtube that were very efficient.

    One used a block of wood with a hole drilled all of the way through for the primers to escape. Then rim sized hole was drilled for about 1/4" The cases were placed in this during decapping.

    The second method just used the shellholder.

    Both methods were the same after that. The case was dipped into water filling it, then placed in the block / shellholder and a 1/4" Socket Drive screwdriver thingo was placed in the case neck (reasonable fit) and whacked with a piece of wood, bingo! Primer is out.

    Easiest method I have ever seen.
    "I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

    "Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let's go! We're burnin' daylight! " - Will Anderson (John Wayne) "The Cowboys."

    SASS Life Member No 82047

    http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/

    Psycholigist to Sniper; 'What did you feel when you shot the felon Sargeant?'
    Sniper to Psycholigist; 'Recoil Ma'am.'

    From my Irish Ancestors: "You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was."

  6. #206
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    Tried the hydraulic method several times......never got too many primers out.......got water everywhere though.......

    Then getting the berdan primers of the right size was hit or miss.....needex special seating punches......gave up.......converting to boxer primers is/was a lot easier.

    Larry Gibson

  7. #207
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    Looks like I'm gonna have to scrounge up a proper mould to help feed my Steyr M95 in 8x56mmR. I have a sizeable stash of the 1938-dated Berdan stuff, but not having an efficient method for removing and replacing the primers has kept me from firing more than a couple of clips in the 20 or so years I've had the M95. I tried the hydraulic method of removal, but can't call my results anything resembling successful.

    Oddly, I bought a set of RCBS dies and a shell holder for 8x56mmR very shortly after I got the rifle. After reading this thread, looks like I'm running out of excuses for not putting them to their intended use!


  8. #208
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance Four Fingers of Death's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jrmartin1964 View Post
    looks like I'm running out of excuses for not putting them to their intended use!
    You and me both looks like.
    "I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

    "Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let's go! We're burnin' daylight! " - Will Anderson (John Wayne) "The Cowboys."

    SASS Life Member No 82047

    http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/

    Psycholigist to Sniper; 'What did you feel when you shot the felon Sargeant?'
    Sniper to Psycholigist; 'Recoil Ma'am.'

    From my Irish Ancestors: "You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was."

  9. #209
    Boolit Bub AKholicBubba's Avatar
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    This was very helpful info

  10. #210
    Boolit Buddy mwells72774's Avatar
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    There’s a guy on eBay selling steel sleeves. Took the brass and drilled out the primer pocket to .245 and used a steel rod from a lee loader to set it. Ran through a primer picker uniformer and then with the drill bit from the same person, drilled the flash hole

  11. #211
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    I tried the water depriming method a few weeks ago and I learned a few things that Id like to share. I took a few bolts that were half threaded and cut the threads off, then I took the ruff edges to a grinder and rounded the edges off to an angle, maybe 30 degrees. As a holder you can use a shell holder or a scrap piece of wood. In my case a scrap piece of 2x8, the bigger base was need as to not fall over when hit with a hammer. I did not mic the bolts, but the bolts that fit very loose, or even slid into the 7.62 x 54r case without any resistance did NOT result in a good deprimed shell on the first strike and sometimes not ever. however the cut bolts that fit very very snug/tight in the top of the 7.62 x 54r case resulted in a hydraulically deprimed case when struck with a hammer...not a claw hammer, a 1 pound hammer. Do not hold the drilled board with the other hand. This is why I used a larger piece of 2x 8 about 6x8 inches in size.........

  12. #212
    Boolit Buddy Twmaster's Avatar
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    I've found a driver handle for 1/4" drive sockets fits the neck on 7.62x39 perfectly and works fine for water decapping. I usually just set my case inside a suitably big socket wrench to allow the primer to pass when popped out.
    Mike

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  13. #213
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    I use a 5/16 bolt that has the threads cut off for deprimming 7.5x55 Swiss. I use the deprimmer cup from my 303 Lee loader. Works like a charm. +1 on the bolt sealing tight and a rag wrapped around the brass and your hand saves you from getting a shower. Luckily in Canada we can get berdan primers from time to time.

  14. #214
    Boolit Mold
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    Hi Larry, the secret to hydraulic decappers If your using the hammer type is the hammer, you need a heavy dead blow and a sharp strike, been converting 303Brit for years,,, if the primer is the Burdan #126 .250"dia DONT remove the primer but drill/mill a .200" hole in it drill out flash hole then use a primer pocket swage to turn the face of the primer back on itself, the military ring crimp holds the old primer in place and returning the primer face reduces the internal diameter just enough to get a good hold on a Boxer primer,,,,,,,,, This works for any case using the Burdan #126 primer

  15. #215
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    ^^^^ Did this successfully with 7,5x55 Swiss to the tune of about 30 cases. Labor intensive, so since Norma had high quality Boxer-prime brass, I bought a batch and quit with the conversion. Keeping the drilling on center required that I start with a #2 center drill, then follow with #8 to clean up the Berdan cup and most of the anvil, finally #50 to drill a central flash hole through. Used my bench lathe.
    Cognitive Dissident

  16. #216
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    I've always decapped berdan by puttin the case on a bolt closest to the neck size (held in a vice) then tap a #2 nailset (flattened on one side of the tip) into the edge of the primer, pry it out. Easy and quick no mess.

  17. #217
    Boolit Mold
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    Too long since I dropped in here ... insert excuses of choice here.

    Wandering the bowels of berdan -> boxer conversions the other day looking for something else I tripped over a secondhand mention of a technique that I don't see here: Instead of drilling out the berdan anvil, punch it out from the inside. This wasn't my idea and if I had any clue whose it was, I'd give credit.

    My previous conversion method -- used on a few hundred rounds of Yugo 7.62x39 brass -- was to chuck up the fired case in a minilathe using a collet, hit it with a centerdrill (#1 I think) removing the center of the primer, the anvil, and drilling a new flash hole. Then use a 1/4" counterbore ground down to 0.248 bore to a depth of 0.125. Push in and swage a ring with ID to fit an LR primer. I make the rings.

    This worked well -- I fired some of those cases 10x (reloading in the usual boxer way) just for kicks and had no problem, tho accuracy wasn't super because I didn't crimp and it's tough to get a tight enough seal to avoid gas leakage in 7.62x39 without a crimp. There were NO problems -- the rings stay in, the primers fit tightly, etc. Loaded ammo looks like it has a crimped primer unless you have better eyes than I.

    BUT -- this method is a lot of work, especially because you have to swap tools on each case -- c'drill and c'bore.

    The improved method following the idea of 'unknown' was to make a spindle similar to the Lee full length resizing one but with a shoulder at the top so it won't push out and with a hole to accept a cut-off drill shank just larger than the decapper pin on the bottom. This is straight-sided, sized to just fit a fired case.

    Set up an 'O' press for max pressure, i.e., near bottom of stroke and just punch out the anvil and (fired!) berdan primer. This is fast -- about like decap/resize. I think you could integrate this with the resize operation but I didn't want to mess with that level of precision before confirming that the basic idea worked on my cases, etc.

    I've now counterbored those cases, they look just like the ones using the old technique but this is easier. I'll finish and fire them over the next month or so.

    Ammo loaded this way probably isn't benchrest quality because the flash holes are oversize (I don't close the berdan holes ...) and no doubt not perfectly uniform but nobody doing this is looking for that anyway. It was every bit as good as the usual commercial loads.

  18. #218
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1874Sharps View Post
    20Nickels,

    Depriming is easy: Just fill up the case with water about half way, support the case on some washers or the like so the primer has somewhere to exit and put a well-fitting dowel in the case mouth and give it a whack with a mallet. The hydraulic pressure will push out the primer. You can reprime by pressing the new Berdan primer into the primer pocket (after cutting the military swage) to get it started. Then take a wooden dowel into the mouth of the case with the base and high primer on a piece of pine or soft wood and gently tap the dowel to further seat the primer. The primer will still be a bit high, but at this point the primer will be seated deep enough so that it can be put in a press with a large primer seating tool to finish the seating of the primer.

    Larry,

    You are truly amazing!
    I tried the water meth ed and all I got was wet and a straight wall case. if you can find berdan primers I can show you a way to deprime up to 5 cases a minute . it doesn't matter what the caliber is. 6.5, 7.5, 8mm, 7.62x54r, 8x56R. I was able to find 10,000 berdan primers on Gun broker about 18 years ago and brought them. and you have the tools(or can make them) on your reloading bench. I've let the primers go since them since i'm not shooting big bore any more.
    Pat

  19. #219
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    Ditto. Only way I got the hydraulic method to work was to press the case into the sizing die to keep the neck from expanding from the pressure and squirting water everywhere. Of course as soon as the primer popped out, water ran down the press ram and soaked my shoes and the floor underneath. Gave that up in a hurry and switched to drilling the crown off as the first step to converting to boxer primers.

    I honestly wonder if anyone recommending this water method on the Innertubes has actually ever tried it!
    Cognitive Dissident

  20. #220
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    I use a socket extension in a GP11 case filled with H20 ,brass sitting in the correct shellholder on a small piece of plywood on a concrete floor with a towel under it for the H20.One wack with a hammer and out pops the berdan primer.Weather permitting this can be done outside and skip the towel.

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
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GC Gas Check