Berdan Brass

[WILCO]

Anyone else saving this stuff???? I know it can be converted to boxer, but it's labor intensive. Still, I can't bring myself to toss it. Especially the brass 7.62x54R.
I'm always scrounging that type from the range and maybe someday I'll get a R&D Lathe from harbor freight to change it over. It would be great if Boxer brass in that caliber was cheaper and plentiful. [smilie=s:

[higgins]

The only brass 54R I have personal experience with is the Albanian (80s?), and the Bulgarian 50s, both light and heavy ball. I don't think any I've personally used is good enough quality to reload. The poor quality control of the Albanian is the stuff of many internet ammo threads, and the Bulgarian either cracked too many necks or too many of the primers leaked, and one of them had the larger primer size (don't remember which one). The only brass 54R I've seen that looked like it was good enough to reload is the 70s and 80s nny (Prvi) headstamp, but it's got the oversize military primer. I'm not saying that good military berdan brass doesn't exist; I just haven't used any of it yet. I'm as big a packrat as most of us - I've kept Berdan-primed 7.62x39, 7.5 Swiss, and 6.5 Swede even though I don't have Berdan reloading gear. If I reload 54R I'll use boxer cases. The nny cases might be worth keeping in case you come across the correct size berdan primer.

[WILCO]

The nny cases might be worth keeping in case you come across the correct size berdan primer.

I've found a few of those nny's. I've even found some boxer primed ppu's.
As for converting berdan to boxer, I found this website whilst looking for answers:

http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/topic/25275/t/Berdan-to-Boxer-Conversion-Method.html

The guy uses a ball bearing to downsize the primer pocket.

[trooperdan]

Wilco, I'm interested in berdan brass; I laid in a supply of the PMC .217 berdan primers a few years ago so if you have any caliber that takes that size primer, let me know!

[NuJudge]

The Albanian 7.62x54R and very early Bulgarian take .217" primers, and shoot quite well. The Albanian is better for reloading, only occasionally having a too-thick rim. About one out of 50 early Bulgarian cases has a primer pocket problem, leaking a lot of gas through the primer pocket on firing.

The rest of the brass-cased Berdan 7.62x54R has .254" pockets, and I have not seen any of those imported since the 80's.

[WILCO]

Found this place with pictures of headstamps: http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmo.htm

[WILCO]

I've even found some boxer primed ppu's.

I found out through searching the net that the above mentioned brass is Wolf Gold 7.62x54R made by Privi Partizan:

http://www.ammunitionstore.com/products/7.62x54r-Ammo-150gr-FMJ-BT-Wolf-Gold-20-Round-Box.html

[jonk]

The only Berdan stuff I save is Greek or South African .303 with the standard .217" primer vs. the larger primer found in British and Pakistani loads. I like the heavier military brass in some of my guns with slightly oversized chambers. I don't convert it though, I just load Berdan primers in it.

I also save berdan 7.5 french brass, just because i only have a handful and the same decapper works well for the .303 and 7.5 french.

Strangely the Mosin, which in general I'd lump into a group as 'not as well finished, with poorer quality control' as compared to the Enfield, doesn't seem to have this issue.

[JIMinPHX]

I've converted some of those. Like you said, it is possible, but it's labor intensive. I pay about $0.50 each for primed Winchester brass in 7.62 x 54R at a local store. It doesn't pay for me to do the conversions. It was interesting for me to prove that I could do it though.

Now that 9-largo brass is no longer available from Star Line, I'm back to converting that stuff because I have to. Otherwise I would not.

My methods were a little different from what was posted in your link. You can see some of my early attempts documented here -
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=50789