Berdan primers just won't pop out.

[abunaitoo]

Help!!!!
Trying to pop out berdan primers from 8mm Label MG cases.
I don't see a crimp, but I'm sure it is.
It has a red sealant around the primer.
I've tried the RCBS tool. Broke two pins.
I've tried two different hydraulic ways.
Hammer with a metal rod, and in the press with a full length sizer die.
Both used water.
Nothing.
I'm about to try and make a tube type like on utube, but if the other two ways didn't work, I'm not betting on this working either.
Last hope would be to make a punch and something to pry the darn things out.
I really hoped the hydraulic would have worked.
I've got it to work on other calibers.
Even some with crimp.
Have 100's of cases I want to do.
Not fired cases.
Ammo broken down.
So far none of the primers has fired.
All duds, like the damacrats.
Powder is these tiny silver squares.
I am saving the powder.

[cwtebay]

Can you fire an empty case? Maybe do that and split a case in half to inspect what you are dealing with. Guess I would be pretty hesitant to keep messing with the live primer with that many attempts.

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[Winger Ed.]

This is the perfect reason you need to get a rifle to shoot them in, then go about de-priming the once fired cases.

[skeettx]

If you can NOT fire them (best way)
You can hydraulically eject them.
Fill with water and insert a well fitting greased mandrel
Place the case on a drilled base to allow primer to eject.
Whack the mandrel, done and water every where :)

[Hick]

If you can NOT fire them (best way)
You can hydraulically eject them.
Fill with water and insert a well fitting greased mandrel
Place the case on a drilled base to allow primer to eject.
Whack the mandrel, done and water every where :)

Absolute Genius!

[Pipefitter]

might want to try soaking the base of the case in 50/50 acetone and ATF.... that would kill the primer and (maybe) get some slippery stuf between the case head and the primer

[ascast]

those MG cases have a monster crimp-hydraulic wont work- you need to cut the crimp out on a lathe.

[abunaitoo]

Tried hydraulic primer removal.
Didn't work.
I have done the same for other cases without problems.
I have tried to fire the empty cases.
All duds. Good deep primer hit.
But..........................
Worked on a few and dug the primers out.
Way to much work, but had to do it.
These are for a MG. Hotchkiss machine gun. Came on strips.
Primer compound was just powder. Dead.
The primer cups seem much harder than boxer primer cups.
After all the hard work..........................
Berdan primers I got from a friend.............are to small:sad:
I probably should have expected this, with the chinese virus and damacrats spoiling the whole year.
[smilie=b:
272763

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve heard that people sometimes try putting the case in a reloading press and pushing the primer in just enough to crack the sealant, before removing them.
Do you have any way to apply more hydraulic pressure? If you or a friend as the equipment, maybe you could machine a mandrel to accept O rings to make a better and stronger seal. Then put it in an arbor press to apply maximum hydraulic force.

[GregLaROCHE]

Looks like this guy is having a hard time with Berdan primers too.

https://youtu.be/1qH8pBybcTg

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Somewhere, several years ago, on another forum a guy made a video showing himself removing Berdan primers hydraulically using a single stage reloading press and an "M" die. It was effortless, and seemed foolproof. He filled the cases with water to the base of the neck, ran them into the die, and the primers popped out. The only drawback was that his press and bench got pretty wet. He had a bucket under the edge of the bench to catch a lot of the water. I don't know where I saw it anymore, but that's all there was to it.

DG

[cwtebay]

Somewhere, several years ago, on another forum a guy made a video showing himself removing Berdan primers hydraulically using a single stage reloading press and an "M" die. It was effortless, and seemed foolproof. He filled the cases with water to the base of the neck, ran them into the die, and the primers popped out. The only drawback was that his press and bench got pretty wet. He had a bucket under the edge of the bench to catch a lot of the water. I don't know where I saw it anymore, but that's all there was to it.

DGI believe this is the video? I've tried it with success - but you're right - WET.
Finally got smart and took it outside with a towel over it.

https://youtu.be/sq_inHezUGw

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[abunaitoo]

I saw that clip.
The depriming rod I used was the old Lee style, when the fat part was not just a ball.
It was a tight fit, but didn't work.
It kind of moot now that the primers are the wrong size.
I just hope the 7.5 Swiss can use the primers.
The 8mm Label would have been more useful.
I was going to use them for the Label and to make 41 Swiss.
"best laid plans of mice and men"

[Gewehr-Guy]

If you are going to use black powder in your 41 Swiss, you could try drilling them out for a shotgun primer. I did this with some berdan primed 24 guage cases for a .577 Snider, and they worked OK. I'm not sure how much pressure they would handle with a smokeless load.

[DDriller]

Convert them over to take standard rifle primers. Larry Gibson has a very good post on how to do it in the stickies.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?143855-Converting-Berdan-primer-pockets-to-Boxer&highlight=Converting+Berdan+primers

[abunaitoo]

I'll see if they can be converted.
Sometimes it's just not worth the time.

[james23]

I know what you are going through. I decap the berdan Swiss gp 11 with the RCBS decapper and it works good, 303 works good and most modern (1960's and newer) seems to be straight forward to decap berdan primers. I have a bunch of 1930's 8 x56R brass and various WW2 8x57 brass that is very tough to work with, using either the RCBS or the hydraulic method with water. If one can get the primer out its good to go but I ended up moving on with quite a bit of it. The new PPU brass on the market helped make that decision. I use PPU 8 mm Lebel and it looks good. I have Tula KV-7.62N primers that work good in the 7.5 Swiss and the 8 x57 brass but was loose in the old 303.

[john.k]

The Lebel MG round have the primers especially secured,as one of the "faults" of the French Hotchkiss and Berthier MGs was early breech unlocking ,which caused the primers to be blown from the case and jam the gun....you can see this when the gun is fired ,the large volume of smoke coming from the action.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I believe this is the video? I've tried it with success - but you're right - WET.
Finally got smart and took it outside with a towel over it.

https://youtu.be/sq_inHezUGw

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That's it! I didn't know it had made it to U-tube.