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Thread: Converting Berdan primer pockets to Boxer

  1. #81
    Boolit Master kywoodwrkr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    Hodgenville, KY-Lincolns Birthplace
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    Self Deleted

  2. #82
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    eastern Iowa
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    472
    The ring crimps are very hard to decap . The India and Pac made 303 is nearly impossible to water decap. You really have to hit with a solid blow and big hammer.Even then it may not work. Some 303 cases are easy though. SA. & FN cases use .217 primers and not much for a crimp. The 7.5 Swiss cases decap easy and if you have berdan primers you are good. Top of the heap for case quality too.
    n.h.schmidt

  3. #83
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    ABQ, NM
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    80
    I just went through this with 80 or so WWII vintage 8x56r cases, as well as a couple 7.5x55 that I had lying around.

    Some notes:
    1) Hydraulic decapping did not work on these for me. Once I cut the primers out with a flat-faced drill, the pockets were still completely filled with priming compound; perhaps if I had let them soak overnight, this method would have worked better.

    2) I cut the primers out with a 7/32" drill ground to cut flat, with a relief for the Berdan anvil. I was able to pry the remaining ring of the old primers out with a small screwdriver.

    3) Flattened the anvils with an RCBS primer pocket swager in an RC press. RCBS tools are not designed for this; I had previously bent a rod (replaced with long grade 8 1/4"-28 bolt turned to .30) and there was enough variation in the case head thickness that I deformed the spuds for the swager as well. Not a huge issue for me; I will request replacements from RCBS and make up a couple from hardened 4140 when I have the correct dimensions. RCBS seems to make these from a case-hardened mild steel which is not up to this task.

    4) Drilled the primer pockets to .221 (#2 drill), glued in a .22 case with green Loctite. Drilled the primer hole .078 (#47 drill). Drilled a start for the primer pocket reamer with a #4 drill (.209). Cleaned up flash hole with flash hole deburrer and primer pocket with LR primer pocket uniformed.

    5) 1/2" collet chuck makes batch processing brass for this fairly straightforward, particularly with rimmed cases. Given the amount of effort, I would not consider doing this for brass that is readily available.

    It remains to be seen whether this all was worth the effort but it was a decent way to spend a couple days on the weekend.

  4. #84
    Boolit Master elmacgyver0's Avatar
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    Nov 2010
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    1,958
    Anything is worth it if it is enjoyable. (and Legal)

  5. #85
    Boolit Master elmacgyver0's Avatar
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    Nov 2010
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    1,958
    To be honest, I have not read every post, yes I'm lazy, sometimes anyway.
    The company that sells the reloading stuff for .22LR is now selling stuff to convert Berdan to Boxer.
    I ordered a set, among most of every thing else they sell but have not received anything from them yet.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

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
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check