Have brass but can not travel!!

OK, I have around 400 P.O.F. .303 British once fired cases that I have been saving for two reasons. The first reason is to obviously reload them if a miracle in the form of correct sized Berdan primers ever hit our shores but that will never happen and the second reason is that It is actual military .303 British brass and that really floats my boat.

I don't know how many of you guys have experience with military .303 brass but those who have, know how good the cases are. This really bums me out to think that I have all of this gold but I can't do anything with it.

Can anyone come up with an idea of what I can do with it other than take it to the scrap buyers? Brass prices are pretty high right now but I want to do something with it that will benefit me and/or someone else.

If I was to try to sell it to someone with the capability to convert it to boxer type, what kind of price do you think I could put on it? Is there anyone out there that could correctly convert it for me?

I wouldn't mind trading it for something Enfield / reloading related but I have no clue what it would be worth to even base a trade offering off of.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly be appreciated.

Thanks,
Three0three

:beerchug:

I always thought Boxer primers were the same size as Berdan,learn something every day.

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Originally Posted by chainsaw

I always thought Boxer primers were the same size as Berdan,learn something every day.

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when it comes to those damned Berdan primers, there are quite a few different sizes for each category, I haven't done much research but so far I know of 3 sizes in just the large rifle category.

three0three, you will be surprised at how close the primers may be to readily available boxer primers. I used to reload the Swede 6.5x55 milsurp cases, because when the rifles first became readily available to me, 40+ years ago, there was virtually no brass to be found, other than a very limited supply of milsurp, with corrosive Berdan primers and wooden bullets. I bought an RCBS tool for tearing out Berdan primers and loaded standard large rifle primers. I even tried Large Magnum Pistol primers. They usually were pierced by the firing pin though.
Your ROF cases may have primers of similar dimensions. If they do, give the boxer primers a try, they should work fine if they fit. They may be a little loose or tight but a little tweaking should fix that.

Now let me tell you a fact. They are just brass, not gold. You will have to go through a lot of trouble and grief to reload those cases, even if you find the Berdan primers. The stuff may be worth a couple of bucks at the most as scrap. For $50, you can buy a hundred re loadable cases and go to town easily and quickly on the reloading bench.

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Originally Posted by bearhunter

I bought an RCBS tool for tearing out Berdan primers and loaded standard large rifle primers. I even tried Large Magnum Pistol primers. They usually were pierced by the firing pin though.
Your ROF cases may have primers of similar dimensions. If they do, give the boxer primers a try, they should work fine if they fit. They may be a little loose or tight but a little tweaking should fix that. .

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i managed to get one of the cases deprimed without the berdan tool or the hyrdo method but standard LR primers were way too small both in diameter and in depth, I never tried the large pistol primer though and I may just have to give that a shot.

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Originally Posted by bearhunter

Now let me tell you a fact. They are just brass, not gold. You will have to go through a lot of trouble and grief to reload those cases, even if you find the Berdan primers. The stuff may be worth a couple of bucks at the most as scrap. .

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I know but I can't give it up, I'm a damned .303 hoarder. I just might one day end up on that show "hoarders" and I will probably have usless .303 berdan brass in my toilet, oven and refridgerator lmao I need to go to reloaders rehab

" hello, my name is Dan and I am a berdan primed .303 British brassaholic":madsmile:

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Originally Posted by three0three

i managed to get one of the cases deprimed without the berdan tool or the hyrdo method but standard LR primers were way too small both in diameter and in depth, I never tried the large pistol primer though and I may just have to give that a shot.

I know but I can't give it up, I'm a damned .303 hoarder. I just might one day end up on that show "hoarders" and I will probably have usless .303 berdan brass in my toilet, oven and refridgerator lmao I need to go to reloaders rehab

" hello, my name is Dan and I am a berdan primed .303 British brassaholic":madsmile:

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three0three

Do the Pittsburgh Steelers play Rugby?

Who in their right mind would fill a case with water, stick a metal rod in the neck of the case and then smack the rod with a hammer. Do you enjoy reloading in the shower?????

Get some good .303 brass that doesn't take all week to reload and involve taking a bath at the same time.

Remember our ancestors dumped tea in Boston harbor, when we check the oil in our cars we lift the hood and not the bonnet and we shortened the word colour to make it easier to spell.

Prvi Partizan brass is .010 thicker in the base web area than Remington or Winchester, the base diameter of the case is larger and the rims are thicker. (and we don't have to do any silly metric water tricks to reload it) :rolleyes:


https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMGP6206-1.jpg

The following message was brought to you by a Philadelphia Eagles fan.
P.S. My son went to Penn State ($hit on Pitt) :D

I checked out a bunch of different 303 cartridges in my collection, you're right, they all have primers that are to large. The Large Pistol primers are the same diameter as the Large Rifle primers, so don't bother.

What do the fellows from Europe, etc have to say about this? Do you fellows bother with Berdan primed brass?

I too had a stash of Berdan brass. I drilled out the primer pocket and reprimed them with shotgun primers, fireformed the cases in my .410 Ishapore, and they work quite well.

Buddy of mine, who reloads everything, won't touch berdan primered brass. He buys boxer primer brass and reloads that. I have close to 500 rds of POF and don't like to shoot it(hang fires, click bangs, nothing at alls) and wanted to reload them and asked his advice, he told me to pull the bullet, dump the cordite and sell the brass. Though he did suggest that a new spring for my No1Mk3* might help with some of the hang fires.

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Originally Posted by iringtwice

Buddy of mine, who reloads everything, won't touch berdan primered brass. He buys boxer primer brass and reloads that. I have close to 500 rds of POF and don't like to shoot it(hang fires, click bangs, nothing at alls) and wanted to reload them and asked his advice, he told me to pull the bullet, dump the cordite and sell the brass. Though he did suggest that a new spring for my No1Mk3* might help with some of the hang fires.

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hey, you wanna sell that pof?

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Originally Posted by Pattern14

I too had a stash of Berdan brass. I drilled out the primer pocket and reprimed them with shotgun primers, fireformed the cases in my .410 Ishapore, and they work quite well.

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wait, you fireformed .303 into a .410?

Primer primer:

The standard Brit, Oz, Indian/Paki, South African Berdan primer size is .25 inch.

The commercial primer for the job is the RWS 6000. (I hope they still make it; I am down to my last couple of hundred.) Not sure if the Alcan equivalent is still available in North America.

Careful of the weird Portuguese stuff, it has a very large slotted anvil with a small central flash hole.

Over the years, I reloaded tens of thousands of Berdan cases; .303, 30-06, 7.62 NATO, 7.62 x 39, 6.5 x 55, 8 x 57 etc, both brass and steel. Why? Because it was there at little or no cost. Sadly, the price of RWS and other Berdan primers seems to have got out of control lately.

As for quality, we once conducted a trial of Aust. 7.62 NATO brass. Gave the game away after the trial ten cases survived ten cycles of full length sizing and being spat out of L1A1s, H & K 91s, SiG AMTs and AR-10s etc. Only caveat was to closely monitor length and trim accordingly.

The biggest problem with the .303 stuff with the large (.25") primer is that the original primer is mercury based. Upon ignition, free mercury is blasted into the brass case material where it immediately starts to react and degrade the crystal structure. Even with annealing, most cases will crack badly around the shoulder and neck after the first reload. Thus I only use that style of case for practice ammo or "rough shooting" fodder. Among the best .303 Berdan brass I ever used was a pile of Belgian made stuff ,(pour Bren, on the packet), from the 1950s. This takes the RWS 5608 (mil spec) or RWS 5627 (commercial, thinner, nickel plated cup) primer, which is the same as for 6.5 x 55, French .30-06. most 8 x 57, 7.62 x 39 etc.

Hydraulic decapping is definitely an outdoor sport! However, once the original primer is out and the crimp removed by shaving or forming with a punch, the RCBS Lachmiller tool works very well and is much less messy and noisy.

If you are really keen, all that Russian and Chinese "large primer 7.62 x 54 (yes, even the steel cases) can be reloaded. RWS make (or made) a primer for that stuff too. It is a whisker over the 6000 in diameter, but is is the same primer as used in a lot of the larger British and European "express" cartridges.

Go on, get whacking!!

I agree with the RWS #6000 (6.34mm) size. I do not know of anyone else who still makes this size, which appears to be equivalent to the old Kynoch #126 (the 'normal' Berdan size for most centrefire cases is Kynoch #81). I have been unable to persuade anybody to import any more of these here and I have only a few hundred left.
I have reloaded many thousands of blanks using this primer in the past - mainly because the cases could be had for little or nothing. I drilled a hole in the cap and hooked it out with a tool ground from a screwdriver. The ring crimp was removed with a special reamer with a clearance hole in the middle, and I wish I could find another one of those too. Repriming was done with a steel spigot and a metalwork vice (the usual priming tools won't work). I had a star crimp made by a firm, now gone, in Scotland (the CH Tool & Die Co also makes these in America). I made a lot of money like this.

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Originally Posted by three0three

wait, you fireformed .303 into a .410?

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Yes. I drilled out the the primer pockets and reprimed with CCI 209 shotshell primers and fireformed the .303 cases into straight walled cases using 2400 powder and loaded them with .36 Cal. ball with an overshot card sealed with white glue. These were fired in an Ishapore .303 rifle bored out to .410 smooth bore. All the balls hit the target at 30 yds and a few at 100 yds. Low noise, no recoil.

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Originally Posted by Mk VII

I agree with the RWS #6000 (6.34mm) size. I do not know of anyone else who still makes this size, which appears to be equivalent to the old Kynoch #126 (the 'normal' Berdan size for most centrefire cases is Kynoch #81). I have been unable to persuade anybody to import any more of these here and I have only a few hundred left.
I have reloaded many thousands of blanks using this primer in the past - mainly because the cases could be had for little or nothing. I drilled a hole in the cap and hooked it out with a tool ground from a screwdriver. The ring crimp was removed with a special reamer with a clearance hole in the middle, and I wish I could find another one of those too. Repriming was done with a steel spigot and a metalwork vice (the usual priming tools won't work). I had a star crimp made by a firm, now gone, in Scotland (the CH Tool & Die Co also makes these in America). I made a lot of money like this.

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Spot on Mkvii.

Initially, I did all my primer seating by placing the primer in a flat steel plate and gently tapping the case down over it using an approx .30 cal pin with a copper mallet.

Then I discovered the Lee Auto-Prime. Greatest thing since bottled beer!

The "small" large rifle (5608/5627 etc) happily function in the flipper tray and a slightly shortened ram.

The 6000s required some creative modifications to the ram and tray, but it beats whacking them with a hammer.

My other "enhancement" was to machine up a primer pocket punch. With the case standing inverted on a .30 cal pin, the punch (with an anvil clearance hole in the middle), simply pushes the crimp brass back to a nice radiussed profile like new. I made a similar tool that does "standard" Berdan cases, as well. I am now looking at making myself a set of de-crimping punches to suit my RCBS primer pocket die set.

Before I discovered "Hydraulics" I damaged a lot of anvils digging primers out of once fired cases, but once they are out, and the pocket de-crimped, further recycling is easy with a hook tool.

Don't even think about using the RCBS Lachmiller tool on heavily crimped (Oz) 7.62 NATO. It WILL wreck the tool.

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Originally Posted by three0three

hey, you wanna sell that pof?

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Sent you a PM three0three.:)

I have searched my catalogs and the net for two days now and I can not find a source for berdan primers, not even the wrong size berdan primers LOL

I am willing to put in the labor to rescue my brass from being scrap but I just can not find a sourcefor those damn ignitors.

luckily, i am going to be working 50 hours a week for the next 2 months which will keep me from making it to the scrap yard therefore enabling me to keep up the search for the berdan grail:D

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Originally Posted by three0three

I have searched my catalogs and the net for two days now and I can not find a source for berdan primers, not even the wrong size berdan primers LOL

I am willing to put in the labor to rescue my brass from being scrap but I just can not find a sourcefor those damn ignitors.

luckily, i am going to be working 50 hours a week for the next 2 months which will keep me from making it to the scrap yard therefore enabling me to keep up the search for the berdan grail:D

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In my "New! Revised" 3rd edition of Frank Barnes "Cartridges of the World" circa 1972, there is a whole chapter on primers. Page 305 contains a table of Eley/Kynoch, RWS and Alcan Berdan primers.

For .25" for .303 Brit there are:
RWS 6000, Eley/Kynoch 41 and Alcan 250B.

In Australia, I have only ever seen the RWS product in shops, and then not for a while now.

Your mileage may differ.

I found a small stash of RWS 1584 primers at a gun show a while ago: great for reloading European .22 Hornet cases or Oz Mil 9mm Para brass!

A friend of mine gave me 2K of Berdan primers that nicely fit the 7.62X39 and Turk 8MM brass. They come 250 primers per sleeve.

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Originally Posted by Skip

A friend of mine gave me 2K of Berdan primers that nicely fit the 7.62X39 and Turk 8MM brass. They come 250 primers per sleeve.

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They also fit the FN .303 brass!

The RWS 6000 come in cheesy cardboard sleeves of 150. Old stock is in green cardboard, later stuff is grey, like the pic.

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Originally Posted by Bruce_in_Oz

My other "enhancement" was to machine up a primer pocket punch. With the case standing inverted on a .30 cal pin, the punch (with an anvil clearance hole in the middle), simply pushes the crimp brass back to a nice radiussed profile like new. I made a similar tool that does "standard" Berdan cases, as well.

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I'd be interested to see that punch.

Sort of a manual Dillon primer pocket swager, I guess, but for Berdan.

"What do the fellows from Europe, etc have to say about this? Do you fellows bother with Berdan primed brass?"

Well, this fellow worked out that if you buy a Berdan deprimer (All imported from the USA, price: double US dollar price, call it euros, wait months for delivery) and 400 RWS Berdan primers, then you can save money and hassle by simpling buying 400 new .303 Boxer cases off the shelf.
Plus neck-sized Boxer cases last and last, while the Berdans have a limited usable life, because the anvil gets banged flat.

So having had my say about keeping it simple, I shall now go back to the lathe and carry on turning 44 Henry rimfire cases for my S&W No. 3 Russian revolver!

Patrick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQNDg...os=Vw1Kt8j3U3k
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Check this out. It is an easy way of removing berdan primers and relatively quick.

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Originally Posted by Skip

A friend of mine gave me 2K of Berdan primers that nicely fit the 7.62X39 and Turk 8MM brass. They come 250 primers per sleeve.

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aarrgghhh!!!!! lucky you