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, Frenchicon .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 Russianicon 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 Britishicon and European "express" cartridges.

Go on, get whacking!!