Are there people looking for unfired berdan primers taken from surplus ammo cases?

[steelgray]

I often take apart surplus 7.62x39, 7.62x54R and 7.62x25 surplus ammo to reuse the bullets and powder - and end-up throwing away a perfectly usable berdan primed cases.

I've thought of the possibility that these primed hulls might be useful to others. Are there people who might want these cases to pop out the berdan primers for use in other berdan primed cases? Are there people who might cut down the 7.62x25 lacquered steel cases to 19mm and reload the cases as one-use 9mm hulls?

I'm not into corrosive ammo or decapping berdan cases so I don't know much about this.

Do you think there would there be takers if I listed this stuff cheap on EE? I've heard something about a shortage of primers.

 

[Ganderite]

If there is a decent amount of it, I would buy it to reload as one-time loads. All it would need is some neck sizing to make good neck tension.

 

[wasa]

I agree with Ganderite. I'd use them as single use primed brass. I reload 7.62x25, 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R so all useful for me (but im not near Ottawa unfortunately)

 

[partial]

Isn't the primer the corrosive part of this surplus ammo?

Also, how can you remove a berdan primer without damaging it?

 

[ted_dent]

Isn't the primer the corrosive part of this surplus ammo?

Also, how can you remove a berdan primer without damaging it?

Yes, they are often corrosive but some people don't mind doing the necessary cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo (I, however, am not in that ambitious group.)

I also think the OP is talking about selling the entire primed case, not just the primers as he says he only saves the bullets and powder and throws the primed case away.

It MAY be possible to remove berdan primers without damaging them (a very slender punch, perhaps?) but I'm not aware of a commonly available one. The two most common methods are hydraulic (but this gets the primer wet and may impede reliability) or prying it out with a punch or specialty tool (RCBS used to make one) but this typically ruins the primer.

 

[steelgray]

Yes, they are often corrosive but some people don't mind doing the necessary cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo (I, however, am not in that ambitious group.)

I also think the OP is talking about selling the entire primed case, not just the primers as he says he only saves the bullets and powder and throws the primed case away.

It MAY be possible to remove berdan primers without damaging them (a very slender punch, perhaps?) but I'm not aware of a commonly available one. The two most common methods are hydraulic (but this gets the primer wet and may impede reliability) or prying it out with a punch or specialty tool (RCBS used to make one) but this typically ruins the primer.

I have heard about people removing berdan primers with compressed air. I wonder if that would work and avoid damaging the primer.

 

[KotKotofeich]

Generally I'd be interested in the cases to reload. I have collectable guns I'd rather use "nice" bullets in - the bullets in the surplus ammunition tend to wear out the barrel faster... Not an issue over the short term but might be for guns that are not really replaceable. So I reload for them.... but then I have to make sure I pick up the brass... Corrosive cleaning is less effort. I'm not in a good position to buy right now but will be interested in the future, and I think I'm near enough that we could figure out some way of pickup/meetup.

I reload berdan cases too (for the times when I know I definitely will be losing some brass), but I use the hydraulic method - no salvaging primers that way. I'd be leary to use compressed air - issue of how to catch the flying out primer and risk of it igniting during the depriming.

 

[woodchopper]

well for common stuff I would not be interested in primed berdan cases

however I did get a batch of berden primed 8x63, salvaged cases that I have prepped and started reloading, they are a brass case

 

[Deathrawt]

well for common stuff I would not be interested in primed berdan cases

however I did get a batch of berden primed 8x63, salvaged cases that I have prepped and started reloading, they are a brass case

Couple years ago I tossed about a thousand rounds of primed 8x63 brass I didn’t think anyone would want/use it lol

 

[woodchopper]

Couple years ago I tossed about a thousand rounds of primed 8x63 brass I didn’t think anyone would want/use it lol

got a franken Mauser, started as a Parker Hale Safari, commercial Santa Barbra receiver, Sarco 1919MG barrel, Fajen laminate stock, and a nice adjustable Parker Hale trigger, magnum sized bolt face.

its 8x63mm so the price was very reasonable

so now I am using whatever salvage brass I can find to reload for it, and I need to order more 8mm bullets (I want to save the 200grn Accubonds for the 325WSM)

 

[Potashminer]

OP - if you do figure out how to remove live Berdan primers - I just read on Internet - like 11 sizes listed for different cartridges - different diameters / different depths - so keep sorted out what you end up with.

 

[B]

I ripped apart thousands of x25 and x39 to use the components for other stuff. The cases are fine for most anything. I used them for lead bullets over fast powders. No sense wasting anything. If you are worried about corrosion just clean your gun. I don't understand the fear some people seem to have.

 

[steelgray]

I ripped apart thousands of x25 and x39 to use the components for other stuff. The cases are fine for most anything. I used them for lead bullets over fast powders. No sense wasting anything. If you are worried about corrosion just clean your gun. I don't understand the fear some people seem to have.

I don't fear corrosive ammo but I have some guns where - to do a proper cleaning - you have to remove the scope and scope mount and disassemble the gas system - which has to be reset properly after cleaning. On putting things back together, you have to sight-in again. Its a lot of trouble if you only want to check a load and you're only firing a few rounds. Its also pretty pointless to sight in with corrosive in the case of these guns. Once sighted in, your going to have to disrupt all that the second you clean the gun. Obviously it is not worth it to shoot corrosive, in these situations - and a lot better deal to do your loads in a boxer case with a non corrosive primer. We are talking semis here, not bolt guns. Yeah if its a bolt gun, corrosive is not an issue

 

[B]

^I wasn't speaking to anyone in particular. Just commenting on the general fear around corrosive when the solution to avoiding issues is usually so simple.

 

[steelgray]

I remember reading a story - quite possibly from an old Guns and Ammo magazine - where it talked about the situation, during the Second World War where, in the States civilians, couldn't buy ammo.

According to this story, some guy who had a SAA in 38 WCF, or whatever managed to obtain a presumably-illicit case of M1 carbine ammo. The story said that the guy pulled the bullets and I suppose melted out the lead and cast himself bullets. The story also said he found a load to use to reload his 38 with that M1 carbine powder. Finally, the story told how this guy apparently took each of the primers out of the original case, using a diamond saw. That part of the story never made any sense to me because I thought he could have just carefully decapped the primers out - so he wouldn't wreck them.

Anyway, I guess that guy’s trick would work if somebody was trying to get berdan primers out without damaging them. It would probably be a lot of work – and might only make sense if you needed to have a source of primers for some special project – like marking test ammo for a gun where all you have is a few proprietary berdan primed cartridge hulls, say 6.5 bergmann and all that.

Here is another interesting solution:

 

[partial]

I remember reading a story - quite possibly from an old Guns and Ammo magazine - where it talked about the situation, during the Second World War where, in the States civilians, couldn't buy ammo.

According to this story, some guy who had a SAA in 38 WCF, or whatever managed to obtain a presumably-illicit case of M1 carbine ammo. The story said that the guy pulled the bullets and I suppose melted out the lead and cast himself bullets. The story also said he found a load to use to reload his 38 with that M1 carbine powder. Finally, the story told how this guy apparently took each of the primers out of the original case, using a diamond saw. That part of the story never made any sense to me because I thought he could have just carefully decapped the primers out - so he wouldn't wreck them.

Anyway, I guess that guy’s trick would work if somebody was trying to get berdan primers out without damaging them. It would probably be a lot of work – and might only make sense if you needed to have a source of primers for some special project – like marking test ammo for a gun where all you have is a few proprietary berdan primed cartridge hulls, say 6.5 bergmann and all that.

Here is another interesting solution:

he removed spent primers, i wouldn't want to do this with live primers.

 

[B]

he removed spent primers, i wouldn't want to do this with live primers.

It's a primer, not a stick of sweaty dynamite... Unless he was slapping the bar anything unwanted is unlikely. I probably wouldn't do it just based on the value of my time. Keeping the primed cases makes more sense anyway. People with old guns and Berdan brass very likely don't want salvaged primers.