Berdan Primers? for 7.5x55 swiss

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xopher

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I am looking to purchase some berdan primers for reloading 7.5x55 swiss. As silly as it seems, I heard this route is better for hand loads in comparison to using the prvi boxer primed brass. Oh and before someone points out buying GP11 is probably more economical, i prefer doing this to squeeze every last bit of accuracy out of the rifle.

I don't even know where to start looking...

Thanks in advance,

xopher
 
Buy Privi brass. Berdan priming is a major pain in the anatomy of choice. Using boxer brass saves time and money in the short run as well as long run here in North America.
 
Might want to try your own Privi/Boxer loads, before tackling all the hassle of Berdan, just 'cause you "heard." I've "heard" lots of stuff, but I'm kind of a "show me" kind a guy. Tends to filter out a lot of noise!

But there are tools for depriming Berdan, and I am sure Berdan primers are probably not in as great a demand as Boxer, in these days of panic shortages.
 
There are several threads on other forums about converting berdan to boxer brass. Most people say it's a waste of time and effort. If money is really tight, I would probably shoot another calibre. Otherwise just buy the boxer primed stuff.

It's $65/100 from TradeEx but it would take many hours to convert 100 berdan cases to boxer.
http://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/75x55-swiss-brass-prvi

I convert 30-06 to 8x57mm but I can do it pretty quick. I did the math and I'm essentially saving $15/hour by doing the conversion. That's worthwhile to me since I don't have kids or anything to take up my spare time. Converting berdan to boxer would take a lot longer and my guess is you would be saving under $10/hour vs. buying new brass. That's not worthwhile in my eyes.
 
xopher said:
I am looking to purchase some berdan primers for reloading 7.5x55 swiss. As silly as it seems, I heard this route is better for hand loads in comparison to using the prvi boxer primed brass. Oh and before someone points out buying GP11 is probably more economical, i prefer doing this to squeeze every last bit of accuracy out of the rifle.

I don't even know where to start looking...

Thanks in advance,

xopher
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I'm not sure where you heard that Boxer primed Prvi brass is a problem for working up accurate handloads in your rifle but I will say it is shooting just fine in any of our rifles although I don't shoot a 7.5X55,yet that is,one is on my shopping list.I have dicked around with the Berdan primed thing many times since I started shooting and cranking out my own ammo and I'll say this,the ready availability of Boxer primed brass in just about any military surplus caliber these days is a god send for handloaders.That's not to say it doesn't have it's place but it can be very frustrating to tackle unless you have a fair bit of patience.I would suggest that you perhaps get hold of a few Boxer primed cases and keep them on hand in case the Berdan primer thing doesn't work out for you,just my opinion as I've been there.
 
I reload berdan in spent gp11 brass for all my Swiss K31's. I have shot sub moa groups with my loads using the Swiss brass. Can prvi do the same? More than likely, but I believe gp11 brass is of a much better quality.
Once you have a routine, it's not much work at all to reload gp11.

DeltaOps
 
I know the thread is a few months old. Are the berdan primers from the link above corrosive? Do you need a special sized primer ram to seat them. I use the RCBS hand primer to prime 100% of my brass. Any other special tools needed to clean primer pockets in G11 brass.
 
quinnjoblow said:
I know the thread is a few months old. Are the berdan primers from the link above corrosive? Do you need a special sized primer ram to seat them. I use the RCBS hand primer to prime 100% of my brass. Any other special tools needed to clean primer pockets in G11 brass.
Click to expand...

I don't think these are corrosive. No special ram is needed on the RCBS hand primer, but it will seat a bit deeper than a normal boxer primer, so I just seat them flush or a bit lower. The size I believe is .217. The spent berdan primer is surprisingly easy to remove. I just fashioned a pick style tool with a bit of a hook and that's it. The pockets can be cleaned out easily with a small brass brush, and a bit of compressed air.
 
I have Berdan primers. PM me if you want some. I would sell them in 500 primer lots.

BERDANPRIMERS.jpg
 
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