Is this brass worth saving to reload???

boltonscouter

boltonscouter

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 99.3%
151   1   0
Location
parts unknown
So I had some thoughts crop up while on another thread & figured I'd toss it out there to see what the experts think..... 2 questions

1 When you see once fired spent brass for sale in the EE can you assume it's boxer primed & easily reloadable ..... that is to say, if it was berdan primed PITA to reload would people state as such????? I'd hate to buy a batch of brass only to find it's berdan primed:eek:

2 If I have spent .303 casings that are berdan primed, are they worth saving/selling for reloading or should I scrap them?:confused:
 
boltonscouter said:
So I had some thoughts crop up while on another thread & figured I'd toss it out there to see what the experts think..... 2 questions

1 When you see once fired spent brass for sale in the EE can you assume it's boxer primed & easily reloadable ..... that is to say, if it was berdan primed PITA to reload would people state as such????? I'd hate to buy a batch of brass only to find it's berdan primed:eek:

2 If I have spent .303 casings that are berdan primed, are they worth saving/selling for reloading or should I scrap them?:confused:
Click to expand...

in reply to the second one scrap them
 
most people selling brass on here will only sell boxer brass including myself. most sellers do not want a neg for selling junk brass on here and for the most part most of the ammo that is shot is boxer excluding the case lots of 7.62x39 which are all berden primed.
 
I have been sold some Berdan primed brass, but took it in stride and drilled out the primers, drilled the flash hole bigger and reloaded the brass. A little extra work is involved but the brass very useable.
 
mg34 .... I didn't mean to insinuate someone would do it intentionally but if they aren't in the know it could happen easily. Likewise I suppose it's like anything else, buyer beware and it's always best to ask questions before purchasing since you know what happens when you assume something:D. So it sounds like the best bet is to specifically indicate that it's berdan primed when reselling so the buyer doesn't get a rude surprise. I guess it would be priced accordingly (lower than boxer due to the PITA factor).

Thanks guys, much appreciate the input:D

Edit; (lower than boxer due to the PITA factor). = FREE
 
lord-humungous said:
I'd be livid if someone sold me Berdan primed brass. Better ditch it or give it away if someone wants it.
Click to expand...

I guess it's off to the scap heap with them or else make them into bottle openers or something:D I have quite an assortment of .303 surplus of which many are berdan so I'll sort them carefully and keep or ditch accordingly!

Once again... thanks guys!

BTW ........... anyone know the going rate for brass by the pound at the recyclers????
 
I saw no sense in getting mad about it. I let the fellow know what the brass was and it was only his second sale and was a range pickup. Mistakes can happen and he happily reimbursed me .

If it happened from someone in the know and was not admitted to...then I would be livid.

Send the brass to me...I will take the time to clean it up. 303 brass seems to be getting more scarce and more expensive. I will cover shipping.
 
Well, it seems Winnipeg Toymaker has beat me to the punch (I don't want the brass but was suggesting selling it anyway - with full disclosure that it's Berdan and showing pics of the primer pocket).

I know a few fellas who like putting together "as milspec as possible" rounds for their old milsurps, and that includes getting Berdan brass/primers when possible. They'd probably covet this like a dinner roll from the last supper... lol!

-M
 
Winnipeg Toymaker said:
I saw no sense in getting mad about it. I let the fellow know what the brass was and it was only his second sale and was a range pickup. Mistakes can happen and he happily reimbursed me .

If it happened from someone in the know and was not admitted to...then I would be livid.
Click to expand...

Of course, you handled the situation fairly. I was thinking someone sold you the brass and was sneaky about it by not mentioning that it was Berdan primed. I naturally assume that brass on the EE is boxer primed if it is for sale, I can't imagine someone paying for Berdan primed brass.
 
Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the helpful input.
As a note of clarification for all of you kind enough to respond ...... over this Winter I managed to secure a very healthy supply of .303 in a wide variety of vintages and makes. Both military ball ammo & civi hunting rounds. Most of which I haven't actually shot yet. I plan to look at relaoding in the near future, probably starting in the Fall. I plan to shoot the berdan primed rounds first to free up space in the ammo locker. At present I have about 50 spent casings but I will have 100's. To Winnipeg Toymaker & Doc M ...... I'll drop you a note in a few months and happily send you whatever I can, split evenly between you at no charge other than the postage, whatever that amounts to. Since I'm new to reloading and just doing my research/homework right now, once I do get into it, I'd like to keep it as simple & straight forward as possible so I'll only be working with boxer primed. From the sounds of it, finding the correct primers to relaod the berdan casings will be too much effort so if you can put the berdan spent casings to good use, you're welcome to it.:D
Ain't CGN a beautiful thing !!!!
 
lord-humungous said:
I'd be livid if someone sold me Berdan primed brass. Better ditch it or give it away if someone wants it.
Click to expand...

I remember purchasing .303 British brass (supposedly Boxer-primed) at a very specific cost per piece........:nest:.......only to find that some of it was Berdan :(, and some was actually 8x57......:confused:.....I know the other guy probably just made an honest mistake :yingyang: , so what are you gonna do? :redface:

As for Berdan-primed :D , I usually land up drilling-out the primer & anvil....:evil:
 
boltonscouter said:
From the sounds of it, finding the correct primers to relaod the berdan casings will be too much effort so if you can put the berdan spent casings to good use, you're welcome to it.:D
Ain't CGN a beautiful thing !!!!
Click to expand...

Berdan primers also come in MANY different sizes.


Also a bit of trivia. (copied and pasted)

Berdan primers were invented by Hiram Berdan of New York who invented his first variation of the Berdan primer and patented it on March 20, 1866

Boxer primers were invented by Edward M. Boxer, of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, England, patenting it in England on October 13, 1866.
 
Berdan - long word - not reloadable - two flashholes - military specification for surer ignition. Reloading supplies scarce and needs extra tools.

Boxer - short word - reloadable - single flashhole - North American commercial standard (and by extension) US / Canadian military standard. Dog $hit simple to reload and get supplies.
 
Jasonmissinne said:
Please excuse my ignorance, but can someone explain the differance between the two types? I am still very new to all of this!!
Click to expand...

It is the location of the ANVIL. The firing pin crushes the primer compound between the case of the primer and the anvil. Boxer anvil is part of the primer, Berdan anvil is integral part of the case.


primers.gif




Berdan
Berdan_000.jpg



Boxer
Boxer.jpg



Boxer Primers
primer1.jpg



Berdan/Berdan/Boxer looking down inside the cases
primertypes2.jpg
 
SandRoad said:
Berdan primers also come in MANY different sizes.


Also a bit of trivia. (copied and pasted)

Berdan primers were invented by Hiram Berdan of New York who invented his first variation of the Berdan primer and patented it on March 20, 1866

Boxer primers were invented by Edward M. Boxer, of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, England, patenting it in England on October 13, 1866.
Click to expand...

Hard to believe that in just another 5 short years we'll all be using 150 year old technology and the majority of shooters won't even realize it!!!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom