please ID these shells
- Thread starter Boltcarrier
- Start date
I think the hirtenberger on the right is berdan primed and no good for reloading. They changed from berdan to boxer primed brass around 79. Yours is 76.
Should be easy to tell by looking down the case mouth, if you see 2 small holes, then it's no good.
Should be easy to tell by looking down the case mouth, if you see 2 small holes, then it's no good.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Federal brass is boxer primed so is easily reloaded, although you will have to either swage or cut away the primer crimp. I'm not sure if the Hirtenburger cartridge is boxer or Berdan primed, I believe they have made both. Looking down into the case, if you see a 2 or more offset flash holes, its Berdan primed, a single central flash hole is boxer primed. While it is possible to reload Berdan primed cases, it is less convenient, and again the primer crimps will have to be removed. Usually current military ammunition like 7.62X51 or 5.56X45 manufactured in NATO countries has a circled cross on the head-stamp, and the stand alone "19" indicates a date stamp, so perhaps, though not necessarily, its something other than .308.
A quick and dirty way to deprime Berdan primers is to place the case in a shell holder placed on a bench or table, fill the case with water, then use a punch of some description that fits tightly with the inside of the case neck. A nut driver, screw driver or an un-tapered punch will work. A sharp tap with a hammer hydraulically drives the primer out. Berdan primers are available, so cartridges that require Berdan priming are reloadable, if you have enough of them to make it worthwhile.
A quick and dirty way to deprime Berdan primers is to place the case in a shell holder placed on a bench or table, fill the case with water, then use a punch of some description that fits tightly with the inside of the case neck. A nut driver, screw driver or an un-tapered punch will work. A sharp tap with a hammer hydraulically drives the primer out. Berdan primers are available, so cartridges that require Berdan priming are reloadable, if you have enough of them to make it worthwhile.
Last edited:
