PPU reload brass - edit

[kjohn]

I had about 12 or so Berdan .303 PPU cases that I doctored up to take large pistol primers, stuffed in 11gr. of 700X, topped off with a 175 cast LEE bullet, and fired them off in my old Ishapore musket that only chambers .303 size cases. Every case blew out nicely, no cracks. Next, I'll check if they will chamber without resizing, then load them up again with LP primers, a dose of 700X, and either two .395 balls or a .410 LEE cast bullet. I have also experimented with hitting the ball a couple of whacks then resizing it to .410, sort of a "flat ball".

My second Ishapore will chamber regular .410 or 444 Marlin. If I use regular .410 hulls, I put an o-ring on ahead of the rim to keep the primer back against the bolt. Works like a charm.

Both of the old boomers are .410 at the muzzle and are surprisingly (sort of) accurate.

 

[jamesharrison]

Re: doctored Berdan brass to take large pistol primers

How? Smash the center anvil with a punch, thereby closing up the 2 Berdan flash holes, then drilling a new central flash hole?

Did you make a bushing to size-down the primer pocket to enable them to hold the nominally 0.210" large sized primers? How about the primer pocket depth? Were the Berdan primer pockets shallower than LR Boxer primers?

Enquiring minds want to know!



Have you / did you anneal the cases after fire forming?

 

[kjohn]

Re: doctored Berdan brass to take large pistol primers

How? Smash the center anvil with a punch, thereby closing up the 2 Berdan flash holes, then drilling a new central flash hole?

Did you make a bushing to size-down the primer pocket to enable them to hold the nominally 0.210" large sized primers? How about the primer pocket depth? Were the Berdan primer pockets shallower than LR Boxer primers?

Enquiring minds want to know!



Have you / did you anneal the cases after fire forming?

First, I checked each case to see if it would chamber in the boomer. Then I drilled a small hole in the spent primer and pried it out with a deck screw (nice pointy end and tough, plus in good supply!). Then beat the anvil with a punch, but didn't necessarily cover the primer holes. Drilled one of the primer holes out a wee bit bigger. I put a couple of dabs of blue Permatex on the side of the LP primer and set it firmly in place, and set it aside to dry. The primers are a close fit, no bushing used.

Once dried, I put a little crimp in the case with a LEE collet crimp, then pushed a little bell in with a LEE expander. (This part is tricky to get it just so.) Put in 11 gr, 700X, set a 175gr. LEE cast bullet in, (required a fine touch seating it to the right depth) and crimped it with the LEE Collet crimp die.

Sounds kind of complicated, but once the order gets set, it is actually quite simple. Fired them all off, no splits, no annealing.

To load them again, I'll check first to see if they will chamber, expand the mouth a wee bit, prime, powder, .410 cast bullet or two .395 LEE balls. Using two balls is a bit more work using wads to take up space.

Edit: LP primers are just about the right height to seat in the PPU pocket.