Reloading Old Berdan-primed Cases

[d'Artagnan]

Previously somebody asked if WW2-era 8x57, 8x50R Austrian Mannlicher, and 8x56R Hungarian Mannlicher cases could be reloaded. Short answer: YES. I successfully reloaded 1982- and 1979-dated Swiss Berdan-primed 7.5x55, early 1960's Iranian Berdan-primed 30-06, early 1950's Czech clandestine for Israel (no headstamp) Berdan-primed (one large flash hole - typical for late Nazi-occupation and early 1950's Czech) 8x57, and 1950-dated Turkish Berdan-primed 8x57. Last visit to range netted me eight 1935-dated (early Nazi) German 8x57 once-fired brass cases. The last I annealed, resized, and reprimed with new Tula-brand Berdan primers, charged them with 49-gr IMR3031 and capped with Hornady 150-gr soft points -- same load I've used with the Czech cases -- then off to the range. The 1935-dated cases ammo worked quite well -- and no splits -- in my 1915 Oberndorf Gewehr 98. I'm just trying to see how far back I can go reloading old cases. Not too long ago I pulled the bullets out of two original REM-UMC 8mm LEBEL rifle Boxer-primed rounds; annealed, resized, and reprimed the cases; and reassembled them using the original powder and new equal-weight Speer spitzer soft point bullets. Despite my recent annealing of them, one case split on firing. The original bullets were round nose tinned guilding metal-jacketed soft point bullets -- American manufacturers stopped using tinned guilding metal-jacketed bullets in about 1928. I couldn't accurately date those 8mm Lebel ammo but 1919-1928 is probable, and I'm pretty sure that's too old.

 

[Melnic]

I'm curious for more info. I still have a bunch of 7.5x55 Swiss GP11 cases and Nagant Revolver cases that are brass and Berdan Primed. I have plenty of GP11 left and also PPU boxer brass so had not thought about using them.
What method are you using for Decapping the Berdan Primers? Hydraulic?
Is there one Tula-brand size of large rifle primers or are there different sizes and which would be used for GP11?
Are you using standard priming tools to prime the cases?

 

[lsw]

There are some good ( and some bad) youtube videos of people who are reloading Berdan cases, even steel cases. Just search for "reloading Berdan"

 

[jimbobborg]

Berdan primers are shipped here once a year. When they're gone, it's a year long wait for another batch to arrive.

 

[d'Artagnan]

Check out the thread I started here titled "Reloading Berdan-primed 7.5 Swiss." Regarding GP-11 cases, however, I found with all three of my Schmidt-Rubin's (1911 rifle, 1911 carbine, K31) the PPU Boxer-primed cases are better in ALL ways. Yes, reloading the GP-11 cases is possible, but it's not the best choice, and it's a pain. Regarding decapping, I use the RCBS tool. The trick with it is adjusting it properly. The instructions say to adjust it properly but don't tell you how. Easier to show you than try to explain it. Do you get up to the Marriottsville range? Regarding Berdan primer sizes, Oh yeah, there are a bunch of sizes. When I bought my Tula-brand in Missouri, Grafs had only the .217-inch diameter KV-7.62N Large Rifle primers for the standard 7.5 Swiss German 8x57, Nato 7.62x51, etc. There is a less powerful Tula-brand .217" for the 7.62x39, but Grafs was out. By the way, all these Berdan primers, whether PMC-, Wolf- or Tula-brand; are made at Russia's Murom Apparatus Factory. Finally, add Yugoslavian Berdan-primed 1955-dated 8x57 from their factory 11 (Prvi Partizan) and 1953-dated 8x57 from their factory 12 (Igman) to the my list of successful reloads.