Started prep on a batch of .308 berdan cases.

[NF1E]

Nice rainy windy day so I am hanging out in the playroom prepping a 500 rnd batch of MEN 7.61 x 51 German surplus berdan brass on it's 3rd loading.


1. Deprimed
2. Annealed
3. Sized
4. Wet tumbled with SS pins.
5. Run through the dryer.


Last group of 150 is in the dryer now. In a couple of hours it can come out and get run through the Giraud trimmer.
Should be ready for priming and loading in the morning if we have crappy weather again.
Open ammo can is for cooling the brass after annealing. Whatta Hobby!

[Robinhood]

Awesome topic. Are you going to talk about your process of gouging out the primers and finding Berdan primers? Hydraulic? Or do you drill them out and go boxer? I did some crazy stuff back in the late 2000's when nothing was available.

[Dave Hoback]

I was wondering the same.. How are you dealing with the Berden-dillys? I’m guessing hydraulic is easiest for most. Never messed with them myself. I’ve actually started saving even my primers to possibly refresh in case primers disappear indefinitely.

Oh wait..you are doing hydraulic, aren’t you? Isn’t that your plunger in a case in the first picture?

[NF1E]

No No and No. I use the RCBS Berdan de-capping tool that is in the first photo. Works like a champ and is as fast as boxer de-priming with a hand de-primer.
that thing that you suspect is a plunger is actually part of the tool. It gets inserted in the case and provides leverage when you use the other half of the tool to pop the primer out. Fast and clean once one learns how to properly use the tool.

[Robinhood]

Good eye anyway Dave. I saw it but didn't spend anytime thinking about that contraption.

Let us know how it goes Sarge. Cool project.

[NF1E]

Been going well for decades. I have been doing 5 - 10 K of these critters annually. I find them much more suited to precision .308 than boxers. The suggestion is that the primers with the two flash holes in the case are more consistent. Never been able to prove that to be wrong. Whatta Hobby!