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Converting Berdan to Boxer

victorj19victorj19 Member Posts: 3,642 ✭✭✭
edited February 2013 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=247833115

The auction shows the 2 Berdan holes along with a center hole (punched or dilled???) where the Berdan bump was.

Would boxer primers work? I don't know the dimensions for each type. Might be a solution here for hard to find boxer primed brass.
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    charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Doesn't look safe to me. Way too much flash hole.
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    reloader44magreloader44mag Member Posts: 18,783 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yep that brass looks alittle ruff....but that Dan Wesson 22lr he has up is very sweet
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    jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    The boxer primer will prove a little loose in most cases... now in the auction in question he appears to have simply drilled out the center of the original primer. Might fit ok but would be a low pressure proposition for sure, and getting one reload is all I'd count on, the remnants of the old primer will probably be yanked out thereafter.

    If you were to do this, there are possibilities for case head swaging to get the standard boxer to fit but hardly worth it.

    For low pressure rounds it is also possible to mill out the pocket to take a shotgun primer. Saw a guy do that with the oddball 8mm Kropatschek when loaded with black powder. Worked well enough.

    As a general rule for Berdan reloading- Either go through the bother of finding Berdan primers- grafs has them now and then- and the decapping hassle, or don't bother at all I'd say.

    Just buy some new 7.5 French brass and be done with it. Or else convert from 6.5X55 as previously noted in the earlier thread from 8/7.
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    victorj19victorj19 Member Posts: 3,642 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks guys. If it looks to good to be true, it usually is.
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    cpermdcpermd Member Posts: 5,273 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have done it.

    It works.

    CP
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    dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    After looking at those primer pockets, I'd say stay away from them.
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    ENBLOCENBLOC Member Posts: 327 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have not tried this yet, but have watched a few different you tubes on "how to" Best one was fellow drilling thru center of berdan primer the dia. of boxer flash hole. Next he used drill the dia. of face of old berdan primer leaving the sidewalls of old berdan primer still intact. Next he swaged new primer pocket using the swaging tool. Loaded one case 7 times so far with no issues. The key is leaving the sidewalls of the old berdan primer alone. This is swaged to become the new boxer primer pocket. Others attempts had person drilling new dia. flash hole, drilling out primer pocket to 1/4 dia. and swaging in 1/4 inch dia. copper tubing. Of course this squished out beyond face of cartridge base. He then ground this off flush with base of case on side of grinder wheel. Brass/steel cases are another componet we all need........
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    cbyerlycbyerly Member Posts: 689 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Berdan primer pockets CANNOT be safely converted to boxer primer size!
    Don't waste you time and efforts trying it. Graffs apparently has the correct primers.
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    BGHillbillyBGHillbilly Member Posts: 1,927 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    It can be done.
    I have done it.
    I plan not to do it again.
    If SHTF hard enough I will do it again.
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    distinguisheddistinguished Member Posts: 62 ✭
    edited November -1
    you may want o look at this, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?143855-Converting-Berdan-primer-pockets-to-Boxer&highlight=berdan+boxer
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    andrewsw16andrewsw16 Member Posts: 10,728 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by ENBLOC
    I have not tried this yet, but have watched a few different you tubes on "how to" Best one was fellow drilling thru center of berdan primer the dia. of boxer flash hole. Next he used drill the dia. of face of old berdan primer leaving the sidewalls of old berdan primer still intact. Next he swaged new primer pocket using the swaging tool. Loaded one case 7 times so far with no issues. The key is leaving the sidewalls of the old berdan primer alone. This is swaged to become the new boxer primer pocket. Others attempts had person drilling new dia. flash hole, drilling out primer pocket to 1/4 dia. and swaging in 1/4 inch dia. copper tubing. Of course this squished out beyond face of cartridge base. He then ground this off flush with base of case on side of grinder wheel. Brass/steel cases are another componet we all need........

    This guy does a pretty good job, using the copper tubing method. The results look nice and seem to work. It's something to do out in the shop on cold winter nights when you would otherwise be stuffing your gob with junk food in front of the TV. I see an awful lot of Berdan cases in the junk barrel out at the range. Such a waste.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AkKJfvMyuDg
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    MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 13,785 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The only berdan to boxer I've tried were shotgun cases(using 209 battery cup primers). Never tried direct berdan to boxer in rifle/pistol cases.
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