The Down Range Forum

Member Section => Reloading => Topic started by: alfsauve on October 28, 2013, 08:01:24 AM

Title: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: alfsauve on October 28, 2013, 08:01:24 AM
I'm accustomed to finding .45 ACP cases with small pistol primers, but the press hit something hard last night.   Looky, looky.  A Berdan primed case.  An old look military head stamp.

Fortunately, I didn't break the de-priming pin.  (I have extras on hand though, just in case.)


(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ifbrt8ckii0/Um5f2vyBAUI/AAAAAAAAxfQ/N30rLdeDM8Y/w733-h676-no/IMG_8702.JPG)


Of course this is what you get when you use floor sweepings.  Oh well, one in every couple of thousand isn't a bad price to pay for free brass.
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: MikeBjerum on October 28, 2013, 09:29:03 AM
Is the headstamp obvious enough to catch when inspecting if you are thinking about it?
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: alfsauve on October 28, 2013, 04:07:53 PM
The headstamp is just a PMC stamp with some numbers.  Well worn, but not distinguished enough to pick out while reloading.    I'm sure there must be others in my stash of floor sweepings.  It'll probably be easier to glance inside each case as I pick it up to put in the press.



Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: MikeBjerum on October 28, 2013, 06:38:17 PM
Wonder if I can teach the case feeder to double check for me  ::)
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: Solus on October 28, 2013, 06:47:09 PM
Wonder if I can teach the case feeder to double check for me  ::)

Who is your case feeder?
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: alfsauve on October 28, 2013, 08:34:24 PM
Who is your case feeder?

My question, too.

I have to do my own, so I train up pretty easily.
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: MikeBjerum on October 28, 2013, 08:48:55 PM
For a nominal fee, Dillon has this really cool toy.  Dump it full, flip the switch, and away you go.  Keep the powder and primers full, set the bullets in place, and pray the callus on your hand holds up.

(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/m58/xl650_zpsaf76a98f.jpg) (http://s42.photobucket.com/user/m58/media/xl650_zpsaf76a98f.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: TAB on October 28, 2013, 11:21:55 PM
I though they were bigger then other primers?  Might not be enough for me to  tell them apart with the naked eye.  Cases feeders are awesome, add a bullet feeder( there are few on the market) and it will crank them out fast. I can do about 2k a hour with the 1050 and bullet feeder.  Even stoping and checking  every 25 or so with a case guage and scale.
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: alfsauve on October 29, 2013, 05:18:15 AM
For a nominal fee, Dillon has this really cool toy.

I don't know, $254 just doesn't seem "nominal".
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: Solus on October 29, 2013, 09:33:07 AM
I have a case feeder for my 650, but I was thinking about it and bullet feeders.

The expensive part of both of them is the hopper with the rotating plate to align and drop the case/bullet into the feed tube.

The mechanics at the shell plate end would not be that expensive.

If you were to route the shell feed tube to the left side of the press, maybe a foot above the mount, you might be able to get a series of small bends in the case feed tube so that you could manually drop cases into the tube with your left hand.  

Same with the bullet feed tube except it is already on the left side, so it would be a straight drop.

A belled mouth at the top of each tube would allow you to drop bullets/cases in with out much precision.  

The tubes could hold 10 or so bullet/cases depending on length of the item.

While feeding bullets/cases into the tube mouths would be manual, it would not be such a precision operation as placing them correctly on the shell plate.  

Also, since the tubes hold a quantity of the items, timing would not be important.  You could add them while the piston was moving up or down which would not require stopping of the process for manual insertion.

Maybe without the support and hopper for the bullet feeder there would be room to reach around behind the press to manual feed cases into a straight drop tube.

You should be able to buy just the lower mechanics for the case feeder system from Dillon, and probably for a bullet feeder also.

Thoughts?
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: MikeBjerum on October 29, 2013, 12:57:18 PM
I don't know, $254 just doesn't seem "nominal".

When we did this the two of us were each looking at reloaders.  We were both looking at Dillon 650's at around $700.  One evening we were talking and found this out.  A month later we had purchased the 650 together, set it all up, got everything else, and had spend $700 each.

This is not as bad as it seems, because we have two complete heads - Mine set for .45acp, and his for .38super, and all the other gadgets that clutter the reloading room.
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: mortdooley on November 24, 2013, 07:40:53 AM
Since you brought it up I have two questions. Is the primer size the same and how would you deprime a berdan case? I have some brass cased berdan primed ammo for 7.62x25 tokarev I would like to reload down for 30 mauser since it is too hot for a Broomhandle.
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: Solus on November 24, 2013, 11:34:37 AM
Since you ask.   One at a time.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/245983/




Looks like a LOT of fun....especially if you have a few 1000s of them.


Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: alfsauve on November 24, 2013, 04:08:11 PM
No and where would you find Berdan primers?

Berdan cases have the anvil built in so you can't even seat a boxer primer.
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: GASPASSERDELUXE on November 24, 2013, 04:37:39 PM
Powder Valley has 7.62x51 and 7.62x39 Tula brand  Berdan Primers in stock.
Title: Re: Uh Oh. A Berdan primed .45ACP
Post by: alfsauve on November 24, 2013, 05:37:50 PM
Cool and the price isn't that bad.

And here's a post from another board about their methodology.

http://theswissriflesdotcommessageboard.yuku.com/topic/8371/t/Tula-Berdan-Report.html#.UpKNOxqsim4