8uck5nort Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=137985031 Someone put there thinking cap on. I have a few hundred rounds of Turk milsurp brass that may be a viable option... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoedoh Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 For $40 it might be worth a try. I would not factor in your time however. My only concerns about this would be the structural integrity of the bottom of the case after you drilled out the anvil and the diameter/depth of the primer pocket. Last time I looked at a berdan case, it had the anvil and two little holes. Does drilling one big hole between them effect case strength? And, since berdan primers and boxer primers aren't quite the same size, I have to wonder if the dimensional difference has any effect on performance or safety? But again, for $40 it might be worth a try. I'll definitely save this one for later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 For $40 it might be worth a try. I would not factor in your time however. My only concerns about this would be the structural integrity of the bottom of the case after you drilled out the anvil and the diameter/depth of the primer pocket. Last time I looked at a berdan case, it had the anvil and two little holes. Does drilling one big hole between them effect case strength? And, since berdan primers and boxer primers aren't quite the same size, I have to wonder if the dimensional difference has any effect on performance or safety? But again, for $40 it might be worth a try. I'll definitely save this one for later. Some Berdan primers are the same size as US as far as diameter. Most are different and if one is lucky enough to get say a .210 sized Berdan primer pocket then you have to look at the depth. Years back I knew somebody that drilled out .210 sized Berdan primers on French 30/06. With the additional flash hole most primers backed out and the pockets enlarged being unable to seat a primer again. Might have better results with handgun pressures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doble Troble Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 It's really easy to make 8 mm brass out of -06 - if you have a pile of -06 laying around. It's super easy if you get one of the Redding cut-off trim dies like this. But it would be fun and educational to make Boxer out of Berdan. If you get it make sure to post info about how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacrat Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Just checked Midway..........rem 8x57 cases $108 for 200 cases brand new. Subtract the $40 for this rework kit = $68 How much is an eye worth? Drilling an .o8o hole between the existing 2 berdan holes will leave a very large hole for expanding gasses to blow back through. Not a good thing IMO. Of the 10's of 1,000's of rounds I have reloaded over the last 40 yr. I've only blown 1 primer. Cause was an oversize flash hole in a piece of surplus brass. Cost me $85 to have the bolt repaired on a rifle I purchased for $85 back in the 70's. I'd take a pass on reworking primer systems. JMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nutty Posted October 23, 2009 Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 "No, you'll shoot your eye out." "Oh no! It was the classic 'Mother/BB-gun' block!" Kill-joy. Some folks with some REALLY odd brass may not have a choice and might need to pursue trying to convert Berdan cases to Boxer. I recall hearing something about machining out the Berdan pocket and press-fitting an actual bushing to allow the use of Boxer primers. Most of the conversion work that I've seen that was this drastic involved relatively low-pressure, ancient cartridges. I'm in agreement with Doble Troble that converting 8MM Mauser from modern, existing brass would probably be much easier. Perhaps it's safer too. I'd rather deal with fresh, new 8MM brass; the 8X57 can be and is in many respects a high pressure cartridge. US manufacturers tend to be gentle on loads, but European loads are much hotter. But hey, we all wouldn't be on this board if it wasn't for the adventure, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rivitir Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Back when I was doing some research on reloading methods I looked this up. I found a lot of people that basically said don't do it if you value your rifle or your face/eye sight etc. I looked up a couple youtube videos I found a while back on the subject that may interest you. Reloading Steel cases / reloading berdan by converting to boxer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mbf4C-8ViM&feature=fvw In this video MacTeutates comments on how larger cases you can easily convert so a boxer primer can fit (ie: don't use something like 223 it's to small) and for the holes that are to large he said he uses locktight to fit them in. I really like Ammosmith on youtube. He has some excellent suggestions/lessons on reloading. Here is what I found that he had on berdan primers: Granted I don't have much experience reloading, however I would suggest you use caution when converting from berdan to boxer. If your cases are machined to allow for a standard sized boxer I say go for it, but I would not use MacTeutates suggestion of using locktight to keep the boxer primer from falling out because the hole is to big. MPO this is stupid and your just asking for trouble... of course I was always taught not to play with fire. Hope some of these links help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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