Old Man Graybeard Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 I got some older CBC marked brass shotgun hulls. These take a large pistol primer...but instead of a center flash hole...they have two little holes on opposite sides of the primer. My question is...how to decap these? Is it safe to drill about a 1/8 inch hole in the center of the primer pocket? It would be no problem as there is an indentation in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Sounds like Berdan primed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody, SASS #26190 Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Gunzilla shot a 10g with Berdan primed brass shells. He had fashioned a couple of tools to remove spent primers hydrolically. A wooden dowel that was a fairly close fit to the ID of the shell and a boad with a hole drilled through the middle and a larger hole sunk into board that the rim fit into. He would put water in the shell, then insert the dowel and hit with a mallet. TThe resulting pressure drove the primer out through the hole in the board. He did sau it was messy and best done out of doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Angus McPherson Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 I heard a neat trick for depriming Berdan primed cases: Get a dowel rod roughly the diameter of the case mouth, fill the case, partially, with water, start the dowel rod down the case and whack it with a hammer. Oh, yeah, you need to center the primer over a hole in a piece of scrap wood, or something, for the primer to have room to come out. I'm not sure how you would reprime it, unless you have Berdan primers to replace the one removed. I don't think a "modern" primer would fit in the space evacuated by the Berdan primer. Missed it by that much. Goody beat me to the draw. Angus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Yes, it won't be safe to place a US Boxer primer in the pocket for a Berdan primer-case. The Berdan has an anvil type bulge in the pocket that will either prevent the Boxer primer from seating, or it will fire it as you try to seat it. If you looked really hard, you might find (in good years) some new Berdan primers. But not now, I'd guess. Not worth it in my book to try to make these work. GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 3 hours ago, Old Man Graybeard said: I got some older CBC marked brass shotgun hulls. These take a large pistol primer...but instead of a center flash hole...they have two little holes on opposite sides of the primer. My question is...how to decap these? Is it safe to drill about a 1/8 inch hole in the center of the primer pocket? It would be no problem as there is an indentation in the middle. Do not drill a new hole. the flash holes are sized to prevent too much pressure from the burning powder to escape back into the primer pocket. If you drill another hole the extra pressure may cause the primers to back out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40Chev Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Beard If you want some that will take a large pistol primer pretty sure I have some - let me know. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Brasse, SASS #3562 Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 I have seen two types of tools. One was a rod large enough to have 2 small decapping pins installed in one end used to tap the primer out The other was the old antique spade type hand tool. When CBC Brass 12 ga first came in they were Berdan primed then they went to Boxer. I believe the Remington brass shells in the "collector" tins were also berdan primed. I think I saw some of them machined out to take standard 209 shotshell primers. (unknown as to the safety or amount of labor involved to drill & countersink) I would think it would be easier/better to just sell them for display or make them into dummy rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Berdan and boxer are different diameters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Graybeard Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 Thank you for the replys. Guess I will use these for display and just load the newer ones I have...and get another 25 new ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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