Does anyone know the diameter of the small pistol berdan primer

[davidbourne]

Not found on the internet

 

[Alk8944]

You don't find that because there is no such thing as a "small pistol" berdan primer. Berdan primers are designated by their diameter in millimeters. A small pistol boxer primer is nominally .175".

What cartridge are you wanting to load that you believe you need a berdan primer for? All U.S. manufactured cartridges use boxer primers, and most metric cartridges are available loaded with boxer primers too.

 

[DWalt]

This is good information on Berdan primers, if that is what you are seeking. They are very uncommon in the USA. One other problem is removal of fired Berdan primers. Berdan Primer Suppliers and Dimensions

 

[Skeet 028]

I used to use primer pocket reaming tools...carbide...stick 'em in and grind the berdan anvil down then swage the pocket to be able to load boxer primers in the foreign brass. Still got 'em somewhere. Did not work on some of the odd stuff. Alcan sold Berdan primers but not always in stock...Herter's too but they got theirs from Alcan...Someone made a tool to make the primer pocket large enough to use Rem @157 size shotshell primers on some Berdan cases

 

[DWalt]

I used to use primer pocket reaming tools...carbide...stick 'em in and grind the berdan anvil down then swage the pocket to be able to load boxer primers in the foreign brass. Still got 'em somewhere. Did not work on some of the odd stuff. Alcan sold Berdan primers but not always in stock...Herter's too but they got theirs from Alcan...Someone made a tool to make the primer pocket large enough to use Rem @157 size shotshell primers on some Berdan cases

I did that. I had an antique 8mm Portuguese Kropatschek rifle (very similar to the Mauser 71/84) and a small quantity of WWI-era ammunition. Fortunately the bullet was the same diameter as the 8x57 Mauser. I drilled out the Berdan primer pocket to accept shotshell primers and used Pyrodex powder. It worked OK but only as a single shot. Surprisingly, the original 100+ year-old ammo fired without problems. I sold the rifle last Spring.

 

[pharmer]

...... They are very uncommon in the USA. One other problem is removal of fired Berdan primers....

I remember back in the 20th century some outfit made a "hydraulic Berdan decapper" that had a compound plunger with a hard rubber collar using water pressure to blow out the spent primer. This vid shows how with stuff you already have.
https://youtu.be/Q0q0E4GtSa4 Joe

 

[DWalt]

I have done that using a tight fitting rod and a hammer. There is also a Berdan depriming tool available which I have not used. Sort of a nutcracker-looking thing which pierces the fired primer cup with a curved prong and pulls it out of the pocket.

 

[Skeet 028]

It's kind of amazing what reloaders came up with in the past. Reloading shotshell primers(CCI). I bought powder from Hodgdon in 100 pound lots...delivered Railway express. Bought 50 pounds 4895 and added 35,000 , I think it was, primers to the order. I was too young to sign for the railway express receipt. the agent gave me the paper to have my mother sign for me. Remember Klein's Sporting goods? I got a surplus 45 auto from them around the time I was 12...Being dislexic I signed the order that I was 21. Had to sign for it at the post office when it came...signed my mother's name and Ms Francis let me take it home. only a couple hundred feet away from home. Small town living! before 1960s

 

[desi2358]

I have done that using a tight fitting rod and a hammer. There is also a Berdan depriming tool available which I have not used. Sort of a nutcracker-looking thing which pierces the fired primer cup with a curved prong and pulls it out of the pocket.

I have done the hydraulic method myself, requires a good fit of the rod and you are likely to get wet. I have the RCBS Berdan decapper and it works quite well once you get it adjusted to the rounds you are using it on. Too far out and the chisel tip damages the anvil, not far enough and it just rips the primer (and with some crimped primers it sometimes takes two tries).

I have reloaded quite a few Berdan primed cases over the years, mainly less common ones. When I could get them easier loaded some of the nice FN military brass for guns I have but they seem to be unavailable any more other than the occasional find at a gunshow. Still have most of a brick of the most common rifle size and a couple tins of different handgun and rifle sizes.