I picked up about 500 308 cases from a shootout the other day.The fun kind of shoot out not the bad kind.I also discover all of the 308 ammo I have thats german is berdan primed.The brass is like new what or how do I get the primer out.I can get lots more free!!!Thats rare these days in the great reloading primer shortage.I want to use these cases for my model 91 H&K so its going to have a case life of 3 times at best or get flinged 90 feet where i cant find it.I threw away 4 wheel barrow loads of 308 and 223 5 years ago because no one wanted it!!!!!Now I am trying to load the pain in the butt cases to load the berdan primered cases.

I've picked them out with an ice pick. Tedious, but it will work. RCBS had a decapping tool for Berdan primed cases in their line at one time, still might. If they don't, I'll bet Huntingtons does.

Just checked Huntington, they've got what you need. A bit pricey, though.

http://www.huntingtons.com/pri...cessories.html#decap

that tool will slightly damage the anvils on some of the cases. I have that tool and do not use it anymore. I might someday, if I have to load berdan, but not if I find something better.

First before going to the trouble of decapping make sure you have a supply of primers, otherwise why waste your time.

If you can get Berdan primers and the brass is good, and lots of Berdan brass of western European origin is high quality, then the easiest way for this size primer is the RCBS tool. If correctly adjusted, and it's a pain to get it just right, decapping is quite easy and anvils are rarely damaged. Those that are slightly damaged don't seem to have an adverse effect on proper ignition.

Don't forget to decrimp the pockets. The easiest way is a modified Lee chamfer tool. Just grind the tip off to clear the anvil and with the quantities you have just chuck the tool in a drill press on slow speed and go for it.

With the larger primer sizes as found on early 303 cases, the RCBS tool doesn't work as well, or at least I have not been able to adjust it correctly and I have reverted to the hydraulic method. Really slow and a little messy.

dgr, have a wander thru this thread I have made up a gizmo like the one parashooter shows in post #5. I used a concrete nail for mine, files can be brittle sometimes. If you can get the correct sized berdan primers you're good to go, failing that, convert them all to boxer, shouldn't take more than a week or so.
Steve

The easiest way I have found to do Berdan decapping is to do it hydraulically, although the ones I have done were not military with crimped-in primers. All you need is a dowel (wood, aluminum, steel, whatever) that's a snug slip fit in the case neck.

Fill the case with water, insert dowel in case mouth, whack with plastic mallet. Best done out-of-doors in warm weather wearing clothes you don't mind getting wet...