Wondering if anyone has tried reloading Igman .308. The best info I can find says that their primer flash holes are either too small or off center and a person is guaranteed to break de-capping pins. Would love to know if this is an old problem that’s been fixed or an ongoing one.
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Igman ammunition
- Thread starter ADIDAS69
- Start date
Look into a fired case. Use a light. See what the flasholes look like. Boxer primed, or Berdan primed??
I am not familiar with that brand, so can't say which it is.
Berdan brass will have two, or sometimes three small flash holes, off center. Boxer primed will have one larger flashhole, in the center. Boxer is the standard system used in the US, Berdan is used in ammo made in other parts of the world.
Berdan primed brass can be reloaded, but it takes special tools and Berdan primers, neither of which has been common in the US for decades. For practical purposes, consider Berdan primed cases unreloadable.
I am not familiar with that brand, so can't say which it is.
Berdan brass will have two, or sometimes three small flash holes, off center. Boxer primed will have one larger flashhole, in the center. Boxer is the standard system used in the US, Berdan is used in ammo made in other parts of the world.
Berdan primed brass can be reloaded, but it takes special tools and Berdan primers, neither of which has been common in the US for decades. For practical purposes, consider Berdan primed cases unreloadable.
This thread on another board indicates that while the brass is Boxer primed, it uses a smaller flash hole than standard. So, if you look and see a centered flash hole, to reload the brass, you need first to get a long enough 0.078" (5/64") drill bit chucked in your Dremel or other drill to open the hole up. You may need to use a pin vice or a narrow drill bit holder to reach it. A 1/16" drill may be adequate for your decapping pin. You will have to try it to see.
Appreciate it, I talked to the retailer and they said as much. Prices the way they are it may be worth the effort. I was thinking about how I might exchange the de-capping pin with a broach of sorts that could essentially punch the hole bigger as I resize and de-prime. Another option I thought of would be to sand an existing de-capping pin to a smaller diameter.
I think RCBS and Hornady offer narrower decapping pins. Lapua's Palma Match brass has a smaller flash hole (about 0.06 instead of about 0.08), and people need to be able to decap it. The smaller pins also make some military brass easier to decap.
The broach idea has the problem that it could bulge the floor of the web at the bottom of the primer pocket outward. That can happen in some cases just from loading to maximum pressures, so asking it to resist broaching force is probably asking a lot of it.
The broach idea has the problem that it could bulge the floor of the web at the bottom of the primer pocket outward. That can happen in some cases just from loading to maximum pressures, so asking it to resist broaching force is probably asking a lot of it.