Boxer vs. Berdan primer
I recently bought some Wolf ammo for plinking because its grotesquely cheap (some in .45 and .223). the 45 jammed instantaneously in a 1911 compact, and the 223 jammed as well in an AR. my question is, whats the difference in boxer and berdan primer? we read the box, and Wolf now uses Boxer primer instead of the "traditional" berdan. we never had jamming issues before, whats up?
My name is Jon, but most people call me....Jon
My name is Jon, but most people call me....Jon
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Boxer primers carry the anvil in the primer, and feature 1 flash hole in the case. Boxers are much easier to de-prime.
Berdan primers have the anvil as part of the case itself, and feature 2-3 flash holes in the case. Berdans are harder to de-prime.
Other than some diameter/depth differences (which have no effect on operation) the only physical difference is the location of the anvil.
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.0 -
Hello tailgunner has it nailed. There is only one berdan primed U.S. made current ammo that I know of cci BLAZER it has alum. case and not made to reload. THUS cci made it berdan primed. you can reload berdam cases but it is a pain in the &*^ and you have to find the right primers. most U.S. ammo is boxer primed Boxer was from EUROPE and most EUROPEAN ammo pre 1980 was berdam primed berdam was from the U.S. go figure. 0 -
Only correction I would offer is that Berdan cases have often featured a single flash hole. In WW2 Nazi ammo, it was simply a faster production method requiring less in the way of precious tool steel. Some steel case french 5.56 ammo has a stirrup formed by punching out a portion of the bottom of the primer pocket, leaving a single hole in the center. Hiram Berdan commanded the Union Sharps Shooters with their distinctive green uniforms. A lot of the earlier CF buffalo cartridges, especially the Sharps / Remington .44-77 & .44-90 rounds, used Berdan primers, regardless of the manufacturer (UMC and WRA in addition to the two already named). These are very distinctive in appearance - the primers are about twice the size of the Boxer type. After roughly 1875 - 1880, American ammunition was manufactured exclusively with Boxer primers.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain) ". . . And liberals." (me)0 -
I don't believe that the primers are your problem. Wolf ammo is steel cased and laqueur coated. I have seen it for myself 1st hand, the laqueured cases are the problem. As the gun is fired repeatedly the laqueur finish becomes gooy and leaves a residue in the chamber, this biuld up is your problem!
If you ain't got a sense of humor you got no business bein here!0 -
Can't count the number of primer decappers I've broken 'cause a Berdan-primed case got mixed in with boxer cases---they are the scurge of the reloader. 0
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