7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Ammunition, reloading, shooting, etc
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Culpeper
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7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by Culpeper »

I took my first steps into the berdan world today. Last month I picked up enough Swiss brass to fill one of those Utz pretzel barrels and today I de-primed the lot. Took about a hour. I used the RCBS tool. This is the after action report. I did not have any trouble with '82 or 83 brass. 1993 brass had a bit tougher primers that would require a second pry of the tool but they deprimed like the others. Brass from 2016 was a problem. What I found was it had three heavy stakes and some kind of black sealant that would not budge. All it did was tear up the primers so instead of attempting to do all of the 2016s I pitched them into the scrap bet. Not going to lose sleep over ten or so cases.

I wonder what tunnel the berdan primers are in. I know they are on level nineteen.


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FredC
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by FredC »

Most sealants like Loctite and epoxies break down around 350F. That is an easy temperature to precisely obtain (in your kitchen oven) with no danger of annealing the brass where it should not be annealed. If you have a case or 2 left that were not wrecked, you might try it for grins.

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Culpeper
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by Culpeper »

I'll give it a try when I pick up brass on the 17th after the Swiss Club's match. I figure I will not need more than a few hundred cases across four rifles. Having primers, brass, and bullets are on hand is great but I still need to figure out the powder. Of course, it would be nice to have a 7.5 Swiss die set just for fun.
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psteinmayer
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by psteinmayer »

I use the hydraulic method to de-prime my 7.5x55 Swiss brass: Fill the case with water and place it in a 9/16 socket... and use a tool that fits snugly in the case neck with a hammer. A couple hits and the primer pops out. It does a great job, even with the staked primers... however beware because it's a little messy. You will need to remove the crimp or stakes, and a LEE chamfer tool with the center drilled out (so it doesn't contact the anvil in the primer pocket) does a nice job of this. I never encountered primers with a sealant that wouldn't let go yet. I have several hundred cases, so for now, I'm set. The REAL problem is finding the Berdan primers. These take a KV-7.62N primer.

Zac952
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by Zac952 »

Culpeper, if you haven't selected dies yet I'll give you the info I have on the dies. The Swiss 1889, 96/11, and 1911 all use the standard 7.5x55 die set, although the 1889 is a different case length and uses different load data the standard dies work.
The K31 can be reloaded with the standard dies, but it has a different taper and Hornady makes specific dies for it, these can only be used for the K31 so if you have the older rifles and only want one die get the 7.5x55 die. I like the K31 die for my K31 as it seriously extends brass life, especially important if you went through the trouble of redrilling a new flash hole and pressing in a sleeve to convert it to boxer primers. I don't go through that trouble so I can't comment much on the process.
Another quirk about reloading the 7.5x55 is that when the die is set up to touch the shell holder it will move the shoulder back by .010 or more! Not sure on the cause for this, whether it's a difference between SAAMI or what but it seriously reduces case life. What I do is set up my die using the Hornady case comparator to size .002 below my tightest chambered 1911 series rifles and the same with my K31 die for my tightest k31. Hopefully info will help you in getting the most from your labor of getting that brass into shooting shape!
I also like the Hornady 30 cal 150 gr FMJs that I use in M2 ball style loads. My Swiss rifles seem to prefer IMR 4064 with that bullet.

FredC
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by FredC »

Paul,
Does the hydraulic pressure swell the case or the neck when you do this? if so, it definitely needs to be done before resizing. If your 9/16 socket is not flat on the bottom and deforms the case, I guess you could use the shell holder, just dry and oil it before putting it away as it probably has no plating to prevent rust.

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Parashooter
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by Parashooter »

I've found the old-fashioned pierce/pry method of Berdan decapping both quick and reliable, even with stubborn primers -
BerTool4.jpg
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BerTool1.jpg (22.83 KiB) Viewed 1891 times
BerTool2.jpg
BerTool2.jpg (27 KiB) Viewed 1891 times
Attachments
BerTool.jpg
BerTool.jpg (13.65 KiB) Viewed 1891 times

Doubly Reincarnated
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by Doubly Reincarnated »

Have any of the smaller brass producers made a run of 7.5x55 with boxer primers? 20 years ago, my friend died and left me a garage full of brass. There were some "Golden State" cases and loaded ammo, probably from the 1950s. Brass was apparently made in Japan and was poor quality. I loaded up a few. All split of first firings in my K31.

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butlersrangers
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by butlersrangers »

FWIW - If you don't have a stash of Berdan Primers, Graf & Sons has Prvi brass (for Boxer primers) in 7.5X55mm Swiss, available for a reasonable price.

FredC
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Re: 7.5x55 Swiss Brass

Post by FredC »

If any are looking at Parashooter's photos and have not noticed in Photo #3 from the top, his tool has a radius ground on the heel (the surface where it contacts the face of the brass). Looks like a design secret that helps to prevent marking or scratching the face.
Last edited by FredC on Thu Jul 07, 2022 1:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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