Location: a secret lab on the shores of lake titicaca
Posts: 23,063
found this elswhere on the web:The Boxer priming system, invented by the British ordnance officer of the same name, is the method primarily used in the U.S. for getting the primer's spark through the case head to the propellant charge inside the cartridge case. The Boxer primer uses a three legged inverted anvil on top of the volatile priming compound to provide resistance against the firing pin, or striker, to crush the compound and cause it to explode. The spark travels through a single, centered flash hole in the case head to ignite the propellant ("powder" is a word I dislike; it rightfully should only be used in reference to black powder, not modern smokeless). The Berdan priming system, developed by the American ordnance officer of the same name, is the accepted priming method in Europe and other parts of the world. Instead of the anvil being a component of the primer it is an integral part of the formed cartridge case; a pointy brass formation inside the primer pocket. Another difference is that two flash holes are used to conduct the spark to the propellant. Berdan primers cannot be used to primer Boxer type cases and Berdan primers cannot be used to prime Boxer type cases.
You can reload berdan cases but it is extremely time-consuming and berdan primers are very hard to find. The last time I heard, there was only one source for berdan primers in the U.S.