Belted Cartridges?

[backwoods83]

I agree I have 3 bench guns, 2 light, 1 unlitimed the light guns are 6.5x284 and 300wby, the unlimited is a tight neck 300wm. I normally shoot the 6.5x284 because its a little easier to manage but if conditions are horrible the 210 berger at 3070 just flat out gets it done! The wsm's are good cartridges but they should be on long actions, no sense in taking up a 1/3 of the case with the bullet, as for the RUMs I think they are a waste until betram, lapua, or norma start making cases for them. Just my opinion.

[Kevin Thomas]

Backwoods83,

What you're getting into here, about the bullet taking up 1/3 of the case, is a run-in between what the cartridges were marketed to do, and what they're being used for in certain circles. The idea for these rounds was to produce a cartridge that delivered magnum performance in an envelope of a short action. Trade-offs had to be made somewhere, and that's part of the deal. for someone using these outside the box, such as a competitive shooter, this opens up a lot of other possibilities. That's where things get interesting. Again, if you're building a rifle for a specific purpose, you're the one who gets to decide what is, or is not a worthwhile trade-off. The F class shooters are gravitating heavily towards the SAUM and/or the WSM's in 7mm. Since the issue of having them work through a mag in a short action isn't a concern for them, like I said, things get interesting. Personally, I do like the idea of getting away form the belts once and for all. They add nothing, and are a potential trouble spot. The newer designs eliminate these potential problems and allow us to concentrate on other things.

Your comments about the 300s are spot on, and exactly what I was getting at here. The 6mm PPC is the most accurate cartridge ever developed, but you don't see it used for 1000 competition. The trade off to a somewhat less accurate cartridge that has the power and BC to hang in at the extended ranges make that the only logical way to go.