belted cartridges

[MudRunner2005]

so there isnt anything to the "less accurate" or "harder to reload"? you just load them like you would otherwise, full length size > clean > trim (if necessary) > prime > charge > bullet?

There is no such thing as "inherent accuracy", therefore belt or not, can be just as accurate as one another.

 

[ntsqd]

300 Win Mag

If it had problems it wouldn't be around

Conceptually it does have A problem. Practically it doesn't seem to matter enough to cripple it, maybe only wound it in the extreme outer fringes.

I believe the hornady reloading manual shows a picture of belt separation from brass flow. Supposedly the area in front of the belt can become thinned. As aforementioned you just need to not resize excessively. I recommend a set of the simple Headspace gauges from Hornady to measure shoulder bump as you resize. I have had great luck with them in my reloading paired with the bullet comparator gauge set.

Holds hand up; have had case head separations in a belted case. From first fired Norma brass at that. Split right where Lowedown describes, thinned and then separated just above the belt. Was an 03-A3 action in .308 Norma Mag that was gradually increasing it's head-space, owned by a nuuB who didn't understand what was happening but knew enough to know it was bad.

The original reason for the belt was to head-space in double rifles. It wasn't marketing that said "Hey, let's put a thicker part here on the case and we'll claim some dubious advantage."

 

[sodakota]

I have been shooting belted magnums since '69. I've never had a problem with any.
I know someone who insists on screwing the dies down and a 1.4 turn past on all resizing. He has case separations on one of his rifles using the 338 WM. That rifle has excess headspace and he gets just a few reloads out of his cases. He doesn't want advice. (He's bulged chambers a Smith and Wesson Model 29 so much that the cylinder won't turn, ringed the chamber on a 44 Mag 788, has numerous issues with non-belted Mag cases).
His solution with the case separation is to get rid of the rifles that 'cause' the problems.
If you reload your cases as many have stated above, you won't have issues.
I really like several rifles that I own that use belted cartridges.
My method of resizing is to neck size only, but if the resized case fits too snugly after many firings I'll bump the shoulder by turning the resizing die in a quarter turn at a time until closing of the bolt no longer takes too much effort.

 

[Deleted member 103481]

To clarify are all the people here who have never had an issue are primarily neck sizing and bumping the shoulder every 4-5 reloads?

If this is the case, it seems possible people you don't know are having issues because they are following reloading books and teaching videos that all seem to have you full length size the hell out of your brass and get it back to factory spec. I've noticed that while this forum hardly has anyone who has ever had an issue with reloading belted cartridges, people on sub forums like Reddit's reloading or others that appear to be new and not have a real person to teach them have many more issues.

 

[340Wby-4-everything]

so there isnt anything to the "less accurate" or "harder to reload"? you just load them like you would otherwise, full length size > clean > trim (if necessary) > prime > charge > bullet?

Correct - Not at all. Those that think a beltless round is simply more accurate than any belted round because it chambers on the shoulder vs the other on the belt are just foolish. As one of these fine gents said, you can set a belted round to chamber on the shoulder and you can turn the belt off rounds. I personally have several belted mags 2, .264 Wins, 2 .300 Wins and a .340 Wby that all chamber on the belt and all shoot sub MOA out to 600 and likely farther, I just haven't shot them farther - yet. A friend that is real shooter (unlike me and my old eyes) put a 0.42 group of 3 at 200yds with my .340 the first time he ever shot it - looked like mickey mouse. And as another said, if belts were an issue, there would be no .300 Wins, or the plethora of others with belts.

 

[hpmag308]

Have a 264,300 win for years, no problems.

 

[5gauss]

Have had belteds for years...necksize and check chambering...then full size at three or four firings always chamber checking. There are collet dies today that make this simple if you are really worried about it. Key is minimal sizing for rounds fired in the SAME rifle....

 

[baldhunter]

I've shot and loaded thousands of rounds with various cartridges.I had one 30-06 that was giving me an occasional near case head separation.I eventually sent this rifle back for warranty and they replaced the barrel and receiver,so I guess there was an issue with the rifle.No problems after that.I have a couple of 300 Win Mags,several 7mags and a 7STW.Never has the belt on the cartridges given me an issue except the 7mag cases fired out of a Ruger #1.If I use those cases in my Remington rifles,I have hard extraction.I must keep those cases separate to avoid those issues.So I would once again blame the rifle and not the belt on the case.Usually the biggest issues I have with cases is split necks.When I start seeing that start to happen frequently,I just get rid of that small group of brass.

 

[MudRunner2005]

To clarify are all the people here who have never had an issue are primarily neck sizing and bumping the shoulder every 4-5 reloads?

If this is the case, it seems possible people you don't know are having issues because they are following reloading books and teaching videos that all seem to have you full length size the hell out of your brass and get it back to factory spec. I've noticed that while this forum hardly has anyone who has ever had an issue with reloading belted cartridges, people on sub forums like Reddit's reloading or others that appear to be new and not have a real person to teach them have many more issues.

Yes, that's how you properly handle belted cases. Neck-size until you get a sticky chamber, then FL size a couple thousandths...Then back to neck-sizing. It also helps your brass last exponentially longer, by not work-hardening it as much. I use the same method on my non-belted cartridges, too.

Reloading book specs are a CYA lawyer-proof guideline, not the God's honest truth. I didn't have anyone to teach me how to do all this reloading stuff, I had to teach myself. I had a lot of trial and error. This is why I try to help folks on here, so they don't have to go through all the same stuff I did.

 

[mrjashu]

The belts are ugly.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
sorry that's all I got

 

[MarkA]

I have an OLD 7RM Sendero that the brass grows .026 at first firing. I will shot 3 or 4 neck sized loads until bolt was TIGHT to close. I used a Redding Body Die and Competition Shell Holder set to get just enough to close bolt with a bit of feel. Never had a case head separation since. Most accurate gun I have in the safe.

 

[J E Custom]

They don't know what they're talking about, or don't know how to properly resize belted cases, or they have cheap junky dies. They're regurgitating some mindless drivel that someone once spewed onto the interwebz, and now it's gone mainstream stupid-matrix.

Dang Mud, nothing PC about your reply but you are dead on !!!!

It is to bad that people believe some of the things they read on the Internet but sadly they do. All of us responsible shooters and re loaders should or can do is try to debunk such statements and hope the lessons are learned.

The debate over belted or none has been going on for many years and will never be resolved until people understand why cartridges have a particular case design.

The difference in belted cases and rimed cases are just as profound and with all of the different ways to head space any cartridge, why don't we see controversy over or between them.

There are belted cases, shouldered cases, rimed cases, semi rimed cases, rebated rimed cases, rimless cases, cases that head space on the case mouth, ETC all of them have a reason for the way they head space and the designers plans for it's use.

If you look at each method of head spacing and the reasons, you will often find that it has merit and in many ways an improvement over other designs.

Belted designs are one of those that has many advantages and few if any disadvantages. There are however different ways and procedures required for them like any other cartridge. so when someone tells me that Belted cases are bad or have to many problems, I just consider the person to be uninformed and not experienced in reloading.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Orange Dust]

Yes, that's how you properly handle belted cases. Neck-size until you get a sticky chamber, then FL size a couple thousandths...Then back to neck-sizing. It also helps your brass last exponentially longer, by not work-hardening it as much. I use the same method on my non-belted cartridges, too.

Reloading book specs are a CYA lawyer-proof guideline, not the God's honest truth. I didn't have anyone to teach me how to do all this reloading stuff, I had to teach myself. I had a lot of trial and error. This is why I try to help folks on here, so they don't have to go through all the same stuff I did.

I would add that anyone who has separation issues with a belted cartridge will continue them with a rimless one if they set up their sizing dies the same way.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I would add that anyone who has separation issues with a belted cartridge will continue them with a rimless one if they set up their sizing dies the same way.

The only time I've ever had case/head separation issues was with one of my 7STW's, and with 1 particular brand of brass (Federal). Since ditching the brass, and going with Nosler brass, never another issue.