Please forgive a dumb question, but why do belted magnums have the belt? What does it do that is important?
THAnks

Vinny, the belt goes back to the days when the so called "Magnum" cartridges, like the 375 H&H were long and slender. When they started making them without a rim, they needed something for the case to headspace on... thus they added th belt, since there wasn't sufficient shoulder on the case to get the job done. On virtually all of the modern day belted rounds, there IS enough shoulder to headspace on and the belt is just there as a holdover from yesteryear. That's the short version anyway.

This was posted by Alf on Jan 17th on the gunsmithing page.


The history of the "Double flange"

The first patent was by JC Accles of Perry Bar Birmingham in 1889. ( patent 12704)

The reason for the double flange had nothing to do with headspacing

it had to do with extracting, in order to get an extractor to slip over the flange on a case the rear end of the bridge had to be cut to accomodate the extractor, this weakened the breech and caused bulging thus Accles proposed a double flange, the "Belt" as we now know it sits against the rear of the breech and is surrounded by a full circle of breech steel thus strong whilst the rear flange sits outside the chamber and can be gripped by the extractor.

G Roth of Vienna ( the famous later czech ammo makers patented their belted version in 1890 ( patent 5592 of 1891) His patent describes headspacing issues ( a stop so that the case can only go into the breach so far and no more)

Holland patents their belt in 1904 ( patent 27912 ) in the form of the 400/375

The first commercial belted case was in fact by the Spencer company who in 1868 designed the Roper shotgun with interchangable barrels that fired a 40 caliber rifle round as well. It was a Open bolt firing mechanism so the breach with fixed firing pin slammed down on the case head and the belt stopped the case from being driven into the chamber.

quote:

Originally posted by Kingfisher:
Vinny, the belt goes back to the days when the so called "Magnum" cartridges, like the 375 H&H were long and slender. When they started making them without a rim, they needed something for the case to headspace on... thus they added th belt, since there wasn't sufficient shoulder on the case to get the job done. On virtually all of the modern day belted rounds, there IS enough shoulder to headspace on and the belt is just there as a holdover from yesteryear. That's the short version anyway.

This is the same explanation I have heard for the belt. Looking at the new 500 Wyoming express lends credence to this explanation as well.

John

And I always thought it was just a visual selling feature. Kinda like high brass on shotshells conveying more power.

Vinny Don't let the belt become a major issue when the time comes to buy a rifle. The ST series and the new H&Hs have belts as do a majority of working rifles in Alaska. I contend you'll never have headspace problems if you have a belt.

quote:

...why do belted magnums have the belt?

Looks, plain and simple. Except for the few odd calibers that really need a belt for headspace control, the rest don't. For decades a belt has been part and parcel with the term "magnum" cartridge. It's marketing hype; the proverbial 'spin.' Used to cater to the percieved need for bigger, better , faster, farther. Lazzaroni's line of magnums don't have belts. Neither do Remington's SAUM's or Winchester's WSM and WSSM's.