quote:

Originally posted by SlamFire:

I have had rim interference cause jams in feeding. Had to pull the bolt back and push down on the stack to clear.

What a pain to reload for. I had to buy a special sinclair cartridge headspace gage to figure out just how much to set the shoulder back.

That is a problem with your rifle. There are millions of rifles chambered for belted cartridges that don't have this problem.

You don't need any special gauge. If you mark the case with a sharpie you can adjust the FL sizing die until it has sized the neck almost down to the shoulder. You then trial fit the case into the chamber and make any fine adjustments to the die if needed.

There are a couple of pluses to the belted case although they won't apply to most shooters.

If you use a lot of squib loads the belted case does not shorten like the rimless. After a few shots the rimless case needs to be necked up at least a calibre and then back through the die to form a new shoulder point.

Also, like the rimmed case it allows for a very sloppt chambering. When I first started shooting in the 1960s we in Australia were also introduced to the M98 and M17. For chasing roos where ammo goes everywhere through the back of then ute, on the ground and you name it, in other words, very rough conditions and lots of shots, neither could hold a candle to the SMLE in 303. Anyone who has ever reloaded for a 303 will soon notice the very big difference in case capacity between unfired and fired brass.

Is a belt needed on most magnums - no. Does it matter - no. I have been reloading belted magnums for 25yrs and never had any issues. Never had any issues with feeding/reliability.

quote:

Originally posted by IanD:
Is a belt needed on most magnums - no. Does it matter - no. I have been reloading belted magnums for 25yrs and never had any issues. Never had any issues with feeding/reliability.

How the wheel turns. When I first started reloading in the 1960s the belted case was promoted as being easier to reload due to no head space issue with dies/resizing.....and now it is harder to reload

Here are a couple of things about belted cases you probably dont know.
1. Belted straight wall cases feed better than non straight walled cases. You can often get them to feed empty cases 5 from a mag box.
2. The belt helps the feeding and provides excellent headspace.
3. Belted magnum straight walled cases will outlast non straight walled cases by many many reloadings.
4. Primer pockets dont loosen up as readily with belted cases as non- belted cases when pushed close to max pressures.
6. After 44 yrs of reloading belted cases, my conclusion is, I LIKE EM!-Rob