Belted Cartridges

[skidmark]

I your practical experience are belted cases more likely
to suffer from case head separation than rimless ?
I have .340 Wby Mag cases exceeding 8 reloads {neck sizing}
that exhibit no internal ring or groove. And what case life do you
get on belted Mags?

 

[HeathSexton]

As long as you set your dies to bump the shoulder and keep them off the belt, or as you are doing neck sizing I get great brass life.


When you size them all the way down to the belt it over works the brass and case life is greatly reduced.

 

[skidmark]

Bump a venturi radius shoulder?

 

[SJB358]

Sure, same way you'd do a regular case.

I get 10+ out of all the cases. I keep the headspace tight and haven't had an issue.

 

[HeathSexton]

Bump a venturi radius shoulder?

My 300Wby FL dies are set up working off the shoulder. I have 10 firings on 5 cases I use for load work and they look great. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

 

[DrMike]

It would be rare that I don't get 10 or more loadings per lot of brass. I don't overwork the brass and prefer to set the shoulder back a couple of thousandths.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

in laymans terms, just act like it doesn't have a belt and set your dies so the case headspaces on the shoulder, the belt no longer is in the equasion, so doesn't affect case life.
RR

 

[skidmark]

Guess I will run a FL die and make some kind of shoulder measurement
and watch it move like a regular case. I'm supposed to be vacuuming
the floors and mopping for my wife....

 

[Ridge_Runner]

best way I've found, in the 340 I'd just punch a .358 expander ball in the case and then resise it down until the bolt closes with just a bit of resistance, then screw the die in 1/16th turn and have at it, there will come a time to bump the shoulders though.
RR

 

[FOTIS]

In my whole career I had one single piece of brass try to separate---not there yet--- a 7mm rem mag. Remington make.

 

[boomer68]

Bump a venturi radius shoulder?

My 300Wby FL dies are set up working off the shoulder. I have 10 firings on 5 cases I use for load work and they look great. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Are you using a Hornady headspace gauge?

 

[Darkhorse]

I've been loading belted cases for almost 40 years and most definitely think a belted case is more prone to separation than non belted. I also think a lot of problems are due to a rifles chamber dimensions, and our brass dimensions, something we can't control.
Usually a 3 place decimal dimension indicates a tolerance of +/- .010, now imagine a shoulder being cut .010 deeper than the called dimension, and the belt on a case being .010 thinner away from the case head. Both are within tolerance but you now have .020 for the shoulder to travel each time the case is full length sized. It won't take many firings before you start getting that little bright ring.
Trust me on this. Working with close tolerances was my career.
I first started thinking on this when a co worker brought me some once fired 7mag. brass. I noticed a crack on some and checked them all, then put the case heads in a vice and tapped the case with a hammer. Every single one popped off right above the belt and you could clearly see the thinning of the ring. Why was this? It could only be the dimensions of the chamber combined with the dimensions of the brass.
My old M700 has a tight chamber. I have no idea how many times some of my brass has been loaded with no case separation. When I FL size I just kiss the shell holder with the bottom of the die, no more.
But my .300 is a different story. I neck size until a case won't chamber. Then I FL size but after only 1 or 2 firings the case must be discarded due to incipient case separation.
I never, ever, load a case for a belted mag. that has been fired in another rifle.
I buy my brass in lots.
I always thought a belt looked cool. Still do. I don't have really negative feelings about a belted mag. because when I bought my 7 mag. I got a truly exceptional chamber that has given me no trouble.
However I know people with belted mags. that have had a lot of trouble, and actually own one in .300 Win. Mag. that is borderline.
FWIW I will never buy another belted mag. If I need one it will be a WSM or something like that.

 

[rick smith]

Pay no attention to the belt and size like a standard bottle neck case. I load for at least ten different belted cases in a variety of rifles/calibers and don't have a problem with separation. Incorrect FL die setting, by the instructions, will cause you to have problems. Rick.

 

[HeathSexton]

Bump a venturi radius shoulder?

My 300Wby FL dies are set up working off the shoulder. I have 10 firings on 5 cases I use for load work and they look great. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Are you using a Hornady headspace gauge?

No, I used a match to smoke a fired case and went from there.