What's so bad about belted?

[snake river rufus]

I read on other forums that belted cases "suck", "are stupid", "are worthless", the list goes on. Does anybody have a reason to be down on belted cases?
Note: To my mind belts are meaningless after the first firing.

 

[Curly]

I wonder the same things. I reload for my .300Win mag and the belt is a non-issue IMO.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

Yep, barely touching a fired, belted case's shoulder with the resizing die insures that the reloaded cartridge will NOW be headspaced by the shoulder and base... just like any unbelted round like the .30-06.
If I read my cartridge books correctly, a few other companies fooled around with the belted case design before H&H in England made it popular in their double safari rifle calibers. It was a simpler, easy to check way of maintaining and assuring headspace.
There is a school of thought that says the most accurate way of headspacing (fitting) a cartridge in a chamber is to headspace it between the bolt face and that portion of the chamber where it is cloest to the cartridge's shoulder. Since the belt on a belted round accomplishes the same thing, what's the big deal? A .375 H&H capable of 1/2 MOA accuracy doesn't suddenly become less accurate simply because its cartridge was designed with a belt. Lotta sales hype being tossed around lately. Still, I've been told that the WSM stuff is pretty decent- as least as good as the old belted stuff.

 

[snake river rufus]

It is also a simple way to make a cartridge usable in double guns as well as magazine rifles.
I'm still waiting for some of the common responses

 

[carbonarcher]

Nothing I've ever been able to find wrong with the belted cases. I believe most of what has been said and written badmouthing belted cases was mostly hype to promote the sale of the "new" unbelted magnums!

 

[snake river rufus]

Perhaps what has been written lately. But ever since the early days there is one special type of person who has something bad to say about belted cases. I'm just wondering if anybody has heard one that makes any sense.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Nope - I just neck size them after firing and they work just fine.

 

[varmintcaller]

I have Three belted magnums, never had a problem reloading any of them

 

[danr55]

Rufus, next thing you'll be asking is why the 30-06 is not a good caliber to hunt with.

The only down side to reloading belted cases is if you have two or more rifles in the same caliber. Then you have to either set the shoulder back far enough to head space on the belt or you have to keep the cases separated.

I read somewhere a long time ago that when they first started chambering for belted cases, some double guns had a problem with short chambers. Other than that, I've heard lots of comments, but nothing to substantiate any of it.

 

[noharleyyet]

Didn't the Rem ultra offerings tout the 'non-belted' aspect?

 

[JB]

SRR.....are you looking for the guy who says he has problems with belted cases feeding properly?....thats what i hear frequently.
whats your beef?



how bout the belted magnums with a freebore(wetterbee's)?????????now that stirs shit!

 

[snake river rufus]

Sorry that I've been away- medical leave.
The complaint that I was looking for was "the belt takes up too much room in the magazine"