Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

[coues7]

I've had my 300WM for some time and have always reloaded for it. My current load is a 190gr SMK over 72.5gr of RL22 using FGMM 215M primers. I'm on my 4 reload with this brass and have not as of yet annealed or seen any issues with chambering rounds. I bump the shoulders around 0.001-0.002" each reload. The last reload of 50 rounds I did the primer seated easier than I ever remember....don't know if this is what people call loose primer pockets. Also, I'm not truly sure what to look for with regards to case head separation near the belt. I recently read a thread on another forum about belted magnums and the associated issues and the thread gave me the desire to learn more about belted magnums.

I have one of the Larry Willis Collet Dies but have yet to use it yet. Maybe I'm doing things properly and I'm not stretching the case near the belt. A few contributors to the thread mentioned a need to fire form belted magnum brass using pistol powder and no bullets so that the cartridge should actually forms to the barrel/rifle chamber versus being held by the belt.....never heard of this before.

Discuss.....

 

[former naval person]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

Treat the belted cases as you would non belted cases and size and bump off the shoulder and not the belt and you will be okay. If you overload to expand the pockets, the belted cases will die just as the non-belted. For me...I loaded and shot them for many years without any of the purported problems. Try to get a quart out of a pint pot and use a loose chamber, and you'll probably experience difficulties. I did have some case separations until I learned (about 40 years ago) to fit the case to the rifle. Since the, nada.

 

[sawgunner2001]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: coues7</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The last reload of 50 rounds I did the primer seated easier than I ever remember....don't know if this is what people call loose primer pockets.</div></div>

Unfortunately, I can't help with your other question(s) regarding belted magnums, but when you referred to the primer's seating easier than you ever remember, yes, that is what people call loose primer pockets and is a sign of wear on the brass. Again, I'm not an expert with belted magnums and don't know if 4 reloads is around the maximum you'll get from a 300WM casing or not. Hopefully someone else can expand on these points.

 

[Bigwheels]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

I have been reloading belted magnums for years. I fire form with my normal load, & I do size to headspace off both the belt, & the shoulder. I have used the collet die after about the 3rd firing, but now I use a S-die which sizes the base just above the belt to the same size as the collet die does. As for loose primer pockets, I only toss the brass when the primer seats almost without any effort. As long as there is some resistance when seating the primer it will be fine. This is subjective but it will be obvious when they are too loose. I have some brass with 8 reloads on them, & I anneal after every other firing. Hope this helps.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Treat the belted cases as you would non belted cases and size and bump off the shoulder and not the belt and you will be okay. If you overload to expand the pockets, the belted cases will die just as the non-belted. For me...I loaded and shot them for many years without any of the purported problems. Try to get a quart out of a pint pot and use a loose chamber, and you'll probably experience difficulties. I did have some case separations until I learned (about 40 years ago) to fit the case to the rifle. Since the, nada. </div></div>


What he said.
The belt came into being as a way to headspace rimless cartridges in double rifles and stuck as a marketing gimmic. Just ignore it. With that being said if the brass lasts for enough reloadings the belt and the area just ahead of it can expand and cause extraction problems but most people never see that.

 

[TxShooter63]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

I have run many thousands of 300WM rounds. I typically get 4-5 loadings. The brass isn't expensive relative to what Lapua costs. Once the pockets get loose, chunk them and replace. I am able to get sub 1/4 minute groups out of both Rem and Win brass with proper prep. It never occurred to me to treat belted brass any different than anything else and I haven't seen it behave differently other than you don't get the loadings out of it you would a .308. I will tell you that at distance I have gotten much better performance from the 208 Amax with 93gr of H1000 than I did with the 190 smk's. Much more resistant to wind beyond 800.
I think we all have a tendency to make much of our shooting more complicated than it really is and the amount of dis-information on the internet doesn't help. Load, shoot, have fun!

 

[MtnCreek]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

TxShooter63,
Check your powder charge; I think that's a mis-print.

 

[JByrd]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

I know it is. But i agree 208's are money! Maby he was thinkin ultramag load?

 

[Bigwheels]

Re: Belted Magnums and the associated reloading issues

I run the 225hpbt now. .710bc, & only $30.00/100. That's the money!