Belted mag case life/how to reload properly

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Freyr_255

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So I'm new to the reloading scene and in the market for a larger magnum rifle(still up in the air but thinking 375H&H or maybe 458 lott if a Ruger no1 can be had in this country) and had a few reloading based questions(Since I like to research the crap out of something before I buy it.. :D).

It's going to be a hunting rifle so not looking for tips on accuracy at 500+ yards. I'm mostly looking at case life to be perfectly honest because I'm a cheap prick. :p

So questions as follows:

1) Still a little hazy on exactly what the short case life is attributed to in belted cartridges. Gathering this was just a problem when people were full length re-sizing and bumping the shoulder back to factory spacings. Insights?

2) Where are the problems with case bulge above the belt coming from? The best I could gather is this is from bumping the shoulder back and causing the case to stretch on every firing but I'm not 100% on this.

3) With just neck re-sizing when reloading is a collet sizing die useful in prolonging case life? Or is this mostly for if you are doing a full length re-sizing every time?

4) Any issues with just neck sizing in a belted round? I've read some accounts of bulge above the belt still occurring.

5) Any special steps to take when reloading these vs. 'normal' cases? I've read of people getting exceptional(20+) firings out of these.
 
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I neck size only for my 300 win and haven't had any problems! Just one answer to the many questions of yours? Sorry that's all I got!
 
Can't tell you anything about "belt bulge", but I had some early experience with stretching and case head separation when reloading for a 77 mm Rem mag. It resulted from exactly the process you describe. I full length resized the brass, following the directions provided by the die manufacturer. "Bumping" back the shoulder resulted in visible stretching, and even a few full case head separations after no more than 2 or 3 reloadings. Since resetting the die so that it does not hit the shoulder, I have not had any further trouble. I have become a bit paranoid about inspecting my brass though, and toss anything that shows any signs of what may be stretching just above the case head.
 
So based on the current replies the bulge above the belt I seem to read about a lot when searching reloading belted rounds is a rather minimal concern?
 
The only bulge above the belt i have a problem with is on me. :redface: Sorry couldn`t resist, as for your reloading question all i can say is i was taught many years ago to not size to the belt. The belt on a case is mostly cosmetic, dosen`t do a damn thing if you size to the shoulder.
 
Well I think based on the fact no one here has seen the problem that I'm referring to really then I guess it's just a lot of internet moaning about a rare problem. Gotta love the internet for accurate, well proportioned information about 'common' problems that 'everyone' experiences.

Thanks guys!

:cheers:
 
Freyr_255 said:
Well I think based on the fact no one here has seen the problem that I'm referring to really then I guess it's just a lot of internet moaning about a rare problem. Gotta love the internet for accurate, well proportioned information about 'common' problems that 'everyone' experiences.

Thanks guys!

:cheers:
Click to expand...

Thats about it Freyr :agree:.

I ran a thread some time ago about 300 WM, and got a lot of good responses. Once you fire new belted brass it will thereafter head space on the shoulder as long as you don't keep FL sizing it. I got a neck sizing die with my Redding set so just do a partial neck size. My 1 F brass is about 12 thou longer to the shoulder than new brass. I checked my 1F brass with my RCBS case gage and there is no measurable thinning ahead of the belt. I can't comment on longevity because I'm new to belted mags too but thus far things are pretty much in line with most of the advice I got.

Its no biggie, just don't keep FL sizing the brass. Either use a neck sizing die or else set your FL die to bump the shoulder a couple of thou.

Do a search under posts by HKMark23 and you should find my thread about the 300 WM easily, good detailed advice there.
 
For maximum case life the belted magnums can be resized to headspace on the shoulder rather than the belt, the .458 Winchester/Lott would be the exception of course. By contrast, I load my hunting ammo for reliable feeding which trumps extreme accuracy or case life. My ammo has to feed without any hiccups 100% of the time, sometimes in more than one rifle, so I size it to minimum dimensions every time I load it. This doesn't have the adverse effect on case life as one might think, as primer pockets tend to open up before there is any sign of incipient case head failure.
 
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