MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Agreed. I'd love to see some Lapua 7RM and STW brass.Biggest downside to belted magnum cases that I see, are that Lapua doesn't make them and availability from other makers can be spotty at times.
Agreed. I'd love to see some Lapua 7RM and STW brass.Biggest downside to belted magnum cases that I see, are that Lapua doesn't make them and availability from other makers can be spotty at times.
Biggest downside to belted magnum cases that I see, are that Lapua doesn't make them and availability from other makers can be spotty at times.
Yep I originally wrote NEW BELTED magnums however meant BELTLESS mags and yes I get it that belted mag cases have been around that long.I have always full length sized my 300wm and there isn't an issue. If I remember right, this was spewed onto the internet as marketing hype for the then NEW belted magnums.
Like people are saying, get the tools to measure the shoulder bump distance and stay around .001-.002. You'll have to do a basic die setup, build some rounds and fire them so you can check a fired round, if you cannot get any factory stuff. Sometimes brass will not stretch all the way and take a couple of firings, but I've never personally run into it. Also, Redding has a nice shell holder kit, https://www.redding-reloading.com/online-catalog/35-competition-shellholder-sets, that allows you to set you sizing die up once then change out the shell holders to get the right shoulder bump, .002 at a time. Sometimes those belted cases will not resize completely just above the belt and you need a body sizer. These folks have a nice one, http://larrywillis.com/, I think there are others. The other thing to not forget is make sure your gunsmith chambers the barrel such that it headspaces off the shoulder not the belt. I think this has become the rule-of-thumb, but it doesn't hurt to mention it. Years ago, the 90s, haha, I did occasionally have separations in cases just above the belt in my 7mm STW. I think I might have been working the brass too much, but it would usually take a number of firings and you can see it form pretty clearly. Good luck with that new burner.Please explain to me what people are talking about when they talk about potential problems with belted cartridges.
I have 7RM and have a 6.5 RM that's shot out....I'd like to be better informed before I build another 6.5 RM,
Yes 6.5 Rem Mag. The barrel is shot.....deep excessive fire cracking in the throat and a deep wide parallel crack in the riffling at the muzzle.
I bought the rifle used and believe the previous owner got it HOT. The rifle was also dropped muzzle down onto something hard. There is a dent in the barrel at the muzzle. The rifling with the crack in it runs right up the the dent.
Pics attached....not the best resolution....but kind of tells the story