Author Topic: Belted Magnums.... (Read 1941 times)

Lawdog · « **on:** November 09, 2004, 09:42:18 AM »

I would like to hear from everyone that has seen or experienced personally feeding problems with a Belted Magnum cartages caused by the belt. Remember only your OWN experiences count, not stories you have heard or been told by someone. Lawdog

Sask_Hunter · « **Reply #1 on:** November 09, 2004, 10:50:38 AM »

when i first got my tikka i was at the range shooting and feeling out the new rifle. i loaded the clip and i cycled one it, but it didn't feel like i chambered a round. it was so smooth that i had to look. never had a problem with any of the 3 belted mags that i have.

P.S. i like the thing about belted being not as accurate as non-belted mags. they have worked since the early 1900's.

Judson · « **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2004, 12:47:20 PM »

Since I make my living building rifles I will put in my two cents worth for what it is worth with inflation and all that stuff. Building a rifle to feed belted magnums is no problem at all if you go slow and know what you are doing!!!! Most of the troubles I have seen are when some one gets carried away with the Dremel or the files. Belted magnums are no problems and work great and with total reliability when done right.

kutenay · « **Reply #3 on:** November 15, 2004, 05:36:41 AM »

I bought my first belted mag, a Mod. 70 "Alaskan" in .338Win. in Jan. 1968, I have owned 26 all told and currently own 7 with 2 more to be built. I have used these rifles in the most extreme conditions of Western Canada, in every month of the year. Although I have come to prefer crf rifles, I have never had a problem with any of my belted mag rifles. This whole issue is just gun writer b.s. and is a total crock of s___t!

My choice of rifles and cartridges for solo use in Grizzly country are P-64 Mod. 70s in .375H&H, one to be built in .416Rem. and the Browning 1886 SRC repro in .45-70; this is after 40+ yrs. of experience and 125 guns.

7mm MAGNUM · « **Reply #4 on:** November 15, 2004, 07:08:50 AM »

Ditto for me as well,... never had ANY problems or issues with the belted ammo feeding in my 7mm Mag

tbmaker · « **Reply #5 on:** November 17, 2004, 06:15:47 PM »

No problems with my Ruger 338 or my Savage 7 STW but it is a pain in the butt to load the clip.

VFR · « **Reply #6 on:** November 18, 2004, 04:36:27 AM »

No problem. 300 H&H, 416 Rem, .458 Win and .460WM. I must say that the 300 is the slickest feeding of the lot.

unspellable · « **Reply #7 on:** December 20, 2004, 11:46:46 AM »

Two 375 H&H's and a 458 Winchester. Never had any feeding problems.

A friend has a 375 H&H, never heard him mention any feeding problems.

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #8 on:** December 20, 2004, 01:38:29 PM »

Lawdog
I load and shoot the 7mm mag and the 338 mag, which are belted mags. Never had a problem with either, and I am trying out a lot of bullet powder combos. Looking for the magic pill? Since you posted this query is neck sizing an option ? The shell head spaces off??
Jim

longwinters · « **Reply #9 on:** December 20, 2004, 02:59:41 PM »

Question . . . doesnt the 7mm actually ride on the shoulder and not the belt? I thought I heard this at some time but not sure.

Long

Dand · « **Reply #10 on:** December 20, 2004, 11:32:07 PM »

I have a 300 win mag and have 3 friends with the same. Also shot and used 3 or 4 .338 winchesters, a .458, and 2 .375s. Have hunted with a friend who carries a 7mm mag Rem 700. Don't ever recall a feeding problem at all let alone related to the belt. I've short stroked my 300 a couple times but that's operator error. Never have known of a problem among the guys at the range either - and here in AK there are a LOT of rifles in the 7mm to .338 mags as well as quite a number of .375 to 460 mags.

I think the "problems" may mostly be manufactured at a writer's desk or some early (50's-60's) poor conversions of '06 rifles. The guns mentioned above are mostly factory, several Winchesters pre 64 to mid 80's, 70's and 80's Rem 700's, 1 70's and 1 80's Sakos, one FN Mauser (60's??), and a Browning A bolt early version, 1 80s ? Colt Sauer.

I think all belted handloads are better off if they headspace on the shoulder.

aulrich · « **Reply #11 on:** December 21, 2004, 04:30:57 AM »

Lawdog
What do you mean by feeding problems. I have a Ruger 77mkII in 338 I have had some feeding problems. But to me the seem to be related to how I stuffed the mag and then usually only on the first round.

7mm MAGNUM · « **Reply #12 on:** December 21, 2004, 07:50:17 AM »

Quote from: longwinters

Question . . . doesnt the 7mm actually ride on the shoulder and not the belt? I thought I heard this at some time but not sure.

Long

Yes,.. I beleive that you are correct about it not actually riding on the belt. I have heard the same thing regarding the 7mm Magnum round.

Lawdog · « **Reply #13 on:** December 21, 2004, 12:48:56 PM »

aulrich,

I too have never had a feeding problem in the over 40 years I have owned and shot belted magnums. But back when I posted this thread I had just gotten thru discussing, with a couple of shooters after they had made the statement, that belted magnums hung up on the belt every time you tried to chamber another round, this very question. I just wanted shooters to relate their experiences when they had it happened to them.

As for the 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge resting on the shoulder the answer is not always. I implore and old benchrest shooters trick. I do this on all belted cartridges. I set the sizing die so it sizes on the belt and shoulder at the same time. Now the cartridge fits the chamber perfectly by also resting on the shoulder. This will help with downrange accuracy. Lawdog

anthony passero · « **Reply #14 on:** December 24, 2004, 08:39:07 AM »

I never recall a feeding problem related to the belt on any of mine,my friends or clients belted calibers . The cartridge companies have to sell the new non belted wonders they came out with somehow. Anthony

SoDakhntr · « **Reply #15 on:** December 26, 2004, 11:04:33 AM »

Lawdog,

How do you size for both shoulder and belt?

magnum308 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 26, 2005, 12:12:31 PM »

Lawdog,

I have owned two belted magnums and my brother has had a couple too. Mine are a classic custom FN M98 .308 Norma Mag and a semi-custom Ruger M77 .375 Chatfield-Taylor (.375/338WM). My brother has had in the past a 7MM Rem Mag and a semi-custom .458 Win Mag both on Rufer M77.

All of these have fed flawlessly from the magazine on all occasions.

Magnum308

targshooter · « **Reply #17 on:** January 27, 2005, 12:29:36 PM »

I have never had a factory production bolt rifle chambered for a belted magnum fail to feed from the magazine properly. I did help a friend determine that his "gunsmith" altered Model 98 consistently popped its second round when more than two cartridges were loaded because the feed lips were opened just a little too much.

Buffalogun · « **Reply #18 on:** February 01, 2005, 02:27:39 PM »

Lawdog,

I have a M70 Classic Stainless, which as you know, is the "controlled round feed" action. It will not feed nickel-plated brass properly! Whether this is due to the belt or a combination of the belt and nickel plating, I don't know.

It does feed standard brass cases reliably, however!

Buffalogun

Lawdog · « **Reply #19 on:** February 02, 2005, 01:14:38 PM »

Quote from: Buffalogun

Lawdog,

I have a M70 Classic Stainless, which as you know, is the "controlled round feed" action. It will not feed nickel-plated brass properly! Whether this is due to the belt or a combination of the belt and nickel plating, I don't know.

It does feed standard brass cases reliably, however!

Buffalogun

I don't believe that is a belted problem. My brother in-law's M70(not stainless) has a thing about nickel plated brass too. Question if you will. Are there any markings left of the nickel brass when you have this problem? There are on his. Lawdog

Buffalogun · « **Reply #20 on:** February 02, 2005, 02:04:47 PM »

Lawdog,

No marks left on the nickel brass!

Problem is that upon extraction of the chambered empty, the cartridge below comes loose as the empty is drawn backward over it. The following cartridge
pops up into the receiver and you can wind up with one round chambered(slides into the chamber on it's own) while the bolt is still rearward and another cartridge that is ready to be chambered.

However, this doesn't happen with standard brass cases. It shucks the standard brass just fine!

I'm inclined to think it is a nickel problem, too!

MY

JBS · « **Reply #21 on:** February 13, 2005, 03:53:53 AM »

I have 2 model 70 classics that are belted magnums,one is a factory chambered .300w and the other is a custom .257 weatherby,never had a problem with either but must say that the custom was originally a 300w

buffalobob · « **Reply #22 on:** February 18, 2005, 02:10:47 PM »

Two Wby Mk Vs in 270 Wby and 7mm Wby, one Styr in 257 wby, on FN custom in 240 wby with no feeding problem. With the Ruger #1 in 7mm wby sometimes I drop the round when I take it out of my pocket.