The Facts
The belted case was a British idea that originated with the .400/375 Belted Nitro Express in 1905, and it was later used in the development of the .375 H&H and .300 H&H Magnums. Since the .400/375 and .375 H&H cases have virtually no shoulder and the shoulder of the .300 H&H is long and mildly tapered, the British figured all needed a belt for positive headspacing, and they were right. Magnum-size cartridges, such as those developed during the early part of the 20th century by Charles Newton, were exceptions, but other magnums that came along after the 1920s had belts on their cases. While the belt was unnecessary on most of those cartridges, it spelled high performance to many hunters, and for that reason it sold lots of rifles and ammunition through the years. Then came a new breed of magnum cartridges without a belt, and suddenly that little band of brass just forward of the extraction groove of a case had more critics than Michael Moore at a soap-makers convention.
While I agree that the belted case outlived its useful life almost a century ago, I am just as quick to add that I have absolutely no objection to a cartridge having one. I have been using rifles chambered for belted cartridges since the 1960s, and not once have I discovered anything to complain about. I am not alone with this opinion. Just ask a few brown bear guides in Alaska what they think of the .338 Winchester Magnum and the .375 H&H Magnum, and their answers will likely be quite positive. You will also get the same response from professional hunters in Africa who have long been, and probably always will be, extremely fond of the .375 H&H Magnum as well as another belted number called the .458 Winchester Magnum. I am saying all this to say that whether or not a cartridge has a belt on its case is of no importance. Like a faithful old hunting dog that has become too old for the chase, it is not actually needed anymore, but keeping it around doesn’t hurt anything either.
Bart Bobbit aka Bart B. said:In 1935, Ben Comfort won the prestigious Wimbledon Cup Match (1000 yards
and scope sights) at the USA National Championships using a custom-built
Super 30 and a Litchert target scope and set a record. That single event
caused most shooters to then consider the .300 H & H Magnum `the' long-range
hunting cartridge and nothing else was considered.
jmr40 said:The fact that the best big bore dangerous game rounds have belts is simply because they were developed at a time when belts were in vogue, they would be every bit as effective in modern rifles if they had been designed without the belt.......The exception is the 375 Ruger. It actually surpasses 375 H&H performance, has no belt, and is designed to work in standard length actions without having to modify them.
jmr40 said:While a belted 300 H&H may have have set the standard in 1935, a belt less 300 WSM holds the current 1000 yard record. Or at least it did last time I looked, Google isn't currently working for me so I can't confirm. IIRC 10 shots into just over 3" at 1000 yards.
In the near future, we will be using one of these three cartridges in our primary sniper rifle, which will also be new:
300 Norma
338 Norma
338 Lapua
Two things -
1. I said the 308, as in the cartridge, not the caliber, would become a thing of the past.. in SOCOM.
2. I don’t think people like headspacing off the belt, or the unconventional shoulder on the Wby. People who know about what makes one cartridge more accurate than another make those points...
People rave about the 300 Norma, and the 338 version for that matter. Folks who get into this Precision rifle game, across the whole spectrum of disciplines, are aware of the Wby stuff. No one uses them for that.. they have their reasons; case design is what it’s all about.
Probably not a great idea. The USMC and AMU did a lot of testing back in the late 1970s-early 1980s (the last time they considered going to the 300 Win Mag as a sniper round) and decided it takes a lot more to teach a shooter to tolerate the 300 Win Mag over the 7.62X51, and shooter accuracy breaks down much quicker in sustained shooting. The 30-378 holds 50% more powder than the 300 Win Mag, and kicks harder commensurate to the extra powder weight.Just been debating whether the .30-378 Wby Mag would make an excellent choice for Marine snipers.
Pretty much anyone who shoots a belted magnum for accuracy work headspaces off the shoulder. It increases accuracy, and the cases don't separate at the belt after just a few loadings.And then there are those who head space those same belted cartridges off the shoulder.
The 'belt' has nothing to do with accuracy.