[hiredhand]

As I recall, belted magnums headspace on the belt.

I DO believe you're correct! ...which always made me wonder about pushing the shoulder back too far with an incorrectly set die... How does one gage a belted magnum? The distance from the front of the belt to the case head isn't likely to change. But the distance between the case head and the shoulder could change through stretching, or pushing back via sizing....hmmmm... I wonder! Maybe somebody here who loads for belted magnums can say! I've got a manual here next to me and I'll take a look!:-)

Do you know if the sizing die for the .300 Winmag has a recess for the belt? I'm going to go look. I "think" I've got a set of dies for the beast.

[DuncanWaring]

Don’t know. I don’t reload any belted-magnum cartridges.

[hiredhand]

Ah...nevermind. :-) I do have a die set for the .300 Winmag which I just looked at and there IS a recess in the bottom of the sizing die for the belt. So, it would be impossible to ever push the shoulder back too far...unless of course you were to push the belt back as well!...and if you're putting that much force on the press, the cartridge case is going to FUBARd afterwards anyway. :-)

I miss my .300 Winmag...a Sendero....sold long ago now :-) Maybe if I tell my wife that since I already have the dies, that I need to buy another rifle! :-)

[DuncanWaring]

I think if you push the shoulder back too far due to an incorrectly-set die, you’ll just shorten the case life.