Originally Posted by Tejano
Dirtfarmer: Very nice setup I could be very pleased with that if the bolt weren't on the wrong side. I don't think it is much of a handicap to have the 1-10 twist as most of the good hunting bullets are in the 85 to 100 grain range. The main diet of most of my 243s and 6mms is the 95 grain Nosler both Partition and Ballistic tips.

I believe that Roy Weatherny at least initially lathe turned the belts for the prototypes of both the 240 and 378 (from 30-06 and 416 Rigby respectively). One story has it that he took the prototype 378 to Africa with something like only 6-8 cases due to how tedious it was to turn them. Supposedly he shot an elephant with the 378 that dropped at the shot, which was a good thing as the next case jammed. I think I would have done a little more testing before trying that.

Re-sizing would be much less of an effort if the belt was mostly formed on the lathe with the reduction of the thicker part of the webb as well. This die looks interesting sort of a reverse Lee Collet die but it is only made in the H&H size. http://www.larrywillis.com/ A good machinist could make one for the 240 but could be costly.

Larry's die is good for belted magnum cases. I have one that I use when it gets hard to close the bolt. That doesn't seem to be a problem with all belted mag cases, just some.

IMO, that type die isn't strong enough to do the case sizing the CH4D set up does. That process takes a LOT of elbow grease and actually leaves a brass ring when excess brass is extruded in the process. I pull that ring off the case. A FL .240 die won't do that, either. I tried it.

So, when I used the CH4D sizer, the punch they supplied to drive the case out of the die wouldn't fit. I had to use a large nail. Their punch was made to enter a 25-06 neck, not one already sized to .240... And, I had already unsuccessfully tried to form the 25-06 case in the .240 FL die.

It was a learning curve.

DF