Belted cartridge cases are nothing new and have existed since 1905. The first cartridge to use a belt in that year was the Holland & Holland .400/.375. This was followed by its better-known cousin, the great .375 H&H in 1912.
The reason for the belt’s existence initially was simply a matter of headspace. With long, sloping shoulders there was not enough area to headspace the cartridge on, so the belt was created, and the cartridge worked on that. In more modern days so-called magnum cartridges have retained the belt but it is seemingly more or less for looks only, as contemporary magnums have usually steeper shoulders and ample area to headspace on. With more current designs the belt can create a problem, which we will deal with later.
In the past, my association with belted cases was minimal, specifically initially only in relation to a .375 H&H cartridge. At one stage in my younger days there was a thought that somewhere in the future an African plains game hunt was a possibility. If
