Talk:.55 Boys

History -- Belted Case

Since steel is stronger than brass, it seems unlikely that the weapon system overall could be strengthened by cutting away a ring of steel in the chamber and replacing it with a ring of brass on the cartridge case. The abandonment of belted cases in modern magnum sporting cartridges -- despite ever increasing pressure levels -- indicates that belts do not help to contain high pressures. Possibly the belt was added to ensure positive headspacing (positioning in the chamber) for the slope-shouldered cartridge case? Or, the fact that the .55 caliber cartridge cannot fully chamber in a .50 BMG weapon (such as the common M2 machine gun) does not mean it would not jam in the chamber and take the weapon out of action at a critical moment in combat. So perhaps the belt is intended to provide positive visual recognition. Or perhaps it is designed to stop the round in the M2's belt feed mechanism, before it ever reaches the chamber. These are just guesses, but so is the current information in the article. It may be best to remain silent about things we do not know for sure. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:B930:7B90:7C78:2E26:A515:7051 (talk) 14:49, 10 March 2019 (UTC)