[murph]

I've got a question for you experts out there.

Naturally since my dad has the attitude that "his guns are my guns" (I'm an only son) I was digging in his gun closet the other day and made an interesting discovery. I found his old hunting rifle he used as a teenager. I didn't notice the make on it but when I asked my dad about it he said that it was a .308 Norma Magnum (I guess this is different than the normal .308's) does anyone know anything in particular about this type of cartridge? I'm curious how it holds up against other calibers and what kind of punch it has.

I guess it kicks pretty hard because when I said that I was going to get some rounds to try it out in a couple of days he said that he had about 20 down in the basement, when I asked if that would be enough he just smiled and said, "you won't want to shoot more than 20." He really didn't give me any more information than that.

Let me know if any of you have had expierience with this type of round. Thanks in advance.

 

[GeneticsDave]

See .308 Norma Magnum

The .308 Norma Magnum cartridge was created by Norma of Sweden. It is a .338 Winchester Magnum case necked down to .308. While it appeared to have a bright future initially, it was soon superseded in popularity by the .300 Winchester Magnum.

Cases for the cartridge can be purchased from Norma or made in three ways: Necking up a 7 mm Remington Magnum case, necking down a .338 Winchester Magnum case, or running .300 Winchester Magnum cases through a full-length sizing die. Since the first two options leave the brass a bit short, the third is generally considered to be the best option. Ammunition for this caliber is not cheap (typically US$50â€"60 for 20 cartridges) and as such it is mainly of interest only to handloaders who own a rifle chambered in this caliber. The cartridge makes use of a belted case for strength.

 

[apollosmith]

An interesting read. I'd never heard of this cartridge before. Before you go shooting, I'd probably get an appraisal on the rifle - especially if it's in good shape. Who is the manufacturer? While that sounds like a very hot and capable load, at $2.50 each, I probably wouldn't be shooting it a lot.

 

[rdoggsilva]

My uncle had one and I got to fire off several rounds, yes it kicks like a mule. The rounds are hard to find and you may have to order them. If you reload save the spent casings as new ones from Norma are $73 for 50. Most reloading manuals should have data on them, the Speer reloading manual #14 does. It is a fine round and quit accurate.

 

[Zippx_Don]

It is as said above, A kicker! I shot one around 15 years ago, and remember it being a bit shorter than a .300 Win Mag. I think it is a necked down .338 Mag case. ? Correct me on this if not right... It's not as hard a recoil as my .338 but it is in that thumper range for sure. It is on par with the .300 Win Mag. in power and recoil. (Both .308 Cal.) and both use most of the same weight bullets if reloading. Just a little info on recoil... A common rifle caliber such as the 30.06 has a felt recoil of around 16 to 18 Foot pounds with a 180 grain bullet, A .338 Win Mag has around 36 foot pounds of FELT recoil with a 250 grain bullet. :fudd: I'd guess the .308 Norma Mag is in the 30 foot pound range or close to it. So shooting a more than a box or so would be cause for a nice purple sholder the next day! :lol:

Don