newbe here: 308 Norma Mag

[eaglesnester]

New member here, and a new hunter, thought I would jump in and get my feet wet so to speak. I am currently shooting a 308 Norma Mag on an En field P-17 platform. I would like to get into reloading and from looking at all the info on the subject it would seem that learning all the stuff you need to know to be a safe re-loader is a daunting task. There also seems to be a lack of info on the 308 Norma. Would like to hear from all the folks out there that shoot the Norma. My hunting buddy says that the 308 Nor is a very good rifle and is somewhat of a sleeper.
Was out bear hunting last week and I missed the bear of a lifetime, a solid 9 footer at 250 meters. I had cheap Weaver rings and bases on my Bushnell 3x10-40mm scope that had moved from just jarring the weapon while carrying it. Needless to say I took the rifle in and had good Leopold rings and bases installed the next day and then it was back to the range after the bore siting to dope it in. The gun is now shooting 3 inch groups at 100 meters from a hot barrel. Will go back to the range and do some further finer adjustments today then its time to go out after that monster blackie.

Cheersand happy hunting: Eaglesnester

 

[aixenmemphis]

The 308 Norma mag is a straight neck down of the 338 Win mag or a straight neck up of the 264 win mag. Shortly after Winchester came out with their first mags, 338 and 264, Norma jumped in and necked the 338 to 308 and there you have it. This is the reason that the 300 Win Mag case is just slightly longer than the other two.

 

[Cheechako]

Actually, I think the 308 Norma Mag is a necked down 358 Norma Mag,with a longer neck) but that is nit-picking because all of the 2.5" belted 30 caliber magnums,factory & wildcat)are ballistically the same. Loading data for one should be interchangeable with the others as long as case capacity is the same, or close. Most good loading manuals will have data for at least one of the cartridges and I believe that the Hornady and Nosler manuals have loads for the 308 Norma Magnum.

Ray

 

[aixenmemphis]

This might help a bit. http://www.chuckhawks.com/308Norma.htm

 

[MOO1072]

I've done a bit of research on the .308 Norma and I am considering building a rifle around this cartridge.
The speer reloading manual #13 lists loads for the .308 Norma. Brass is available from Norma or easily made by necking up or down .338Win or 7mm Rem Mag Brass. Redding makes 2 and 3 die sets. The .308 Norma is only slightly shorter in the body than .300 Win Mag but has a correspondingly longer neck.,Sometimes less is more) I concur with a previous reply that it is a sleeper. I favour the .308 Norma over the .300 Win Mag.

 

[tuck2]

Back during the mid 60s I got a Parker Hale 308 Norma Mag rifle. There were no Norma cases available in the area I lived so I ran some 300 H&H cases into a RC BS 308 Norma trim die and cut the part off above the die. I then put a primer into the case, put in 3 or 4 Gr Bulls Eye powder and topped it off with corn meal and fire formed the cases. I then prepared the cases like any new case. I called Hornady for reloading data. I loaded the Hornady 165 GR SP bullet with H 4831powder. I shot prong horn, mule deer,elk and a few varmints with that load. After getting a Weatherby 340 Mag I took the Norma Mag along as a backup rifle but any thing I have shot with the Weatherby could have ben shot with the Norma rifle.

 

[24kshooter]

Nice cartridge - as mentioned it is in the WIN MAG family of 264, 338,and 458. It was the cartridge Winchester should have used instead of the 300 WIN MAG with the short neck. Oh well - Norma is the maker of brass for reloading. There are loads included in most of the manuals or on line. Basically you have a 300 WIN mag so loads are similar. You have a modified action of unknown orgin so I would stay well in the lower range of loads which will give you at least 2700 fps with a 180 gr. bullet.

 

[tuck2]

Per the Hornady reloading book the 308 Norma case is 2.559 inches long while the 300 Winchester Mag case is 2.620 inches long.If I neded 308 Norma cases now I would run the 300 Win cases into a 308 Norma RCBS trim die,prep the cases then fire form the cases with a mild load of IMR 4831 with some old 165 gr bullets.