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Norma

Norma powders are made by Eurenco Bofors in Sweden which also manufactures most Alliant 'Reloder' rifle powder grades. All of its products are double-based, although most are relatively mildly so with several at nominally 4.5% nitro-glycerine according to Norma Precision. The brass, bullets and ammunition bits of Norma are part of the Swiss based European ammunition combine RUAG Ammotec which the press release refers to. AFAIK, RUAG doesn't make any powders, but has close ties to both Eurenco Bofors in Sweden and Swiss Nitrochemie Wimmins A.G. (which makes 'Reload Swiss' handloaders powders for Europe and three or four Alliant Re grades, notably Re17.)

Norma 203-B is Alliant Re15 under another name. Norma MRP and Alliant Re17 have such close loads and performance that you'd struggle to slip an old-fashioned razor blade between them, but MRP-lovers swear they're not the same and that MRP is 'superior'. AFAIK, there are no such crossovers between any other Norma or Alliant Re grades, and the Norma range so far lacks any equivalents to Alliant's new-generation super-temperature stable 'TZ-technology' propellants that the Bofors factory is making for it (Alliant AR-Comp, Re TS 15.5, Re16, Re23).

Sweden is increasing its defence readiness in response to the invasion of Ukraine in common with nearly all Scandinavian countries which are particularly and directly threatened by an expansionist Russia. Whether that will impact on locally made Norma / Bofors products .......... ?? (The rival Scandi combine Nammo, ie Lapua and Vihtavuori, has already said that it is prioritising military orders from the Finnish and Swedish governments and that this will impact on its ability to supply the civilian shooting market, so it looks like Viht powders are being chosen here.)
 
RUAG Ammotech has been operating in the US since 2009-ish.
They bought out the building and operation/ownership of Precision Ammunition LLC, Tampa, FL.

If you read the article carefully, you'll see that they are "MOVING" operations to GA, they just didn't specify where they were moving from.
 
RUAG Ammotech has been operating in the US since 2009-ish.

That has been RUAG corporate policy since it bought the non-powder bits of Norma. Every major western market has a RUAG Ammotec [insert country] Inc / Ltd / GmbH or whatever, and covers much more than Norma as they include RWS, Geco and other product ranges. As far as I can see, these subsidiaries also continue to be the powder importer / distributor too (should they desire which isn't guaranteed), presumably under a commercial agreement with Eurenco. This structure facilitates common PR, marketing and advertising strategies for core products which RUAG presumably sees as superior to the heterogeneous standalone franchised distributor operations that most powder / bullet / ammunition manufacturers use.
 
@Laurie
On the subject of MRP, I had read often that Norma MRP and Alliant RL-22 were the same powder just packaged in different containers although I have use a fair amount of both MRP and RL-22 I have always found that MRP was a couple grains slower than RL-22. Close but not the same. Never tried RL-17, but will try now that you mention it being so close. ( If I can find some)
 
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@Laurie
On the subject of MRP, I had read often that Norma MRP and Alliant RL-22 were the same powder just packaged in different containers although I have use a fair amount of both MRP and RL-22 I have always found that MRP was a couple grains slower than RL-22. Close but not the same. Never tried RL-17, but will try now that you mention it being so close. ( If I can find some)

Not Re17 (that's Swiss manufactured Nitrochemie EI-145 sold as Reload Swiss RS60 in Europe but only available as an Alliant powder in North America AFAIK.)

It's Re15 and 203-B that are apparently the same Bofors made product from Sweden, likewise Re22 / MRP that are close, but maybe not the same thing as you say.
 
I see above that Norma Precision is moving to GA,
From reading the article, I assume this only an ammunition MFG plant?
Will Norma powders be imported for retail sales anytime soon?

CW
 

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