Resently purchased some browning headstamped 30-06 brass, it came primed, and it looks like the necks have been annealed. The seller advertized them as Norma brass with browning headstamp. Anyone seen or used these before? $18 per 50.

Just wondering whether to deprime them or use them as is, and what brand of primers they are.

I don't know much about your brass but any time I've recieved brass that was primed I use it for target shooting/practice or plinking then I reload it with my own primers and loads for hunting.
I would never trust unknown goods in my hunting loads

wwjmbd Picked up some Norma made Browning headstamp brass from Ammomart years ago. It was factory primed. It was great brass. I had some Norma headstamped brass as well in 30-06 and found the Browning brass to be the same. Wished I'd bought a lot more of it.

All of the Browning centerfire rifle ammunition I've seen through the years was made under contract by Winchester. However, there certainly could have been other contractors. What evidence, other than the seller's word, do you have that the brass is Norma?

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
All of the Browning centerfire rifle ammunition I've seen through the years was made under contract by Winchester. However, there certainly could have been other contractors. What evidence, other than the seller's word, do you have that the brass is Norma?

I dont have any evidence other than the advertisment, I bought it from Higginson powders in canada. They seem to be good to deal with and have a good reputation among other handloaders that I know.

I copied and pasted this from their website.

*NEW* - Swedish Brass Unprimed - Reduce load 5% /50 222 Remington 11.00
264 Winchester Magnum 16.50
7x57 16.50
300 Savage 16.50
308 Winchester 16.50
303 Br. (Herters) 16.50
270 Winchester 18.00
30/06 18.00

*NEW* - NORMA BRASS BROWNING HEADSTAMP /50
30/06 18.00
300 Winchester Magnum 24.00

They also have wc-735 which I am not familiar with and dont have any data for, the price point seems to be great for Canada, same as the browning brass, I just havent bought any because I cant find any load data for it.

SURPLUS POWDERS STARTING AT $17.00/LB.
WC-735 Spherical – 5% faster than H-335.
7lb. $119.00
4lb. $70.00
1lb. $20.00

It is certainly possible that some Browning brass was made by Norma as there is nothing to say they had to stick with only one contractor.

Lots of Herter's brass was represented to be Swedish, thus you would assume Norma. Of course, George Leonard Herter would print anything on a box if he thought it would help it sell, so who knows where it might have come from. Regardless, I've used a considerable amount of Herter's brass and it was as good as any, if not better.

Smaller calibers (.222 head size) of Herter's brass was labeled "Made in Finland". If true, then it would almost certainly have had to come from either Sako or Lapua. I've just run the first hundred or so cases from some original Herter's .222 ammunition through the case prep process (FL size, trim, chamfer, and polish). Haven't reloaded it yet, but no problems were found with a single case in the entire lot. Not bad for ammunition which is now 40-ish years old.