Hello guys wondering your thoughts i'm thinking of building a rifle in 308 norma mag but it seems that the ammo is hard to find i got plenty of other rifles so this ain't an all purpose gun just my first custom rifle.I like to go with a little different caliber then everybody else. appreciate any thoughts thnx Tbear

The .308 Norma is so close to the wildcat .30-.338 as to be virtually identical. Norma lists a shoulder angle of 25.5 degrees, compared to the .30-338 at 25 degrees even. The Norma's maximum case length is also listed as a few 1000ths longer, but is still basically the same case.

It's a well-balanced .30 caliber magnum and is what everyone thought, back in 1963, that Winchester would bring out as a proprietary cartridge when they pulled a switcheroo and introduced the .300 Winchester Magnum.

You'll likely find that it is hard to tell the difference in its performance vs. any of the other "standard length" .30 caliber magnums, but for an '06 length action, it's definately one of the best available.

Good luck!

Norma's started pushing their ammo a little more on this side of the pond lately, so the 308 NM is getting a little easier to find. Brass is available from a couple of sources (Midway, etc). At one time there were a lot of long range target rifles built in this caliber. You can also make cases from necked down 338 Win Mag brass. It will be a little short, but not enough to make a differance. 3000-3100 fps with 180 gr bullets from a 24" barrel. It's quite a well balanced cartridge, really. FWIW - Dan

So do you guys think i should go ahead with the 308 norma or move on to something else i appreciate your responses i'm not even sure how long i should make the barrel any thoughts feel free to send them my way

I like the 308 Norma in fact the first Whitetail I ever shot was with a custom Belg. Browning in 308 Norma mag. In fact I have been thinking of building one myself. Good Selection and Good Luck o your project.

I have a 308 NM that was left to me by my dad with only about 50 cases for it. It has been a wonderful shooter. As for the brass, I picked up some once fired 300 Win. Mag (Winchester stamped) and used the forming die that Redding offers to form the brass and than trimmed it to length. The brass has formed very well and has shot without any problems of any kind. Good luck with your project, I don't think that you will be disapointed in choosing the 308NM.

I just F/L resized 300WinMag and trimmed the .060 or so,I did dent 3 out of 50,gotta be more careful with Lee white lube.First firing should fix the small shoulder dents.I used a Lee challenger press,a heavier press would have been nice.I rechambered to 308 Norma instead of 300 WinMag because the 30.06 box on my P-17 sporter is short for the 1/8 " longer Win. In most modern rifles, they have lots of length for bullet seating .

Go for the 308 norma mag. and you whil love it, and never regret it !!

Had a .308 Norma on an M 1903 Springfield while living in Alaska. I shot a caribou with it, and several friends used it for bear hunting. It was an excellent shooter, and killed big bear very handily. I should have kept it!! It would produce an honest 3159 FPS with the 180 Nosler Partition, but I used mainly 200 grain bullets at a "mild" 2850 FPS.

The 30-338 is the balistic twin of the 308NM, and forming cases is simply a matter of running the 338 brass into the 30-338 die. I'd suggest that you can't go wrong. Will do everything the 300Win Mag will do only more efficiently. Ku-dude