308 norma magnum

10 December 2002, 09:38

TBEAR99

308 norma magnum

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

10 December 2002, 09:59

Stonecreek

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!

11 December 2002, 05:25

dan belisle

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

11 December 2002, 06:21

TBEAR99

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

11 December 2002, 06:31

Handloader

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.

11 December 2002, 10:38

Stonecreek

quote:
Originally posted by TBEAR99:
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

Well, it's your money and you know better than us what you want. I happen to have a .300 Winchester, but I would be just as happy if it were a .308 Norma.

You may have to hunt around a little or special order if you want factory loads, but as Dan points out, .308 Norma brass is easy to form from .338 Winchester.

All things being equal (which they never are), it will give you within a whisker of the same ballistics as a .300 Winchester and a bit better than the new .300 WSM. For a hunting rifle, 24" is pretty standard; 26" is a bit long for some purposes, so I guess if I were doing it I might specify 25" (again, just to be different, and besides, I really like the length on my older Sakos at 24 3/8" or so.)

11 December 2002, 14:47

grovere

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.

11 December 2002, 16:05

downwindtracker2

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 .

12 December 2002, 01:01

Caine

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

12 December 2002, 04:13

<eldeguello>

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. [Big Grin]

12 December 2002, 16:46

Ku-dude

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