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LAWNDART’S RELOADING ROOM #13: THE NEW NORMA RELOADING MANUAL.

Norma, bullets, brass, loaded ammunition, and even the new Norma loading manual are all produced by the good people of Åmotfors, Sweden.

I must start this article by declaring that I think highly of the brass and powders that Norma markets. The first Norma reloading manual has a © date of 2004, but first became available to the US market just four years ago. The first edition reloading manual is an excellent reference work; unfortunately it was obsolete within one year of its general US release. First, MRP-2 powder that was featured produced one early fantastically performing lot. That was never repeated. Second, the first manual had no mention of URP powder (produced by Nitro Chemie of Switzerland – think Reloder 17). Now, URP bats clean-up in its powder line. Last In the last year MRP 2 has been superseded by the new Norma 217 powder (think Reloder 33). The new Norma loading manual reflects all of the powder changes and additions to the Norma line.

Most of Norma powders are produced by Bofors in Sweden. Both companies are members of the large RUAG conglomerate based in Thun, Switzerland. Can you guess who gets first crack at the most uniform powder lots? (Reloder powders mirror Norma brand powders, albeit with looser lot to lot uniformity tolerances). Norma has OEM partnership arrangements with companies such as Weatherby and Nosler, and produces boutique brass and cartridge lines for some very well known names. Norma also loads bullets from Woodleigh, Sierra, Swift, Berger, and Hornady in its own lines of hunting and target cartridges. When you see a listing for loading a specific bullet in a given cartridge, odds are pretty good that Norma loads that bullet commercially.

Norma has added fourteen new cartridges to its listings. Increasing the cartridge total from 73 to 87 is quite a boost. Accuracy/competition additions are the 6mm PPC, David Tubb’s 6XC (Norma produces the brass for Mr. Tubb’s Superior Shooting Systems), and the 338 and 300 Norma Magnum cartridges. USA competitive shooter Jimmie Sloan developed what is essentially a shorter and more efficient iteration of the 338 Lapua Magnum. He and Norma partnered to bring both the 338 and 300 versions of this cartridge to the market place. Interestingly, General Dynamics has developed a medium machine gun that fires the 338 Norma cartridge. It has longer legs, and quite a bit more power than the PKM (7.62 x 53) machine gun fielded by recent and present “peer competitors” on battlefields around the globe. More “schwack” per round fired; that is for sure. The 338 Norma Medium Machine Gun is undergoing trials in Afghanistan as I write this. Reports from the field are positive. The 300 Norma is yet another way to launch a .308 projectile into low earth orbit from a target rifle.

The new manual lists loads for the 7mm, 300, 338, and 375 Blaser Magnum cartridges. In keeping with today’s fashion, these cartridges are based on shortened .404 Jeffery cartridge cases. In each case, the Blaser cartridges provide increased velocity and barrel life, and improved accuracy when compared to the corresponding belted magnum cartridge. These cartridges are basically version 2.0 of the original Dakota cartridges (also based on the .404 Jeffery). The new Norma loading manual also closes the loop on the Remington Ultra Magnum series with the addition of the 300 Remington Ultra Magnum.

The new Norma manual finishes strong with the addition of five old and new medium and large bore dangerous game cartridges. The .375 Holland & Holland Flanged Magnum and 500 Nitro Express 3” load data helps to further fill in the line up of classic cartridges for double barreled rifles. The 500/416 Nitro Express, 458 Lott, and 450 Rigby are all relatively modern cartridges that fall into the, “I want that dangerous game animal absolutely dead right now” category. The 500/416 is a modern day double rifle cartridge that functions basically as a rimmed 416 Rigby. The 458 Lott and 450 Rigby are available at a price point bearable by the unwashed masses courtesy of the CZ 550 Magnum rifle.

From the standpoint of powder, the great leap forward is the inclusion of loads featuring Norma URP and Norma 217 where appropriate. URP has a burn rate between 4350 and 4831. The new manual also characterizes the burn rate as being just slightly quicker than Norma 204. The big news is the inclusion of 10% nitroglycerine. From the manual: “… [This] improves the energy and makes it less sensitive to temperature and moisture.” I have found this powder to perform excellently in both the 30-06 Springfield and 338 Winchester Magnum with light to medium bullet weights, just as the manual states. I believe that Norma URP may soon be the powder that I reflexively reach for when loading medium capacity cartridges.

Norma 217 on the other hand, inhabits the deep, slow end of the burning rate scale. It is fantastic in the 338 Lapua Magnum, as well as the eponymous 338 Norma Magnum and 300 Norma Magnum. I have not shed a tear for MRP 2. I just poured my can of it on the rose bushes, and got busy with Norma 217. For me, it is a good answer for the 7mm Remington Magnum, and any other over bore cartridge that I might need to load. MRP (think Reloder 22) has been mixed with just a touch of magic Swedish forest dust. It is now more resistant to temperature and moisture excursions. If ever a prayer has been answered, here is an example.

Oh yes, Norma makes brass in almost every size listed in the manual. Thank you, Åmotfors.

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Originally posted by lawndart:
Norma has financial backing as a part of RUAG. Their new US distributor is Western Powders/Ramshot/Accurate.

I particularly like URP and MRP. As noted in the review, N 203B is basically Reloder 15, without the lot to lot variances that plague R/L 15.

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THE NEW NORMA RELOADING MANUAL

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My pleasure. You are correct about the URP load not being the best for 250-grain Nosler Partitions in the 338 Win Mag. With that bullet I would be inclined to work up with MRP, and stop at pressure signs, 2,700 fps, 75-grains, or a nice tight round group; whichever comes first.