.308 Norma Magnum

[Dead Buff]

I'm busy building a .308 Norma Magnum and find that reliable load data is relatively scarce. If anyone can supply data for 150gr, 165gr, 180gr and 200gr premium grade bullets (bonded Hornady/Sierra/other, Barnes, Nosler, Swift, etc) I will appreciate it.

Please specify powder type and load weight, vel measured (not guessed), accuracy at what distance, case and loaded round OAL, primer used, crimped or nor, etc.

Thanx

[gm iprod]

Sierra 2nd Edition lists the following (circa 1980). All projectiles Sierra. All max loads.

150gr Spitser.

IMR4064 64.6gr = 3200fps

IMR4032 64.4gr = 3100fps

H380 69..9gr = 3100fps

IMR4350 74.2gr = 3300fps (if you have H4350 start at no more than 67gr and work up)

H450 81gr = 3300fps

H4831 80.9gr = 3200fps

IMR4831 76.0gr = 3200fps

165gr Boat Tail, all at 3100fps

IMR4350 71.0gr

IMR4831 74.6gr

H450 77.8gr

H4831 78.9gr

180gr anything, all at 3000fps

IMR4350 69.7gr

IMR4831 73.2gr

H450 75.6gr

H4831 77.0gr

200gr Boat tail

IMR4350 69gr = 2900fps

IMR4831 70.5gr = 2800fps

H450 73.1gr = 2800fps

H4831 73.3gr = 2800fps

220gr RN

IMR4350 68gr = 2800fps

IMR4831 68.6gr = 2700fps

H450 72.2gr = 2700fps

H4831 72.0gr = 2700fps

With some of the newer high energy powders around like V V N560 565 and 570 i am sure you could carefully coax another 100fps out of the above safely. I am sure VV have loads for the Norma Magnum.

A freind I shot with years ago who had a lovely Shultz and Larsen M65?? in 308Norma used 300 Win Mag data as a start point. The case holds 1 or 2 grains more water so what ever the Manual says for 300Win Mag as a start load you could start there.

Hope this helps

[Dead Buff]

Thanx GM...fast on the trigger...faster on the reply button...

Unluckily VV only list the .300WM. But I'll start there. Got some VV N160 which I wanna try. The South African powders might work fine. Looking at S365 and S385 which are about Norma 204 and MRP. The only "problem" is that Somchem gives only data for .300WM and when I phoned them they said "use 3gr less for the .308NM"...hate answers like that.

Should I start ±10% down on the data above?

[Too_Slow]

You can also goto "Steve's reloading pages" at http://www.again.net/~steve/page8a.htm. He does have 308 Norma data there as well. And according to the Accurate Armsloading data it is the same as .30-338.

[Dead Buff]

Too_Slow you are too good. Thanx for the link and info

[Ron Ankeny]

I have been shooting a .30-338 for many moons. Spent a fortune trying all sorts of different powders. Ended up back where I started with good old H-4831 under the 180 grainer and IMR-4350 under the 200 grainer. Oddly enough, no scope adjustment is required when switching loads for hunting purposes. In fact, I can mix 200 grain Sierra loads with 180 Nosler Bonded and still get one inch groups at 100 yards. With the 180 load I get about 5/8 to 3/4 minute of angle with a variety of bullets and that's good enough for what I am doing.

[Too_Slow]

I just remembered some other data that I had found while doing some searching for 308 Norma a while back. These are on the Nosler web site but they are 'blind pages' meaning that they do not have any links to them from their regular pages. They are :

http://www.nosler.com/data308NorMag-125g.html

http://www.nosler.com/data308NorMag-150g.html

http://www.nosler.com/data308NorMag-165g.html

http://www.nosler.com/data308NorMag-180g.html

http://www.nosler.com/data308NorMag-200g.html

http://www.nosler.com/data308NorMag-220g.html.

I was very lucky to have found them in the first place.

[Dead Buff]

These are cool!!!

[gm iprod]

The loads I gave are Maximum, ease of 7-10%.

I forgot the 308Norma is similar to 30-338.

[Dead Buff]

TNX, will do....