.308 Norma Magnum

Infobox Firearm Cartridge
name=.308 Norma Magnum


caption= .308 Norma magnum cartridge(far left).
origin=Sweden
type=Rifle
service=
used_by=
wars=
designer=Nils Kvale, Norma
design_date=1960
manufacturer=Norma
production_date=1960 to 1961 components only, 1961 to present as loaded ammunition
number=
variants=
is_SI_specs=
parent=.338 Winchester Magnum
case_type=Rimless, Belted
bullet=.308
neck=.340
shoulder=.489
base=.512
rim_dia=.530
rim_thick=.048
case_length=2.56
length=3.30
case_capacity=
rifling=
primer=large rifle magnum
max_pressure=55100
max_cup=
filling=
filling_weight=
detonation=
yield=
is_SI_ballistics=
bw1=180
btype1=Oryx
vel1=2953
en1=3486
bw2=180
btype2=Swift A-Frame
vel2=2953
en2=3486
bw3=
btype3=
vel3=
en3=
bw4=
btype4=
vel4=
en4=
bw5=
btype5=
vel5=
en5=
test_barrel_length=
balsrc=http://www.norma.cc

The .308 Norma Magnum (7.62x65mmBR) cartridge was created by Nils Kvale at Norma, Sweden. Like the larger .358 Norma Magnum it is based on the .300 H&H Magnum. [Kvale, Nils; Kulor, krut och älgar. Norma, Åmotfors, 1963.] The length of the case is the longest that would fit in a standard Mauser action. While it appeared to have a bright future initially, it was soon superseded in popularity by the .300 Winchester Magnum. The first, and one of the few, manufacturers to offer rifles in .358 NormaMagnum was Schultz & Larsen of Denmark and they still are.

In the late 1940s Kvale designed a wildcat called 8mm Kvale. It was intended for use in the German surplus 8mm Mauser M98 that flooded the American market after the war and was therefore nicknamed 'Poor Man's Magnum'. Kvale used the case from the .300 H&H Magnum and reduced the rim diameter so it would fit the bolt of a Mauser M98. The experiences he made from this cartridge was put into the .308 and .358 Norma Magnum.

Cases for the cartridge can be purchased from Norma or made in three ways:Necking up a 7 mm Remington Magnum case, necking down a .338 Winchester Magnum case, or running .300 Winchester Magnum cases through a full-length sizing die. Since the first two options leave the brass a bit short, the third is generally considered to be the best option. Ammunition for this caliber is not cheap (typically US$50–60 for 20 cartridges) and as such it is mainly of interest only to handloaders who own a rifle chambered in this caliber. The cartridge makes use of a belted case for strength.

ee also

*List of rifle cartridges

Notes

References

* [http://www.norma.cc/content.asp?Typ=59&Lang=2&DocumentID=286&Submeny=4&Rubrik=Calibers&Title=308%20Norma%20Magnum Norma]
*http://www.chuckhawks.com/308Norma.htm
*http://www.reloadbench.com/cartridges/308nm.html
*http://www.cpcartridge.com/308NM-P.htm
*http://www.loaddata.com/members/search_detail.cfm?MetallicID=1039