.308 Norma Magnum
Encyclopedia
The .308 Norma Magnum cartridge
was created by Nils Kvale at Norma
, Sweden
. Like the larger .358 Norma Magnum
it is based on the .300 H&H Magnum
. 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 While it appeared to have a bright future initially, it was soon superseded in popularity by the .300 Winchester Magnum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 .308 Norma Magnum 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 headspacing.
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
was created by Nils Kvale at Norma
Norma (company)
Norma Precision is a Swedish manufacturer of ammunition located in Åmotfors, in the province of Värmland, just 20 km of the Norwegian border. It is commonly referred to as simply Norma.- History :...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Like the larger .358 Norma Magnum
.358 Norma Magnum
The .358 Norma Magnum is a bolt action rifle cartridge introduced in 1959 by Swedish company, Norma. It is closely related to the smaller .308 Norma Magnum. Both calibers share the same dimensions of the case head as the .300 H&H Magnum. The length of the case is the longest possible that would...
it is based on the .300 H&H Magnum
.300 H&H Magnum
The .300 H&H Magnum Cartridge was introduced by the British company Holland & Holland as the Super-Thirty in June, 1925. The case was belted like the .375 H&H Magnum, and is based on the same case, as also is the .244 H&H Magnum. The belt is for headspace as the cases' shoulders have a narrow...
. 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
.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum is a popular, belted, bottlenecked magnum rifle cartridge that was introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963 as a member of the family of Winchester Magnum cartridges. The .300 Winchester Magnum is a magnum cartridge designed to fit in a standard length...
. The first, and one of the few, manufacturers to offer rifles in .308 Norma Magnum was Schultz & Larsen
Schultz & Larsen
Schultz & Larsen is a Danish rifle and silencer manufacturer that originally was located in the city of Otterup, but as of 1994 have been located in the city of Rask Mølle on the island of Fyn....
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. 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
Gewehr 98
The Gewehr 98 is a German bolt action Mauser rifle firing the 8x57mm cartridge from a 5 round internal clip-loaded magazine that was the German service rifle from 1898 to 1935, when it was replaced by the Karabiner 98k. It was hence the main rifle of the German infantry during World War I...
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
7 mm Remington Magnum
The 7mm Remington Magnum rifle cartridge was introduced as a commercially available round in 1962, along with the new Remington Model 700 bolt action rifle. It is a member of the belted magnum family that is directly derived from the venerable .375 H&H 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 headspacing.