.338 Norma Magnum
Encyclopedia
The .338 Norma Magnum is a cartridge
first introduced in 2008 and coming into production in 2009. It is designed by the Swedish
ammunition company Norma
which is part of the Swiss RUAG
group.
. It was designed as a way to optimize shooting the 19.44 g (300 gr) 8.59 mm (.338 in) caliber Sierra HPBT MatchKing projectile from actions and magazines that lack the length to handle cartridges exceeding 91.44 mm (3.60 in) in overall length.
Later the design was purchased by the ammunition manufacturer Norma.
(PRS) to possibly replace the currently fielded Bolt Action SOF Sniper Systems MK 13 (.300 Winchester Magnum) and the M40 and M24 (7.62x51mm NATO) chambered to safely fire factory produced "non-wildcat"
.338 caliber ammunition. This means the .338 Lapua Magnum and .338 Norma Magnum or derivatives of these cartridges would be two likely candidates for the cartridge part of this market survey and winning future U.S. government contracts.
The .338 Norma Magnum was designed to improve upon the .338 Lapua Magnum when loaded with 19.44 g (300 gr) Sierra very-low-drag bullet
s in magazines and actions that restrict the .338 Lapua Magnum's maximal cartridge overall length.
In long range precision sport shooting rifles, the .338 Norma Magnum cartridges were designed for, the chamber and throat area of the barrel are often custom made by a gunsmith for a particular cartridge, meaning the rifle (system) is consciously constructed for optimal use with a particular cartridge case and projectile combination. If projectiles with differing dimensions are to be used this will generally erode such a custom made system's accuracy potential. This makes objective comparisons between cartridges hard, since cartridges are essential parts of a larger rifle system.
Since the .338 Lapua Magnum can be loaded to its C.I.P.
overall length or even somewhat longer, the practical difference between the two cartridges gradually becomes negligible. Some manufacturers of .338 Lapua Magnum actions, magazines and rifles have indicated that they intend to offer products that will allow the use of .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges that can handle overall lengths that exceed the current C.I.P. .338 Lapua Magnum maximal overall length standard of 93.50 mm (3.681 in).
As of February 2009, the .338 Norma Magnum is still a very new cartridge with little commercial availability. However, it is available for purchase. If the .338 Norma Magnum or a derivative cartridge is chosen by the U.S. government for a military role, it may gain some civilian popularity amongst big game hunters and civilian long-range shooting enthusiasts. The .338 Norma Magnum is theoretically capable of taking down any game animal, though its suitability for some dangerous game (Cape buffalo, hippopotamus
, white rhinoceros
and elephant
) is arguable, unless accompanied by a larger "backup" caliber: "There is a huge difference between calibers that will kill an elephant and those that can be relied upon to stop one." Certain sub-Saharan Africa
countries have a 9.53 mm (.375 in) minimum caliber rule for hunting the Big Five
. Military use can become problematic in countries which ban civil use of former or current military rifle cartridges.
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...
first introduced in 2008 and coming into production in 2009. It is designed by the Swedish
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....
ammunition company 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 :...
which is part of the Swiss RUAG
RUAG
RUAG is a Swiss technology company, with its headquarters in Bern. It has production sites in Switzerland , Germany , Sweden , Hungary and Austria .-Structure:The RUAG has following subsidiaries:*RUAG Aerospace RUAG is a Swiss technology company, with its headquarters in Bern. It has production...
group.
Design history
The .338 Norma Magnum was originally developed by the American sport shooter Jimmie Sloan as a long-range sport shooting wildcat cartridgeWildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
. It was designed as a way to optimize shooting the 19.44 g (300 gr) 8.59 mm (.338 in) caliber Sierra HPBT MatchKing projectile from actions and magazines that lack the length to handle cartridges exceeding 91.44 mm (3.60 in) in overall length.
Later the design was purchased by the ammunition manufacturer Norma.
Cartridge dimensions
From the scarce and fragmented information available it appears the .338 Norma Magnum has a shorter cartridge overall length (91.44 mm (3.60 in)) compared to the cartridge overall length of the .338 Lapua Magnum (93.50 mm (3.681 in)). The .338 Norma Magnum loaded with 19.44 g (300 gr) .338 caliber Sierra HPBT projectiles will have these projectile less deeply seated compared to the .338 Lapua Magnum when both cartridges are loaded to 91.44 mm (3.60 in) overall length. To achieve this the .338 Norma Magnum cartridge utilizes a shorter case (about 63.5 mm (2.5 in)) with less taper and a slightly sharper shoulder angle with a slightly longer neck, resulting in about 6.5% less case capacity.U.S. government market survey and ammunition availability
On June 17, 2008, the U.S. government issued a market survey to support a requirement for a Precision Sniper RiflePrecision Sniper Rifle
The Precision Sniper Rifle is a program by United States Special Operations Command to replace all current bolt-action sniper rifles in use by U.S. special operations snipers with a single bolt-action rifle chambered for a .338 caliber Magnum chambering like .338 Lapua Magnum or .338 Norma Magnum...
(PRS) to possibly replace the currently fielded Bolt Action SOF Sniper Systems MK 13 (.300 Winchester Magnum) and the M40 and M24 (7.62x51mm NATO) chambered to safely fire factory produced "non-wildcat"
Wildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
.338 caliber ammunition. This means the .338 Lapua Magnum and .338 Norma Magnum or derivatives of these cartridges would be two likely candidates for the cartridge part of this market survey and winning future U.S. government contracts.
The .338 Norma Magnum was designed to improve upon the .338 Lapua Magnum when loaded with 19.44 g (300 gr) Sierra very-low-drag bullet
Very-low-drag bullet
Very-low-drag bullets are primarily a small arms ballistics development of the 1980s–1990s, driven by shooters' desire for bullets that will give a higher degree of accuracy and kinetic efficiency, especially at extended ranges. To achieve this the projectile must minimize air resistance in flight...
s in magazines and actions that restrict the .338 Lapua Magnum's maximal cartridge overall length.
In long range precision sport shooting rifles, the .338 Norma Magnum cartridges were designed for, the chamber and throat area of the barrel are often custom made by a gunsmith for a particular cartridge, meaning the rifle (system) is consciously constructed for optimal use with a particular cartridge case and projectile combination. If projectiles with differing dimensions are to be used this will generally erode such a custom made system's accuracy potential. This makes objective comparisons between cartridges hard, since cartridges are essential parts of a larger rifle system.
Since the .338 Lapua Magnum can be loaded to its C.I.P.
Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives
The Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives is an international organisation whose members are 14 states, mainly European....
overall length or even somewhat longer, the practical difference between the two cartridges gradually becomes negligible. Some manufacturers of .338 Lapua Magnum actions, magazines and rifles have indicated that they intend to offer products that will allow the use of .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges that can handle overall lengths that exceed the current C.I.P. .338 Lapua Magnum maximal overall length standard of 93.50 mm (3.681 in).
As of February 2009, the .338 Norma Magnum is still a very new cartridge with little commercial availability. However, it is available for purchase. If the .338 Norma Magnum or a derivative cartridge is chosen by the U.S. government for a military role, it may gain some civilian popularity amongst big game hunters and civilian long-range shooting enthusiasts. The .338 Norma Magnum is theoretically capable of taking down any game animal, though its suitability for some dangerous game (Cape buffalo, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, white rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
and elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
) is arguable, unless accompanied by a larger "backup" caliber: "There is a huge difference between calibers that will kill an elephant and those that can be relied upon to stop one." Certain sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
countries have a 9.53 mm (.375 in) minimum caliber rule for hunting the Big Five
Big Five game
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...
. Military use can become problematic in countries which ban civil use of former or current military rifle cartridges.
Chambering availability
The .338 Norma Magnum chambering is offered for these factory rifles:- RemingtonRemington ArmsRemington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
Modular Sniper Rifle (MSR). This is a switch chambering and barrel sniper rifleSniper rifleIn military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
that can also fire .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum.300 Winchester MagnumThe .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...
, and 7.62x51mm NATO cartridges.
See also
- NormaNorma (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 :...
- .338 Lapua Magnum
- .338 Remington Ultra Magnum.338 Remington Ultra MagnumThe .338 Remington Ultra Magnum is a .338 caliber rifle cartridge introduced by Remington Arms in 2002. It is a beltless, rebated rim cartridge based on the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum case shortened .090" loaded with a .338 caliber bullet...
- .338-378 Weatherby Magnum.338-378 Weatherby MagnumThe .338-378 Weatherby Magnum started out as the wildcat cartridge, .338-378 Keith-Thomson Magnum during the early 1960s. Keith and Thomson are Elmer Keith and R.W. "Bob" Thomson. The 338-378 Keith-Thomson Magnum is slightly shorter than the .338-378 Weatherby Magnum. However this is only a neck...
- .338-416
- .338 Chey Tac
- .338 Edge.338 Edge338 Edge is a Wildcat rifle cartridge based on the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum round necked up to accept 0.338" diameter bullets. It is gaining popularity as a long-range cartridge due to the wide availability of 0.338" projectiles with favorable ballistics...
- .338 Xtreme.338 XtremeIntroduced in 2008 the .338 Xtreme cartridge , is based on a necked down .505 Gibbs case with a sharper 35 degree shoulder angle. The cases, commercially produced by Bertram Bullets, have a length of 3.030" and a head diameter of 0.640". Capacity is 167.5 grains. Factory loads drive a 266 grain...
- List of rifle cartridges
- 8 mm caliber8 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the empty cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the loaded cartridge.All measurements are in mm .-Pistol cartridges:...
External links
- Norma Ammunition Homepage
- Snipers Hide Forums discussion of the new cartridge
- Tactical Gun Fan Blog talks about the US Military's deliberation between .338 Lapua Magnum and the .338 Norma Mag.