Norma case heads Too soft?

[wadedc]

Anyone else find that Norma case heads are too soft? I get ejector marks with loads that aren't that hot and the primers look perfect with no signs of pressure. Shooting 7x338 Norma improved 85 grains Retumbo 180g Berger chrono's at 3000 fps.

Wade

 

[tbrice23]

Anyone else find that Norma case heads are too soft? I get ejector marks with loads that aren't that hot and the primers look perfect with no signs of pressure. Shooting 7x338 Norma improved 85 grains Retumbo 180g Berger chrono's at 3000 fps.

Wade

I'm on my eighth shot on my Norma 6mm AI brass ( formed from Norma 7mm Mauser brass). My load is pushing 105 vld at 3370 fps, not max pressure but just under.

Primer pockets still measure .207" to .208". Meaning I should have two or three more loads to go before I tighten the primer pockets.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Anyone else find that Norma case heads are too soft? I get ejector marks with loads that aren't that hot and the primers look perfect with no signs of pressure. Shooting 7x338 Norma improved 85 grains Retumbo 180g Berger chrono's at 3000 fps.

Wade

I had that problem awhile back, but I don't remember what caliber I was playing with.

 

[tim_w]

The 300 NM crowd seemed to have issues with primer pockets opening up with loads. More so than the 338 crowd did from the reports I saw. I know that there was some really screwed up load data out there for a while but thought that all got straightened out. Norma is certainly not lapua when it comes to head hardness/strength.

It would be a good bit of work but would be interesting to see if you took a 338 LM case and formed it to one of the NM cases to see how it would compare to the pressure.

 

[wadedc]

My primers and primer pockets are fine so far. It is the ejector mark that concerns me. I might have to form one from a Lapua brass and see what happens.

Thanks

Wade

 

[dok7mm]

You might pull your injector and make sure you don't have shavings binding it up. Also, check for irregularities on face of ejector.

That being said, the Norma is a bit softer, but I use it a lot and primer pockets hold up well, unless I push it. I did have the ejector marks on one rifle and polished the tip and it went away.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I'm running Norma in my creed currently. Pockets opened up way sooner than my hornady stuff did.

 

[Dosh]

Shooting Norma made brass in four Weatherby calibers. I had ejector marks on some of the hotter loads of my 30/378, but the primer pockets are fine. That was about ten years ago and haven't had marks since I changed powders and bullets. All other calibers are not showing marks or pocket expansion. I've personally experienced soft brass with Federal and Hornady, some after just two firings.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

I get the same thing on factory rifles. One is a Ruger in 300 WM. I got to where I test them first by chambering it and then extracting it without firing. I always have marks with the claw extractor
Another is a 5r. It does the same. I pulled the ejector and polished it and shortened the spring. It helped a little but it is a factory rifle also.