Update after our meeting with Norma:
First of all, thanks to everyone who provided input. I took note of each post before we went to the meeting and passed along your comments and feedback. I'll start by saying that our visit with Norma USA reps was fantastic. Everyone we met with had a real interest in helping us meet our customers' needs and were genuinely nice people.
For those that aren't aware, Beretta Holdings recently acquired RUAG Ammotec (Norma is under the RUAG umbrella). I bring this up because Beretta and RUAG are going through a period of transition, and I think it's important that the reloading/handloading community, to include the DG and ELR hunting communities, keep up the demand signal during this time. Since the last shortage started, ammo production has focused on more common calibers like 9mm and .223/5.56, and it's obviously taken longer for specialized brass from the NE calibers to the RUM/SAUM/WSM calibers to come back in stock. We spoke to Norma about the real demand for their Swedish manufactured brass and ammunition. We talked about how the demand spanned from individual handloaders to custom rifle and small batch ammo manufacturers. The reps we spoke to were very receptive, and your requests were well received.
Here is some good news:
Norma is building a new state of the art facility that will be able to produce loaded ammunition and form brass in the US. Expect production to be fully up and running in a couple more years, but we think it has some serious advantages because (at least for US based customers) it simplifies the logistics problem without compromising on quality assurance.
Norma is still importing Swedish made ammo and components this year. MTF on when we can talk about what will be coming in the near future.
Additionally, a good number of the calibers you gents asked for, we currently have in stock. We may not be able to get loaded 358 Norma Mag or 308 Norma Mag for you, but we can certainly sell you some new brass and Oryx bullets so that you can load your own.
We are also hoping to disclose some more good news in the near future, but we don't like to get too "cart before the horse."
I'll end on this note. We are a small company who prides ourselves on excellent customer service. We'll keep passing along to OEMs what our customers need, continuing to bang the demand drum on your behalf. Reach out to us anytime and thank you for your business thus far.
R/
Bill
ravenrocksprecision.com
ravenrocksprecision.com