Norma American PH Ammo

[Marc Ret]

Specifically the 9.3x62 286gr Oryx. It's my understanding that Norma has nixed this line but I'd like to hear some thoughts if anyone has used it. From what I've read here, Norma's Oryx bullet seems well-regarded. In addition, Norma brass is some of the best so that's a plus. Does their ammo typically chrono close to published velocities? I've only ever shot their Whitetail line but do not (yet) have a chronograph.

I came across several boxes of it in a local shop today but did not purchase. Kinda kicking myself for not picking it up now. I didn't ask pricing (it was behind the counter). Looking online was easy enough to find pricing when it was available but not sure what a fair price would be in these screwy times. Any insight would be appreciated on that as well as I will probably get back there in a week or two. Thanks.

 

[TucsonFX4]

I absolutely love Norma brass (see my recent post seeking 375 Norma brass). I have shot a couple boxes of 150 grain Norma whitetail in 300 win mag and find its accuracy mediocre and its velocity spread horrible. Over 100 fps spread in a three shot group. At the cost of unfired Norma brass, this factory loaded stuff is a bargain though. I think I paid $36/box, and that is recently, not months or years ago. But it really is only good for fouling the barrel or shooting at something at about a hundred yards or less.

 

[wesheltonj]

Buy it. The Oryx bullet is excellent. I have used it in Africa with great success. Not sure what Norma or actually Ruag Ammotec is doing with the Norma line in the USA. I saw a box of Norma Whitetail and the box said made in Germany. I suspect it’s GECO ammo in a Norma package. If it was RWS they would be packaged RWS.

 

[shootist~]

Limited experience with it, but I've found Norma factory ammo to have good accuracy and the chronographed speeds very close to advertised. Allowing for differences in my barrel(s) length and standard.

Excepting for 223, Norma and Lapua are the only factory new brass I have purchased in years.

 

[Marc Ret]

I absolutely love Norma brass (see my recent post seeking 375 Norma brass). I have shot a couple boxes of 150 grain Norma whitetail in 300 win mag and find its accuracy mediocre and its velocity spread horrible. Over 100 fps spread in a three shot group. At the cost of unfired Norma brass, this factory loaded stuff is a bargain though. I think I paid $36/box, and that is recently, not months or years ago. But it really is only good for fouling the barrel or shooting at something at about a hundred yards or less.

Tucson, I did the same, only for 30-06. I paid $28ea a few months ago for a few boxes of the 150gr Whitetail. Initially I was mainly wanting it for the brass. Took it to the range a month back and set up on the 200yd backer. Shot three, looked through the spotting scope and thought "Wow, this stuff shoots nice!". *I attached a pic of that first three shot group at 200. Shot the rest of the box and none of the groups were better than 3". Most were 3 1/2"-4".

With this American PH being old stock and a higher line(?), my hope is the quality control would be better than ammo being pumped out in pressured times.

 

[Marc Ret]

Limited experience with it, but I've found Norma factory ammo to have good accuracy and the chronographed speeds very close to advertised. Allowing for differences in my barrel(s) length and standard.

Excepting for 223, Norma and Lapua are the only factory new brass I have purchased in years.

Thank you, shootist.

My hesitation today was this- I have 100 285gr Oryx waiting to be loaded. The problem is I don't have the Norma brass I'd like to have to work up a load for those Oryx. I can find it but most is $2.50-$3 apiece. I also have a couple hundred Speer 270gr bullets waiting to be loaded as well. My plan was to load the Speer in the once-fired Geco brass I have and load the Oryx in Norma. Probably just my OCD but I like nice, neat and organized.

I'm just getting back in to metallic reloading after nearly 30 yrs. Almost like starting over as I was just a teen then. Assuming he still has the ammo when I get back, I may just buy all 5 boxes. If it shoots well in my gun, I can hold off on loading the Oryx I have and save the precious primers/powder I've scrounged for loading other cartridges. My thoughts were $60-$70 box in this market would be reasonable?

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I paid around $60 a box for it from Gordy and Sons early last year. They are out of stock now but it’s still listed at $60 a box

 

[spike.t]

Thank you, shootist.

My hesitation today was this- I have 100 285gr Oryx waiting to be loaded. The problem is I don't have the Norma brass I'd like to have to work up a load for those Oryx. I can find it but most is $2.50-$3 apiece. I also have a couple hundred Speer 270gr bullets waiting to be loaded as well. My plan was to load the Speer in the once-fired Geco brass I have and load the Oryx in Norma. Probably just my OCD but I like nice, neat and organized.

I'm just getting back in to metallic reloading after nearly 30 yrs. Almost like starting over as I was just a teen then. Assuming he still has the ammo when I get back, I may just buy all 5 boxes. If it shoots well in my gun, I can hold off on loading the Oryx I have and save the precious primers/powder I've scrounged for loading other cartridges. My thoughts were $60-$70 box in this market would be reasonable?

I would go buy it before someone else does....

 

[shootist~]

Thank you, shootist.

My hesitation today was this- I have 100 285gr Oryx waiting to be loaded. The problem is I don't have the Norma brass I'd like to have to work up a load for those Oryx. I can find it but most is $2.50-$3 apiece. I also have a couple hundred Speer 270gr bullets waiting to be loaded as well. My plan was to load the Speer in the once-fired Geco brass I have and load the Oryx in Norma. Probably just my OCD but I like nice, neat and organized.

I'm just getting back in to metallic reloading after nearly 30 yrs. Almost like starting over as I was just a teen then. Assuming he still has the ammo when I get back, I may just buy all 5 boxes. If it shoots well in my gun, I can hold off on loading the Oryx I have and save the precious primers/powder I've scrounged for loading other cartridges. My thoughts were $60-$70 box in this market would be reasonable?

Tough decisions. The price of Norma (also Nosler, which is actually Norma, IMO) is just insane. No way would I pay $3.00 a pop. (Easy to say since I have a decent supply.)

Keep your eyes open for Lapua as well, which is what I used for my 9.3x62 load development. I have some at 7x fired and 8x processed that appears to have some life left.

Also, based on what I have been given for free recently, (mostly 30-06), Remington brass is really good quality.

 

[Marc Ret]

I would go buy it before someone else does....

The problem with these forums is that they're like going to your smack dealer to help you get off the junk...

 

[Marc Ret]

Tough decisions. The price of Norma (also Nosler, which is actually Norma, IMO) is just insane. No way would I pay $3.00 a pop. (Easy to say since I have a decent supply.)

Keep your eyes open for Lapua as well, which is what I used for my 9.3x62 load development. I have some at 7x fired and 8x processed that appears to have some life left.

Also, based on what I have been given for free recently, (mostly 30-06), Remington brass is really good quality.

It's a rough time to get back in to reloading. Thankfully I had started down this road pre-pandemic and wasn't caught too short. Unfortunately, I didn't realize just how much I'd like the 9.3 when I bought it 3 years ago. Ammo was reasonable then and I just figured I'd shoot factory. Down to a few boxes of Nosler and a box of Geco... I want to keep shooting so reloading for it has become almost a necessity.

Think I'll try to make some time this week to go back and do some horse trading. It's a haul for me but the shop is really good to deal with and he's looking for stuff. I know I have a few things he may find of interest. If nothing else, there's always cash. He likes cash.

 

[spike.t]

The problem with these forums is that they're like going to your smack dealer to help you get off the junk...

9.3x62 and 74r two of my favourite calibres...and the Oryx is one we get here I have for my x62...so just telling you what to do...nah its an order ...so stop fkn around and do as your told

 

[Marc Ret]

9.3x62 and 74r two of my favourite calibres...and the Oryx is one we get here I have for my x62...so just telling you what to do...nah its an order ...so stop fkn around and do as your told

There's quite a few women who have passed through my life who might tell you I don't deal well with being "told"! That flaw might have something to do with pushing 50 and still being single and being self-employed for 20+ years...

I do appreciate the friendly "push", though. As I said prior, will make some time this week to get back to the shop.

BTW- where is "here" for you?

 

[Shootist43]

Mark Ret, the more time you spend on AH the sooner you will come to the realization that taken as a group "we" know a heck of a lot about hunting, firearms, reloading and such. We all have favorite loads and "push" their use by anyone asking for information. I for one hate seeing anyone repeat my less than satisfactory reloading misses. I too try to get and use NORMA brass for all of my reloading needs. Yes, it is expensive, but I think it is worth it. BTW I recently received some Oryx bullets that have been on backorder for two years.

 

[Marc Ret]

Mark Ret, the more time you spend on AH the sooner you will come to the realization that taken as a group "we" know a heck of a lot about hunting, firearms, reloading and such. We all have favorite loads and "push" their use by anyone asking for information. I for one hate seeing anyone repeat my less than satisfactory reloading misses. I too try to get and use NORMA brass for all of my reloading needs. Yes, it is expensive, but I think it is worth it. BTW I recently received some Oryx bullets that have been on backorder for two years.

Though I only recently registered, I've been reading for years. I would agree there is a considerable depth of knowledge among the members here. Some BSers too. Easy enough to suss that out, though. The choice to finally register was motivated by wanting to have the option of asking questions like the one posed in this thread and tap in to that knowledge.

Hopefully, comments like the smack dealer one were taken in the good-natured manner they were intended. I tend to take a lighter approach to life but sometimes humor and sarcasm doesn't always translate with the written word.

I do appreciate your's and everyone else's responses on this thread.

 

[R eight]

Specifically the 9.3x62 286gr Oryx. It's my understanding that Norma has nixed this line but I'd like to hear some thoughts if anyone has used it. From what I've read here, Norma's Oryx bullet seems well-regarded. In addition, Norma brass is some of the best so that's a plus. Does their ammo typically chrono close to published velocities? I've only ever shot their Whitetail line but do not (yet) have a chronograph.

I came across several boxes of it in a local shop today but did not purchase. Kinda kicking myself for not picking it up now. I didn't ask pricing (it was behind the counter). Looking online was easy enough to find pricing when it was available but not sure what a fair price would be in these screwy times. Any insight would be appreciated on that as well as I will probably get back there in a week or two. Thanks.

I've used it in a few different rifles. It's been very accurate out of my FN commercial, my R8 and the son's Sako 85.

I've shot a brown bear with it out of the R8, one scrub bull with the FN and a few dozen pigs with it out of all three rifles.

I'm down to my last 120 rounds of it. It's more than adequate for anything that walks North America or Australia.

 

[Longwalker]

The 286 gr. Oryx is a superb bullet that I have used with complete satisfaction in my 9.3x62 and 9.3x74R. Th "American PH" line of ammo might be cancelled but I doubt that the best selling bullet design in Norma's entire line up of hunting ammunition would be discontinued. I have Norma 9.3x62 and 9.3x74R ammunition with four different packaging / labeling from several years of production and import. Seems like they change packaging/ lines quite often, but the ammo is the same, and good!

 

[Marc Ret]

I would go buy it before someone else does....

Done...

 

[wesheltonj]

What does he have left?

 

[Marc Ret]

What does he have left?

An empty spot on the shelf.