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Norma Golden Target Match 6.5CM 143gr

AK74U

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 5, 2021
427
122
Atlanta
Just secured a 200rd case of this ammo for $332 shipped. Hopefully one of you fine Guru's have some experience with this ammo. Hoping to take this to a mile whenever I get a rifle to use it with. Will be shooting it out of an AI AXSA if I ever secure one... :unsure::unsure::unsure: Thanks Hide Family!
 
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Nice unicorn find.
I’ve never seen purchasable norma match other than 223/308 for sale at any local shop or any of the big online stores.

I can’t say the reloads in 223 norma brass have been particularly consistent either. Could have been me though, that was esrly on in my reloading journey.
 
My order arrives today. Will pass two boxes to a friend who has a Tikka CTR 6.5CM. He'll have to be our tester.
 
My order arrives today. Will pass two boxes to a friend who has a Tikka CTR 6.5CM. He'll have to be our tester.
Did your buddy get to run this ammo yet? I'm curious on its performance.
 
I got some too. Eager to see how it performs. But I need to put my rifle together first. Hope all pieces arrive by next week.
 
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Did anybody get out there to see how this performs? I just picked up a big lot of it, so I'm hoping it lives up to that match name!
 
I just bought a case for $284 delivered. I was wondering how it will shoot so this is encouraging. Should be here this week

I use the same NORMA Golden Target 308 caliber with 175 grain HPBT and it is pretty much the same results as FGMM 175
 
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I just bought a case for $284 delivered. I was wondering how it will shoot so this is encouraging. Should be here this week

I use the same NORMA Golden Target 308 caliber with 175 grain HPBT and it is pretty much the same results as FGMM 175
Well, I bought 4 cases, so I'm deeply invested in this ammo performing!
 
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Alright, so I took this ammo to the range today. I shot 100rds between 1.25–2+ MOA. The rifle I shot this through is brand new, so to be fair I don't have a baseline. It's a Springfield Waypoint with a carbon BSF barrel.

At this point, I'm thinking that there's something wrong with the rifle, or that it really doesn't like this ammo.
 
Ouch. That’s not encouraging, but is this the only factory 6.5CM you have?
 
Ouch. That’s not encouraging, but is this the only factory 6.5CM you have?
That's the only factory ammo I had on hand for the day. I'll go back to the range with different ammo to troubleshoot the issue. I hope for my sake it's an ammo issue and not a rifle issue.
 
I get mine on Tuesday...if it sucks, I will just use it for plinking at shorter ranges.

The 308 is so good, not sure how they could fuck the 6.5 up but we'll see
 
I get mine on Tuesday...if it sucks, I will just use it for plinking at shorter ranges.

The 308 is so good, not sure how they could fuck the 6.5 up but we'll see
Please let us know how it shoots! I have a feeling it may be my rifle and not the ammo. There's no reason the ammo should perform that poorly!
 
I bought 1000rds if this stuff with high hopes. I ran 40rds through my desert tech srs 26” barrel this morning. I did 4-5shot groups and got 1-1/2”, 1-1/2”, 1-3/8” and 1-3/4”. I did 2-10 shot groups and got 1-1/2” and 1-1/4”. I am by no means and expert shooter but I can usually get 1/2”-3/4” groups with 140 and 147 eld-m factory ammo.
 
Update on my bad performance: it's probably a rifle issue for me. Took my new gun to the range again and shot the only other stuff I could find—Aguila 140gr. It shot between 1.5 to 5 MOA... So ignore my comments earlier as it's probably just a rifle issue!
 
While I’ve not used this loaded ammo, the Norma 130 gr GT Bullet was the only bullet available back about 1 1/2 yr ago when I put together my AR 10 in 6.5 cm w/ BA 22” Heavy barrel.

I’ve dialed in a load that is just under 2700 fps w XMR4350 that is my Go to Load.

I’ve not done a lot of load dev for this so I can’t say I ve wrung the Best Performance I can get out of both the Bullet / Load. Or the Rifle itself as I’ve only shot 1 other 140 gr bullet out of it really just to break the bbl in before I got these.

I’m averaging a .7” 5 shot group at 125 yd
And if you give me a flyer - 4/5 are in 3/8” at that distance (which is as far as I can get at my local range)

Now, as for out to a mile ….. while it can be done because I’ve shot a 260 bolt rifle at 1680yd and when I could see the impact I was getting close to a large rock I was shooting at. It was literally ALL of my come up AND the Mil rad etched in the glass to get my elevation w a 20 moa base as those lite calibers are really taking a dive bad at that distance.

Can it be done? Yes, it’s almost impossible to spot though unless you have a very large cleared out dusty area that the target is in.

I use my 338 Lapua Mag at that target now that I have one. I wasted alot of ammo w that 260 at 1680 yd prior to that!
 
Hopefully my pre-fit will be in within a fortnight so I can go to the range finally.
 
Aguila is cheaper than s and b so it’s not much of a benchmark.

Interested in this ammo as I really don’t have as much time to load this year as I used to. I passed on it at 28x$ A case and now can’t find it for that
 
Would you stock up on this, or continue using Hornady 147gr ELD-M or your other go to offering?

I fired one box today through my AXMC

5 four shot groups that measured between 0.4-0.6 MOA.

VERY GOOD for the price
 
I fired one box today through my AXMC

5 four shot groups that measured between 0.4-0.6 MOA.

VERY GOOD for the price
^^^^^

If your AXMC is still as you bought it....it has our barrel on it. Chamber work by WinTact/AI. That's about as good as it gets with box match ammo with the gun shooting a .4 to .6 range. Once in a while you will find that it will shoot a little better than that depending on the ammo or the lot of ammo. Like in a .3 range or even a upper .2xx's if your lucky.

Good match type ammo should shoot .7moa or a little better. That's about as good as it gets with box match ammo generally speaking.

For you other guys shooting more of a box gun and or with a factory button or hammer forged type rifled barrel....you have other things you are dealing with. What is the chamber spec? Next what is the twist and is the twist uniform (consistent). Just dealing with the twist uniformity question alone....if your barrel has an issue...it will make your gun picky as to what it likes to shoot and you might not have ammo problem but a gun issue and if it's a gun issue it is what it is. You will have to find what it likes.

How long are the overall length of the Norma bullets themselves? Give me a OAL of the bullet if you have pulled one and a velocity or I could just assume 2700fps and do a twist rate calc and see what they might need.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels
 
Great info, thanks!

^^^^^

If your AXMC is still as you bought it....it has our barrel on it. Chamber work by WinTact/AI. That's about as good as it gets with box match ammo with the gun shooting a .4 to .6 range. Once in a while you will find that it will shoot a little better than that depending on the ammo or the lot of ammo. Like in a .3 range or even a upper .2xx's if your lucky.

Good match type ammo should shoot .7moa or a little better. That's about as good as it gets with box match ammo generally speaking.

For you other guys shooting more of a box gun and or with a factory button or hammer forged type rifled barrel....you have other things you are dealing with. What is the chamber spec? Next what is the twist and is the twist uniform (consistent). Just dealing with the twist uniformity question alone....if your barrel has an issue...it will make your gun picky as to what it likes to shoot and you might not have ammo problem but a gun issue and if it's a gun issue it is what it is. You will have to find what it likes.

How long are the overall length of the Norma bullets themselves? Give me a OAL of the bullet if you have pulled one and a velocity or I could just assume 2700fps and do a twist rate calc and see what they might need.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels
 
^^^^^

If your AXMC is still as you bought it....it has our barrel on it. Chamber work by WinTact/AI. That's about as good as it gets with box match ammo with the gun shooting a .4 to .6 range. Once in a while you will find that it will shoot a little better than that depending on the ammo or the lot of ammo. Like in a .3 range or even a upper .2xx's if your lucky.

Good match type ammo should shoot .7moa or a little better. That's about as good as it gets with box match ammo generally speaking.

For you other guys shooting more of a box gun and or with a factory button or hammer forged type rifled barrel....you have other things you are dealing with. What is the chamber spec? Next what is the twist and is the twist uniform (consistent). Just dealing with the twist uniformity question alone....if your barrel has an issue...it will make your gun picky as to what it likes to shoot and you might not have ammo problem but a gun issue and if it's a gun issue it is what it is. You will have to find what it likes.

How long are the overall length of the Norma bullets themselves? Give me a OAL of the bullet if you have pulled one and a velocity or I could just assume 2700fps and do a twist rate calc and see what they might need.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels
It isn't as it came @Frank Green...it is better

Your new super duper alloy chambered by @DAVETOOLEY

All my AT and AXMC barrels come from you!! :cool:
 
The Norma Golden Target loaded rounds, red box, from Norma, utilize a "newer" version of the Golden Target projectile that has been used for loading at home. The thing is, the Norma Match rounds loaded from Norma, in the black, say they are the same projectile. I have emailed and called Norma & Norma Ammunition for the last 4 months and no response with answering my questions about differences. I have the red box Golden Target loaded rounds in 175gr .308 Winchest for the Seekins HIT, but haven't been able to test yet. I want to see how these stack against the Federal 185 Bergers.
 
The Norma Golden Target loaded rounds, red box, from Norma, utilize a "newer" version of the Golden Target projectile that has been used for loading at home. The thing is, the Norma Match rounds loaded from Norma, in the black, say they are the same projectile. I have emailed and called Norma & Norma Ammunition for the last 4 months and no response with answering my questions about differences. I have the red box Golden Target loaded rounds in 175gr .308 Winchest for the Seekins HIT, but haven't been able to test yet. I want to see how these stack against the Federal 185 Bergers.
I wish I could tell you

What I can say is that the Norma 175 grain match .308 is no different in group size than the .308 175 grain FGMM
 
I don't post around here much, as I haven't been shooting much in the past few years, and I have mostly lurked, but this thread seems odd in this forum...

I'm a bit puzzled, why would you be in this forum if you're not reloading your own ammo? I'm a bit surprised that so many of the members have interest in buying their ammo. I had previously planned to build a 6.5 Creedmoor, which would probably do good at about 1000 yards, but why wouldn't you be reloading your own ammo if you're shooting 1000+ yards?

Am I missing something? :unsure:
 
Wow, it seems a bunch of Asian SPAM was posted to this forum. I hope that doesn't happen too often. How could the moderator have it setup so people could do that? Many boards make you participate before you can post. I thought it used to be like that here?
 
Anybody else have experience with this stuff in 6.5cm?
I have shot two boxes now through my AXMC. I just ordered another two cases. Stuff continues to shoot great. I shot two four shot groups today measuring about 0.3 MOA. I have a total of 10 four shot groups averaging between 0.3 and 0.6 MOA over the last two days.

Price went up a bit though. First case was $40 cheaper but even at $295 per case, it is a lot cheaper than Hornady and shoots as well.
 
I have shot two boxes now through my AXMC. I just ordered another two cases. Stuff continues to shoot great. I shot two four shot groups today measuring about 0.3 MOA. I have a total of 10 four shot groups averaging between 0.3 and 0.6 MOA over the last two days.

Price went up a bit though. First case was $40 cheaper but even at $295 per case, it is a lot cheaper than Hornady and shoots as well.
Awesome. What twist rate is your rifle? I believe my Tikka is 1:8 and tends to like the 147gr eld-m better than the 140gr.
 
Awesome. What twist rate is your rifle? I believe my Tikka is 1:8 and tends to like the 147gr eld-m better than the 140gr.
I use a 7.5 twist barrel...

It works remarkably well with 130, 140, 142 SMK, 144 SMK

Never tried the 147s. Personally, I prefer the 130s from Berger...those are the most accurate I have tried.

Speed kills....
 
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Alright, so I took this ammo to the range today. I shot 100rds between 1.25–2+ MOA. The rifle I shot this through is brand new, so to be fair I don't have a baseline. It's a Springfield Waypoint with a carbon BSF barrel.

At this point, I'm thinking that there's something wrong with the rifle, or that it really doesn't like this ammo.
I have the same rifle in 6.5 PRC and it shot sub MOA at a 100 out of the box. I was using the Hornady Match though. Try that and see what it does. To be honest, I have fired 5 different 6.5 PRC brands through my Waypoint and it has delivered sub MOA with all of them.
 
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Anybody else have experience with this stuff in 6.5cm?

I have a ton of it and I'd say - out of my Bergara HMR Pro - it's not as consistent as Hornady 140s but it's accurate.

Haven't shot it out of my custom rifle yet with Krieger barrel. That gun loves it the Prime ammo I have.
 
143gr with 41.5gr Rs60 in 260rem i get 2890fps and really nice groups. Will try them @1300m this week we’ll see if 322 is true BC. Norma 130 with similar load was at 2950fps but new lots have BC a bit worse than older more pointed lots.
 
I ordered a case to try out. I'll run it over a chrono and report my results, but what was everyone else seeing for velocities?
 
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948mb/25°C/7 twist/260rem
2906fps MV and @1290m 1312fps with 12.7ish mil up.
BC i would say it is real @ 0.322 lb/inch^2 G7

Nice bullet but expensive considering 147 could be had for ~42c/piece these are ~60c/piece in europe.
 
I took a box out this morning and shot some groups over the MagnetoSpeed. SD was pretty wide because the ES was 58 or 59. Respectable velocities though. Average was 2824 out of a 26" Benchmark barrel for my Desert Tech with a SilencerTech suppressor.

20220604_082543.jpg


Groups were decent enough, except for the cold barrel, cold shooter group. From top to bottom, 3 shots (first of the day), 3 shots, 4 shots. I'm limited to 620 today, so I'll report back when I'm done.

20220604_083346.jpg


Only out to 620, but I had to adjust the G7 BC down to .310 to line up with my Kestrel. I'll be taking it out to over 900 yards tomorrow, so we'll see how it holds up.

In case anyone else wants to buy some, I found it for $25.49 a box. I picked up another 2 cases this morning just to have on hand for those times I can't get to the reloading bench.
 
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So, I tried this ammo out today at a match. Longest shot was a little under 900. Performance was good, enough for me to take 3rd, but I blew 3 primers. They weren't pierced, just blown from what appears to be hot loads. I sent an email to Norma so we'll see what they say

20220605_153955.jpg
 
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Temp sensitive maybe?
I don't think so, but it's always possible. It was in the mid 80s, but the ammo stayed in an ammo binder in my pack until a minute or so before I started shooting the stage. It also didn't sit in a hot chamber for longer than a few seconds. Norma is advertising 2700 fps, but even when I tested them from a covered bench and single loading, they were in the 2800+ range with my highest velocity being 2858. I don't know if I got a hot lot or what.