Mark X-Interarms .308 NR MAG Identification for correct round

[BsureBstr8]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum so if I dont use the correct word for specific parts of a particular gun, please forgive. However, I have a single shot .308 that has the marking on the barrel the read, " .308 NR MAG along with MARK X & INTERARMS. I am trying to find the right round for this rifle. The local gun shops have not come up with anything on this weapon, rather disturbing to say the least. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

[petroid]

I would guess 308 Norma magnum

[RustyReel]

Never seen it written like that but .308 NR MAG could stand for .308 Norma Magnum (lots of info, google it). Mark X is a commercial Mauser type bolt action rifle imported/sold by Interarms. My guess is barrel is not factory original but some pics would be helpful.

[cainttype]

It could well be the 308 Norma Mag, a very popular chambering from the past...basically a standardized 30-338 WM. The NR is a little unusal abbreviation. A chamber cast would identify it clearly.
A crude, but easy, simple check to narrow possibilties with more common choices.... A 308 Norma will have a Mag bolt face, it will not allow a 300 Winchester Mag to chamber fully BUT a 7MM Remington Mag should allow the bolt to fully close... DO NOT FIRE A 7MM REM IN YOUR .308 BORE RIFLE.
If the above test works you are very likely dealing with the Norma chamber, but although it is a standardized cartridge you may find slight variations in custom chambered rifles. It was popular for hunting as well as long-range target competition... It still is a very impressive round.

[BsureBstr8]

Ok, thanks. Next question, to show how green I am is what exactly is a Norma Mag. Is this just a regular off the shelf .308 or can it fire the 7.62 nato round?

[BsureBstr8]

Ok, thanks. As soon as comp. tech savy I will definitely post a pic.

[BsureBstr8]

Ok, that was informative and thanks. My farther left his kids with an impressive gun collection and none of the siblings besides myself has an interest. Although My favorite of his was the camouflage .308, never fired, the sibling that has it will not disclose the facts of its where-abouts. My nest question is why are the guns shops having difficulty with having a round to sell me that the correct one, thats what confusing me. Nothing pops up on their little computers.

[cainttype]

Ok, thanks. Next question, to show how green I am is what exactly is a Norma Mag. Is this just a regular off the shelf .308 or can it fire the 7.62 nato round?

It is neither.
The Norma Mag uses a belted case, larger than the 308/7.62. The case head/rim is the same as the two previously mentioned 7MM Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag (the same H&H belted design used by many common "belted magnums").
Although the 308 Norma Magnum is still available, it is no surprise that it isn't found commonly stocked by local gun shops or larger sporting goods retailers... It isn't too surprising that they would not have a clue about it, either.
Suggest that they should search for "308 Norma Magnum", instead of "308 NR". That should provide you with lots of info.

Reloading is no problem. Dies are available and casings can be formed from 300 Win Mag, unless you want to buy the pricey Norma brass... something to consider if you want to use the rifle.

Good luck with your adventure. :)

[pietro]

.

Welcome to the forum, BsureBstr8 !

The Interarms Mark X rifles were AFAIK never imported in .308 Norma Magnum, so I suspect that your rifle is an issue .300 Winchester Magnum that's been re-chambered (reamed out) to the longer (bigger, more powder) .308 Norma Magnum specs, as the case head sizes are identical.

To clear any confusion, the 30-caliber bore size measures .308", and there are many different size/shaped cartridges, small (.30 Carbine) to large (.300 Weatherby Magnum), that share the same bore size.

Various different names are given to the different size/shape cases by their creators, for many different bore sizes .

So:

.22cal=.224"
.24cal/6mm=.243"
.25cal=.257"
.26cal=.260"
.28cal/7mm=.284"
.30cal/7.62=.308"
.32cal/8mm=.323"
.33cal=.338"
.34cal=.348"
.35cal/9mm=.356"-/358"
.37cal=.375"
.40cal=.401"
.44cal=.429"
.45cal=.458"

All of the above bore sizes have several different size/shape cases, with all different names.

In your case, some of the more common .308" cartridges (not counting wildcat & odd-ball examples) are:

.30 Carbine
.30-30 Winchester
.300 Savage
.308 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.300 H&H Magnum
.300 Winchester Magnum
.300 Weatherby Magnum
.308 Norma Magnum

Here are only three .308" cartridges, in a side-by-side comparison"

http://www.realguns.com/images/3thirtycalcartrsiges.jpg

(L-to-R, above: .300 Winchester Mag, .30-06, .308 Winchester)


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[cainttype]

Actually, the 308 Norma Mag is shorter than the 300 Win Mag. You can not rechamber a 300 Win Mag to 308 Norma without setting the barrel back a few threads. That is why you can't close the bolt on a 300 Win Mag cartrige in a rifle chambered for the 308 Norma, as stated earlier.
The Norma was basically the factory's version of the wildcat 30-338 Win Mag, which was a popular long-range choice in the early 60's.
Winchester later offered the 300 Win Mag in direct competition, and basically cornered the US domestic market in 30 caliber "Magnums".

I really like the 308 Norma, and have one tucked safely away. I don't shoot it much nowadays, but it is still my favorite 30 caliber belted magnum.

[BsureBstr8]

Ok, that clarifies a lot of my questions. I now know what to tell the gun stores here locally since the two I went to didn't have a clue as to what the rifle was or is. I will take the suggestions here to determine definitely what she is for I can not wait to burn some powder. I was thinking of taking here and my other guns to the smith to make sure everything is functioning correctly. Pops took good care of his weapons but its been yrs since they've been fired. So the next thing to learn is the reload, dies and casings on the next agenda. Appreciate all who imparted some well needed knowledge.

[Hdskip]

I think I'd have someone do a chamber cast before I'd fire anything in this rifle. If this were mine that's what I'd do.
Gary

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Here is the Wikipedia article on the .308 Norma cartridge, which I am very nearly sure your rifle needs. There are links to most of the others in its class. It is an excellent rtridge, giving about the maximum power you can get in a .30 caliber rifle. It is a perfect example of the fact that we have far more cartridges than we need. There is no reason whatever for its replacement on the market by the .300 Winchester Magnum, except that Winchester wanted their own name used, rather than that of a Swedish company that doesn't make guns. But only a very small proportion of the .30 magnum rifles on the market is chambered for the Norma, and if local gun stores stock it, it will sit on the shelves for years, and that isn't good business.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.308_Norma_Magnum

I'd agree that it is a good idea to make a chamber cast, against the very slim chance that this is some other cartridge, devised by a private experimenter whose initials were NR. The best material for this is Cerrosafe, available from www.brownells.com (http://www.brownells.com) , an alloy which melts at less than the boiling point of water. But you can do a good enough one for this purpose with car body filler or candlewax, if you oil the chamber.

[BsureBstr8]

Sorry I have not been on the site for a minute because of work. Thank you for the info and the links, I will get the chamber cast done. Since I am such a non expert in these matters you fellas are quite knowledgeable in should I have a gun smith or someone with similar capabilities do the chamber cast for me or is it a simple enough process I can do it at home?

[BsureBstr8]

Thanks Gary. Who would I have do this, a gunsmith or a local gun store?

[flounderman]

I built some wildcats on the 308 norma case and have a 308 Norma. The case has less taper than the 7mm Rem mag, but you can make 308 Norma from 7 mag. Necks are just a little shorter after fire forming. The cases headspace on the belt, so you can expand the 7 mag neck to 30 and load a reduced fireforming load. As far as buying loaded 308 Norma, I don't think anything but Norma would be available and it is expensive. It is more involved making 308 Norma from 300 Win Mag. Case has to be shortened, shoulder set back, should be annealed. 264 Win Mag can also be converted. Neck up to 30 and fireform. You should be able to find fired 308 Norma cases on the cast boolets site.

[toallmy]

If you tell the members vaguely your location you may find someone to help with the cast of the chamber. I have shot a 300 win mag for over 30 years loaded down to the 308 Norma level. Make a cast of the chamber, a lot of rechambering over the years so not all are alike. Be safe

[pietro]

I have a single shot .308 that has the marking on the barrel the read, " .308 NR MAG along with MARK X & INTERARMS.




AFAIK, all Mark X's imported by Interarms are magazine-fed repeaters, and not single-shot rifles.


.

[knifemaker]

It sounds like that someone pulled the barrel from a Mark X bolt action rifle and installed it on a single shot action. Also if it is stamped .308 NR Mag, that was probably done by the gunsmith who installed the barrel on the single shot action. It would be very smart to do a chamber cast to determined the actual caliber.
If it is 308 Norma Mag. I would consider having it re-chambered to 300 Win. Mag. for ease of finding ammo for it at a better price then the Normal mag sells for. Re-chamber is a easy job to 300 win. magnum as bolt face is the same on both calibers.

[RustyReel]

I would take toallmy's suggestion and see if there are any members near you who may help. If not, since you are not familiar with the process or the round in question, I would find a local gunsmith to help you out. The process is fairly simple but if you don't have the resources handy to make accurate measurements and don't have anything to compare you cast to, then you will have difficulty identifying the round anyway.

[Thin Man]

Your father probably had loaded ammo or even fired brass from this rifle among his possessions. Start looking for it to gain a clue about the rifle's caliber designation. If the ammo box or brass reads "308 Norma Magnum" you possibly have found your answer. There may even be hand written notes inside the box about the ammo's caliber. However, the ammo (or empty brass) may have been re-formed (specialty created) from another caliber of brass, such as 300 Winchester Magnum. In this case the cases would claim (in writing on the case head) to be one caliber but actually have been re-formed to fit another entirely different caliber's chamber. If you find any such ammo or brass, take these and your rifle to an experienced person for comparison. That person may be a gunsmith or advanced handloader, not just your usual neighborhood tinkerer. Above all, do NOT attempt to load or fire ANY ammo in this rifle until after making a determination about the actual cartridge caliber.

Then again, there may be no ammo or brass available to be found. As another posted advised, have a gunsmith create a chamber cast to assist with determining the rifle's caliber.

When you get the answer to this caliber question, please post it on this thread for us, and thanks.

Thin Man


Thin Man

[cainttype]

No update???