Norma Rifle
Norma 202
Developed specifically around the 308 Winchester and suited to medium-capacity cases relative to bore, including several classic European and medium-bore hunting cartridges with heavier bullets.
Norma's .308 powder, developed around that cartridge and extended to the classic European medium bores - 8x57mm, 9.3x62mm, 9.3x74R, .375 H&H - with heavier bullets. It is the numbered Norma most handloaders have actually heard of. Two cautions: the burn charts disagree about it, with Hodgdon putting it near IMR 4064 while Vihtavuori bands it appreciably faster with N133, so do not interpolate from a chart neighbour. And it is import-only in the US.
- 308 Winchester
- 9.3x62mm
- 375 H&H Magnum
- 8x57mm Mauser
Who has Norma 202 today
Checked October 10Out of stock at every store we track
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $39.99 | $71.43 est. | Out |
“In hand” is the shelf price plus that store’s hazmat fee and shipping, spread over one container. Stock is checked once a day — confirm on the store’s page before ordering. Compare all powders →
Limited US availability. Catalogued by the maker but hard to obtain through normal US retail channels.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Norma |
|---|---|
| Product family | Norma Rifle |
| Status | Limited US availability |
| Application | rifle |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0747 cc per grain · 0.87 g/cc |
| Burn-rate position | 120 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 308 Winchester, 8x57mm, 9.3x62mm, 9.3x74R, 375 H&H Magnum, 35 Whelen |
Grain shape
Extruded by convention; Norma publishes no grain geometry. Treat it as a stick powder at the measure - bridging and shearing - and weigh charges if consistency matters to you.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Norma's page describes application only; grain geometry and base are not stated. Norma canister powder is not stocked by the mainstream US reloading distributors and reaches US shelves only through occasional imports - treat availability as unreliable. Many web shops that appear to list Norma powder in the US are not legitimate retailers. Norma publishes data through its own reloading portal rather than a printed US manual.
Burn rate
Medium rifle range - Norma's 308 Winchester powder.
Chart agreement: position varies - Hodgdon ranks Norma 202 down near IMR 4064, while Vihtavuori's tabloid bands it with N133, appreciably faster. Ordered here per Hodgdon. Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Accurate 2495 (position 117)
- IMR Enduron 4166 (position 118)
- IMR 4064 (position 119)
- Accurate 4064 (position 121)
- Shooters World Tactical Rifle (position 122)
- Accurate 2520 (position 123)
Sources
The specifications above come from Norma's own published documentation, linked below. The two “RCM's read” sections are ours, not theirs — our assessment of what this powder is like to load, drawn from its published characteristics and from what handloaders consistently report. No manufacturer endorses them and no source below backs them. If you think we have one wrong, tell us — we would rather fix it.