foreign ammo

[PJgunner]

I could be snide and say the gun writers don't get them for free.
Seriously though, my experience with Norma ammo is long but thin. I shot a lot of 6.5x54 M/S before the rifles were stolen. Mixed reviews there. The rifles had very long throats for the 160 gr. bullet and all that ever seemed to be availavle was 140 gr. ammo. However, handloads with either Hornady or Norma (when I could get them) componenets.were very accurate. Norma's 7x57 150 gr. ammo shot decently in my rifles , but I never felt that they delivered the advertised velocity. I gather that they load it to full power for the European market and download it to SAAMI specs for sale here. If I could find some I'd run them over the chronograph. Accuracy was in the 1.0-1.25" range in two rifles.
About two years ago, I got a smokin' deal one a Ruger #1B in .257 Roberts. $400. Along with the rifle came six boxes of Norma brand .257 Roberts ammo with 100 gr. bullets. The rifle also had a3x9X Leuopld Vari-X II mounted on it. The fellow said the rifle was sighted in for the Norma ammo. I went to the range to check the sights and put five shots into .25". I shot the breeze with a few of the people shooting as we all waited for our rifles to cool down a bit. Takes a while in a Southern Arizona summer. I then fired another five round group that was .30". I'd have to say, based on that small amount of use that Norma ammo was fairly good for accuracy, at least in that rifle. Needless to say, I'm hoarding that stuff. I may try a five shot group from a new Winchester model 70 Featherweight I picked up a while back that seems to want to shoot. I just might run them over the chronograph as well. It's good stuff.
Paul B.