Norma Range and Training 38 Special 158 FMJ

[xlbar]

Hello,

I'm a new member of the forum but have been "lurking and learning" for several months. Our household has a nice stable of .38/.357 revolvers and am looking for some bulk .38 Special ammo to feed them. I saw this Norma 158 FMJ load show up recently online https://www.targetsportsusa.com/norma-range-and-training-38-special-ammo-158-grain-fmj-620540050-p-110616.aspx

Does anybody have any experience with this load? 158 FMJ at 968 fps seems on the warmer side for .38 Special training ammo but the price seems reasonable.

[paherne]

Yeah, there's very little else available. So, while you were pondering, I went and bought 1000 rounds. That's the kind of market we are in, right now. Buy ammo when it's available; you're not going to get to pick what you get. You get what you get and you don't get upset. Or, no ammo for you. Sorry, that's just the way it will be for the next year or so. When ammo prices go down in 2-3 years, pick the load you like, buy cheap and stack it deep until the next crisis. Good luck and good shooting!

Whenever I see 5.56/.223, 9mm, .38 SPC, 12 GA 00 or .45 at a decent price and from a reputable manufacturer, I use my gun/ammo stash money and buy.

[OlongJohnson]

FWIW, that appears to be Geco in a different box. Both Geco and Norma are RUAG brands.

https://www.norma-ammunition.com/en-us/products/dedicated-precision/pistol-and-revolver/norma-range-and-training/norma-38-special-158-gr-fmj---620540050

https://geco-munition.de/en/ammunition/geco-handgun-ammunition/Product/show/geco-full-metal-jacket-flat-nose-revolver-cartridge/38-special.html

I have observed issues with inadequate/improper crimping on multiple calibers of Geco ammo. It would keep me from buying .357 from them, I may still buy a case of this .38 SPL.

[LtDave]

I recently bought some of the Norma branded loads, but haven't shot them yet. I've shot the Geco and earlier RWS branded loads. The Norma and Geco are Hungarian sourced, but I think the older RWS was made in Germany. Neither has delivered stupendous accuracy for me.

Two other 158 grain FMJ loads have shot better for me if you see them around. The Fiocchi FMJ RN 38G and the Sellier & Bellot FMJ FP SB38P.

[willie]

FWIW, that appears to be Geco in a different box. Both Geco and Norma are RUAG brands.

https://www.norma-ammunition.com/en-us/products/dedicated-precision/pistol-and-revolver/norma-range-and-training/norma-38-special-158-gr-fmj---620540050

https://geco-munition.de/en/ammunition/geco-handgun-ammunition/Product/show/geco-full-metal-jacket-flat-nose-revolver-cartridge/38-special.html

I have observed issues with inadequate/improper crimping on multiple calibers of Geco ammo. It would keep me from buying .357 from them, I may still buy a case of this .38 SPL.

I saw the same thing in this brand with crimping. I concluded that the manufacturer used a taper crimp and not the traditional roll crimp. I noticed the same practice in a batch of Federal .38 spl ammo. I had no problems, though.

[RJ]

Just giving another noob perspective from the standpoint of ammo: I did some research, and many folks much smarter and more experienced than I suggested that a good wadcutter bullet out of .38 was a good choice. LuckyGunner did a review of .38 wadcutters, and one of the loads was Federal Gold Medal Match. Since then, I've tried it out of my .38 LCR, and have achieved good scores. As a result, I bought a few more boxes and now it is both my carry and practice ammo.

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/showproduct.aspx?productid=1187

[Rock185]

The .38 158 Norma and GECO sure appear the same, other than headstamps. I've used the GECO .38 158 and have not experienced any issues. The GECO and Norma pictured appear to be mildly taper crimped, rather than roll crimped. My ammo has an almost imperceptible .002"-.003" taper crimp. Seems fine in a mild .38 load, but I can see that in .357 there would likely be some bullet pull.

FWIW, in a 2" revolver the GECO branded ammo averaged 725 FPS, in a 4" revolver 800 FPS. The 968 FPS mentioned seems very high to me, for other than +P or some of the "Boutique" ammo offered by some smaller manufacturers. Perhaps a longer, unvented, test barrel was used to generate those numbers...