Longrange blog 226: 300 Norma Magnum ELR

[@danmacdonald1291]

Excellent video Thomas! Great to see you stretching the Norma out to distance. I love the locations you're able to visit. Well done.

[@THLR]

Dan Macdonald Thanks for that Dan. As you see, it is a bit of an effort getting into these areas and I need decent weather to see anything. But really nice area when the clouds are above the tops.

[@danmacdonald1291]

I'm a big fan of your filming style, but I must say, if I filmed myself walking away from the camera like you have done countlessly in your films... I'd be leaving camera equipment dotted all over the landscape. The terrain looks difficult enough to hike in with out having to double back for your cameras! Keep up the great work Thomas, I'm a big fan!

[@THLR]

I find that I cannot motivate myself to proper exercise unless there is a punishment or reward at the end. An expensive camera makes the extra steps worth it. The alternative is spending too much time at my dayjob bringing the money back in.

[@milo555100]

Soup looks good! Awesome place to shoot. Time well spent. Thank you for the video

[@THLR]

Thanks Scott. It's a bit of an effort getting into this area and setting up/ taking down the targets, but beautiful scenery!

[@pistolpeta]

Thomas, Once again you have went on a real adventure! Beautiful, brother. I guarantee you, one day you will have so many subscribers/comments that you wont have the time to reply as much as you currently do. Man, thats such beautiful country.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that. Yes, this platou is somewhat of a secret in the region. Very green and very beautiful once you get up there. It's a hard place though, when wind and weather comes in it literary sweeps the place. It has happened twice that a cabin/garage has simply been lifted and dropped off the cliff here.

[@claudiotenreiro3111]

Fantastic, jolly good scenery, congratulations for the video.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that, glad you liked it.

[@scottelliott1925]

Great target location. Hope I can find one as suitable. Thanks for a great video.

[@THLR]

Thanks Scott! Yes, this is a brilliant area to shoot.

[@1972Putte]

Underbar video, vilket fantastiskt plats att skjuta på. Tack för att du delar dina erfarenheter.

[@THLR]

Mange takk for det, hyggelig å høre at du likte filmen.

[@JacksonMalcolm]

That's awesome! Great shooting! My problem is reading wind in the mountains but you're making it look easy! I may have to go out and make a similar video!

[@THLR]

Don't underestimate the help I'm getting from the very high bullet Bc here, there's no way I'll be as consistant with a lower Bc bullet. But in general, observe what you can at ground level and shoot knowing it'll be more than you have observed. This location wasn't that hard as I walked up from the target myself and got a pretty good idea what the wind was doing along the bullet's path.

[@JacksonMalcolm]

@@THLR that's true, I'm not shooting a NM but I do walk from my targets and still have a hard time with updrafts and valleys. I guess that's part of the fun.

[@JacksonMalcolm]

It's been a while... but this is the video that is making me build my 300 Norma mag right now.

[@Cloudstrife112233]

Beautiful countryside and beautiful shooting. What mountains are those?

[@THLR]

Northern Norway

[@SanDragoon]

Hi Thomas.Excellent training Thanks for video

[@THLR]

Thanks for that, glad you enjoyed the scenery. It was exceptional nice weather on those days, really enjoyed the trip.

[@scudrunner100]

Where do you find these locations? The scenery is as good as the shooting for me to watch. What bullet were you using before you started using the 225eld n the video? My shooting buddy is finishing up his 300NM/225eld work up this week. I have pretty much finished my .300WM/208amax work up and have loaded my first run of the 225eld myself. Using H1000 powder for both. Norma brass for the 225s. Maybe within the next few weeks get back out...work gets in the way sometimes.

[@THLR]

First Google Earth, then footwork. Then some paperwork to find the owners and then some coffee to gain permission. It's the 230gr Berger factory load first, and the Hornady ELD was mostly to compare precision (not accuracy) and check the Hornady calculator. What results did you get in your 300 WM?

[@scudrunner100]

Very good so far. Gun came from friend who switched to 300NM. Also got a supply of Remington, Norma and RWS brass along with 500+ 208amax. He worked up good loads for both the 215 and 230 Bergers. Solid well beyond 1000M. I'm just finishing the 208amax work up using Optimum Charge Weight method. One final test around 76.0gr H1000 will complete that. Just beginning the 225eld-m. Gun is a Stiller action, Bartlien 26" barrel, (braked since suppressors not legal in my state) and some nice Vortex glass. Its been a pleasant upgrade from my .308, although its much more hungry to feed. :)

[@THLR]

scudrunner100 Yeah, hungry and demanding - much like a high maintenance girfriend. I've halved my dating - eerh- shooting this season as the 300 NM seems to hit heavy on target, shoulder and wallet.

[@scudrunner100]

Ha! Add aviation in for a money draining trifecta!! Although I am nearly tossing 2X the amount of powder per charge over my .308, I have found it remarkably quick and easy to tune. The chamber is also cut remarkably precise, making reloading and setting up the dies equally simple. Much improved over my factory barreled .308. How are the barrels for your Blaser? Factory or barrel maker? Hunting must be starting soon if not already for you. Good luck. We're waaaay "down here" at a tropical N38' so autumn just beginning to arrive. It was a very wet summer which meant VERY high grass. Already had first frost which lays down the grass and opens up the shooting lanes...gets rid of the bugs too!!

[@THLR]

I'm at 67 North, bit of a difference.

[@hondaservicecenter]

Beautiful video

[@THLR]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@rem308ca]

Bravo. Well done - at great effort on your part. A joy to watch.

[@THLR]

Guten Berg Thank you, really glad you liked it!

[@mac9189]

Thomas a quick question, is that the Ridgeline Bushmaster smock you wear at about 1:50? If so, how do you like it?

[@THLR]

Mac No I stopped using Ridgeline as it accumulates humidity (doesn't breathe well). It is a Latvian military jacket with eVent membrane.

[@mac9189]

OK, Thanks for that.

[@THLR]

Correction, its the Polartec Neoshell membrane. I really like it.

[@mac9189]

Thanks again, I'll check it out.

[@THLR]

@Chris Indermuehle it was a gift. The only Polartec shell jacket I've found these days are made by Czech brand Tilak, so Neoshell can't be very successful.

[@predatortt7694]

Veeery nice to see :-) gonna be love ur vid´s! Mal wieder ein sehr interessantes und hilfreiches Video! Weiter so Thomas.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that, there will be a few more films like this.

[@hypehype1982]

Fantastic video again like always. Just wondering how many round can you expect your barrel to hold say 1moa? 300nm is hot round. I would guess 1200-1500?

[@THLR]

I really have no idea as I haven't shot cartridges this intense before. I am hoping for 2000 because that's how many bullets I bought. I am currently just shy of 1000.

[@roderickformosa2423]

@thlr.no how many rounds have you gone through so far on that barrel?

[@roderickformosa2423]

It depends how fast you run them and how fast you shoot. I shoot 3 rounds and leave barrel to cool. He seems to shoot faster than i do. Im running handloads 215berger at 3268ft/s. It s a hammer to a mile on 40cm target

[@MaxHidjrati]

Good day! Many years watching your wonderful channel on KZbin! in this video you filmed a ball from 1190 meters! That's awesome! what camera do you use, what lens do you use?

[@THLR]

Thanks for that. I use the Canon Powershot SX 60 HS which is reasonable enough to be used/ broken/ replaced with the frequency I kill cameras. I use a 3 way geared tripod head to control the picture frame.

[@Omnihil777]

You are one of the fellows who wrote notes into library books, are ya? Just kidding, very impressive & precise work there. Really like to watch, the landscape's a treat, too. Love it! BTW: Interesting radical u got there.

[@THLR]

Got me! Not the library books, but my own paperbacks are full of notes explaining the exact meaning of various words I'm unfamiliar with. Kind of died away after I got a Kindle and started using the inbuilt dictionary funtion. Thanks for taking the time, glad it was worth your time!

[@niklasmarkussen4471]

Hei Thomas lurte på en ting har du brent 300 norma mag pipa? Isåfall hvor mange skudd gikk den ca? Hører mye forskjellig på div forum alt fra 700-3000 skudd. Håpe bare jeg ikke har kjøpt meg en løpsbrenner😅 Mangler bare chassis til 300 norma riggen.

[@THLR]

Nei jeg solgte denne pipa og hadde da rundt 1200 skudd i pipa??? Husker ikke eksakte tall, men kjøpte iallefall inn 2500 kuler som jeg anslo til rimelig levetid.

[@mavainfigatomareva]

Beautiful video, can't get much better than that really. Only thing missing: the sausages!

[@THLR]

Davide Franchin Summer = beach-body = no sausages. Couldn't you see that?

[@SilverHunterIsHunted]

Awesome shooting. Wish I had places like this to shoot

[@THLR]

One of the very few priveleges of living in the North.

[@thesavage6484]

i would love to see what those bullets do to a buck or ballistics gel. Great video!

[@THLR]

Hornady can help you with that. As you'll see, only Vmax and GMX behaves different kzbin.info/aero/PLUB6LWvgMNyXPiSGAKWnnUoinxZzvIJGh

[@jaybigboy34]

How do you deal with mirage coming off your suppressor with no cover?

[@THLR]

jaybigboy34 Not really a problem until >10'ish shots.

[@caaarloteamswift]

You switched from A-MAX to ELD. What do you think of ELD bullets ?

[@THLR]

I haven't hunted with the ELD yet, but so far I am very happy with the ELD just as I was with the Amax. I still have a few thousand Amax and will continue shooting those as well.

[@kristijanmedved6066]

Do you perfer 300wm or nm and why i need long range hunting cartrige but i dont want 338lm bcs it destroys too much meat

[@THLR]

If you don't want to use 338LM because of meat damage, you do not want to use 300 NM either. 300 NM is a good option because it offers super ballistics like the 338LM, but at significantly less recoil. So with the choices you leave me, that eliminates the candidates in favour of the 300 WM. I would use heavy bullets to get V0 down and hopefully further decrease carcass damage.

[@randyschaff8939]

I have always used 180 gr. bullets like the Hornady interlock. I don’t worry about tissue damage. That’s what puts them down quickly with zero suffering. These are beautiful living breathing animals put here for our use. This is my belief for what it’s worth. 😊 Thank You.

[@John1911]

Stunning and inspiring video.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that. This area is quite nice, and I was lucky with the weather as well.

[@paolorubino7733]

Great shooting! Do you have some theory books?

[@THLR]

Thanks. No, no books from me. This is the book I use to correct my own shooting www.mec-shot.de/en/products/literature/english-literature/ways-of-the-rifle/

[@jaycupples4362]

Good video Thomas! Left to right on the long shots looked good to me.

[@THLR]

The wind was there, but it was very steady on this visit. The weather has created nightmares on earlier visits to this spot.

[@mac9189]

Nice shooting. Your new system is at home at those distances.

[@THLR]

Mac Yes it works fine. Once set up, you don't need a ballistic calculator for sane ranges.

[@kalasak4740]

Do you still have that carabiner 6.5-284

[@THLR]

No I sold the R93 in 6,5x284. The reason was simply that the triggers between the R93 (aftermarket Bix'n Andy) and R8 was too different for me to be confident switching between them. In the R8 I got a 6,5x55 barrel, this mostly to reduce the amount of reloading I have to do. (6,5x55 can be bought uniquely cheap in Norway/ Sweden).

[@jeffguy3868]

Great shooting

[@THLR]

Thanks for that, glad you liked the film!

[@Vulvaetix]

Do you use the standard Blaser trigger or the match trigger by Atzl? Good shooting ;)

[@THLR]

This is the standard trigger. It works just fine, but I am a junkie when it comes to good optics and good triggers so my new Blaser R8 Ultimate has the Atzl trigger. I liked the Bix'n Andy trigger on my old R93 better, I don't need the "target or hunt" settings and would be happy with just one trigger weight.

[@Vulvaetix]

THLR.NO good to know, thank you!

[@strelock1174]

the proof in image that a manufactured cartridge of group not as good as a cartridge reloaded with a reloading specific to its weapon. thanks for the demonstration.

[@THLR]

No problem, glad you liked it and thanks for taking the time.

[@tobigforyou]

Awesome as always. What do you use do write on your scope? And why do you do it?

[@THLR]

Ordinary whitepen. Just so I can have the data I need very accessible. No need to remember data sheets etc.

[@LastCaress7]

Thomas, if i am correct your barrel is along the lines of a sporter contour? If so, how many rounds per string of fire do you shoot before you notice effects of heat on your group size?

[@THLR]

It is called a Semi contour here. I have never shot more than 10 shots with the 300 NM (I think) and it's usually the mirage coming off the silencer that limits the shooting.

[@Hunt.Shadow]

👌👍👏

[@THLR]

Thank you!

[@Hunt.Shadow]

@@THLR Вы отличный стрелок.И фильмы у Вас замечательные.

[@Junkyardnedreck]

Ur getting a whole lot closer than I could ever get

[@THLR]

Thanks for that!

[@proyectomer]

Really nice video and location! What laser range finder do you use?

[@haroldvera5712]

ALBERTO EMILIO Ridella hola Alberto de seguro usa un leica son los mas usados por los tiradores de larga distancia

[@predatortt7694]

It looks like a Leica LRF 1600

[@THLR]

It is a Leica LRF 1600

[@mehmetkaya7154]

Even exciting to watch

[@THLR]

Thanks for that, glad you enjoyed it!

[@Darkhalfcustoms]

Ok if I read you comment right at 1.04 nat miles or 2104 yards you looked to be at about 3 to 6 feet away from your target. That's like 2.5 to 3 moa at incredible range. That's not too shabby. Don't discredit yourself for that.

[@THLR]

I'm not sure. I didn't have the mental presence to film through the reticle at all the ranges. If I had, we could have plotted all the shots and pinpointed pretty good how far off the shots was. I didn't expect to do anything useful at 2000, so I'm quite happy with what the rifle did. After all, this is an off-the-shelf hunting rifle.

[@jgebauer9684]

Really great video!!!

[@THLR]

Thansk for that, glad you liked it. Was a bit quick on the cutting, but didn't film too well as I was worried about running out of battery.

[@jgebauer9684]

Just out of curiosity, what's the popularity of the .308 in your homeland and it's use in competition? Obviously 6.5 and 300NM are a phenomenal round, but I was just wondering your experience is with it, pros/cons, etc for your environment

[@paoemantega8793]

Great vid Thomas !

[@THLR]

Thanks, glad you liked it. Thanks for commenting.

[@pablovilas3984]

Norway is a great place to live!!

[@THLR]

It can be, yes.

[@cratxn1]

To me Norway looks like a woman...you don't actually get to make love with her every day but the ones that are "sunny" make it all worthwhile.

[@blaserlongrange7616]

Vilken kula använde du vid 1,92km ?

[@THLR]

Hornady ELD M 225gr

[@mikecrockett3669]

Well done.

[@THLR]

Thanks Mike, glad you took the time. Still locked out of this area, June 14 and access is blocked by snow.

[@Kman31ca]

Well I'm humbled. When I think hitting a coyote at over a 1000 yards is tough. It is to me anyways, obviously not like shooting a flipping tennis ball at those crazy ranges. Amazing shooting.

[@THLR]

Thanks, but it's always a lot easier when you can shoot many shots. Think of all the information on conditions I get from shot to shot and that I've actually walked all the way from the ball to the firing position, feeling the wind all the way. It might come off as visually impressive, but the required skill involved is actually fairly low.

[@Not_Andrew_Huberman]

I notice you don't have a level? This can help at beyond 1000 given your scope height. Love your videos. Cheers from the US

[@THLR]

Correct, I'm having trouble finding a level of sufficient quality/ resolution that I can see at the same time as the reticle so I've ended up not using one. On the Revic PMR Scope the level was in the field of view, so I used that one for sure and shooting was "steady".

[@roderickformosa2423]

@@THLR try the one from longrange arms, ive added one to my receiver and have another on the scope by tieroneeu check out my post i placed pictures of my setup and 300nm www.rifletalks.com/equipment-reviews/optics/riflescopes101-how-to-choose-a-riflescope/

[@payam7777777]

AWESOME!

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@mr.nobody68]

Hit or no hit that's in the kill zone and therefore damn fine shootin

[@THLR]

Thanks, that's very generous of you. The 300NM was about as much satisfaction as I can get out of a magnum cartridge. Really accurate beast!

[@awsomedude9111]

i was looking at 300 norma until i found its $2.40 for the cheapest ammo or $100 for ELD match ammo...

[@THLR]

It is a reloaders cartridge, and even reloading it is still expensive. It's a fun & good cartridge, but a 6,5 Creedmoor would likely give you much of the same in a much smaller and cheaper cartridge.

[@awsomedude9111]

THLR.NO thanks for the reply. I’m looking at the Falkor Petra and they are going to make it in a 300 Norma. How much does it cost to reload 300 Norma? Would the reloading equipment cost $300-$500? I’m thinking I could buy the brass for cheap and make it myself. I want to put the 30-06 165gr black tip on the Norma. Can you do that? I think it might reduce barrel life if it’s moving a lot faster.

[@THLR]

300 Norma Mag brass is about $3 a piece, bullets something less than $1, reloading kit $500 and quality dies $120 ?

[@awsomedude9111]

@@THLR I have been thinking that I should just get a M82A1 because its just a little more than a falkor petra and you can buy the APIT ammo. I have also been thinking about getting a springfield hellcat pistol and a 300 blackout.

[@THLR]

Good luck!

[@holymackenaw]

i put such heavy backpacks a little bit higher on the ground and sit down in front => easier to get on your back. thanks for the video.

[@THLR]

I normally do the same, but ground was too wet. No way I'm getting my ass wet.

[@ComezThunder]

very good video, I hope I can be as good a shooter as you and that someday you have all the subscribers you deserve. Greetings from Spain, you want to be able to shoot and hopefully one day in a landscape as beautiful as those mountains :)

[@THLR]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes for the season!

[@w.harrison7277]

I would bet you could steady that rangefinder better by setting it on your scope turret.

[@THLR]

I agree! Any support helps!

[@howtoshootstraighthtss4948]

How can u even see a tennis ball at 1100 yards

[@THLR]

The same way you can see it in the film: Optical zoom. 1190 meters/ 1300 yards : 25x scope magnification = 52 yards "perceived range" for a high-contrast object (yellow foam ball) lying on a flat, neutral surface. Very easy to see.

[@howtoshootstraighthtss4948]

THLR.NO wow that's new to me, cool

[@roderickformosa2423]

Look at an fclass target from 1100yards, its a 5inch V bull. You can see it well. Thomas's scope has a rather large aiming reticle since its made for field use. With a nightforce br scope 12-42x56 npr you can see it very well and even put the crosshairs on it

[@ericrumpel3105]

Great video - hard to understand why there is no wildlife there

[@THLR]

I suspect a diet of moss and rock isn't very conductive to easy living. You'll mostly find birds that can live off insects up here.

[@jeremy67A]

Wow, water really shows the point of impact!

[@THLR]

jeremy67A Yes it's amazing for this. Sooo easy to spot the shots and show the impact.

[@johnfrederikson2002]

Beautiful country and I frequently shoot lots worse than that. J.

[@THLR]

Yes, this area is nice. A fair walk though. It's another month before the mountain pass is sufficiently open to get up safely.

[@JonHunter80]

if it's extremely cold, the bore of the barrel will widen by at least a couple thousandth or so, so they claim.. if true, of course, this will make it much harder to make long-range shots, also I think you needed a better scope, being that you were mistaking a nearby rock for your ball, kinda shows that you didn't see your target that well, lastly, you might be pushing your abilities too far, literally, with regard to the distance your reaching at, as they say "you must learn to crawl before you can walk", so back it up some, patience will go a long way, kid

[@THLR]

I don't think it is possible to get a better scope, there's just too many particles in the air. This film was precisely about pushing against the technical capacity of the system to demonstrate what happened.

[@mattk0kb921]

Nothing like a little humility from someone who obviously has no business dishing it out. You are a patient and humble man, Thomas. Well done.

[@THLR]

@@mattk0kb921 thanks Matt. There is usually a perspective and motivation behind people's statements. I find that 99,8% of comments I get are well intended. Most negative comments are usually just observations coloured by local customs, kinda like an Inuit telling the surfer "flipflops are the dumbest footwear ever". Once both perspectives and context are acknowledged, neither party is really wrong. Out of appr 2500 comments sent to me each year, less than 5 are toxic (which I wouldn't call the first comment here, it was just lacking context). I like to believe that says something the hunter/shooter type of people.

[@joecizin9357]

Ive wacched this vid a number of times, always hoping nexttime I see it you will have a donkey to hall that pack.

[@THLR]

I wouldn't mind having one of the non-stubborn ones! :D

[@joecizin9357]

@@THLR Question: is the 300NM still your favorate rifle for out a 1000 m, in the under 6.5 kelo class??

[@THLR]

@@joecizin9357 I have sold it since I the LR stuff is too small part of my shooting to justify the cost. Since I did this project there is several new developments in bullets. I find my most used LR cartridge is 6,5x284. But when power and range is wanted 300 NM is my favorite (I perfer it over the 338LM) but I suspect I would be equally happy shooting one of the new 7mm 180gr class bullets.

[@Josefselvadek]

Aim small, miss small ! But that's a tad too small....IMHO :-) Good shooting though !

[@THLR]

Hehe, the weight of the target was by far the most important feature! :D

[@randyschaff8939]

LOL 😂 GOOD point. When your rucksack already weighs 100 lbs and you are in mountainous terrain!🇨🇦🤠

[@sneakyhenry16]

Jeez bro don't pack your whole house on your back you won't get very far lol.

[@THLR]

I know , it's a real struggle moving around with all the camera stuff plus rifle gear .I am really looking forward to the day I call quits and just go hunting instead ;D