Question about old ammo

[Sc2137]

Hi Group,

A friend of mine was recently cleaning out her basement and found a box of ammunition which belonged to her recently deceased husband. She was wondering if it had any historical / or collectible value since to her knowledge, her husband did not own a long gun. The box is NORMA 7.7 Jap. 180 Gr. Soft Point Pointed Boattail “INDEX NO.58

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Roughedge]

No value unless you have a 7.7 to shoot it in. If its corroded get rid of it.

[44 AMP]

No value unless you have a 7.7 to shoot it in.

To you.

Unless damaged beyond use, ammo always has some value, to someone. Might not be much, but there's always some.

There are two items here, the box and what's in it. Condition matters, regarding value.

Norma is commercial ammo, made in Europe (Sweden) and generally regarded as good to high quality stuff. Prices reflect that when buying new, too.

There are people who collect old ammunition and especially the boxes.

Take a look at the ammo in the box, is it what the box says?? Norma made factory ammo will say Norma on the brass. If the cases say "NORMA re" they were made and sold as brass for reloading.

Factory ammo in 7.7Jap, even made in the 60s can still be viable, if in good shape, and if not, the bullets and brass probably still are.

If the box is in good to excellent shape it may have some value to a collector, if the ammo is clean it has value to a 7.7 owner /reloader for components, at the least.

You might give a call or send an Email to Norma, (describing it, with the lot#), they MIGHT be able to tell you roughly when it was made.

[T. O'Heir]

NORMA is a commercial ammo company from Sweden. At one time, a lot of the odd ball cartridges/ammo were only made by them. It's expensive because it comes from Europe. It's quality isn't any better than any other brand. Nor does it have any collector value.
Current Norma 7.7x58 Jap ammo(used in Japanese Arisaka Type 99 battle rifles during W.W. II) is only available with a 174 grain SP. (That's a hunting bullet.) Runs about $40 per 20. It appears that Norma hasn't shipped any for some time though.
A 180 grain SP Norma ammo dates from before 2010.
The brass probably has more value than the loaded ammo. Loaded ammo needs to be stored correctly. Your friend's basement may or may not have be suitable. Cool and dry with consistent humidity.

[Unclenick]

That's not entirely accurate. Norma started in Norway in 1895 making military projectiles. The Swedish operation for ammunition was started in 1902 by invitation, just 11 miles from the border with Norway*. Norma cases are about on par with Lapua cases and typically have about twice the geometric precision of domestic brands (less wall thickness runout, for example) and have no flash hole burrs, etc. So they are a cut above average if the tighter geometry matters to the kind of shooting you do. All Weatherby branded ammunition is made by Norma and always has been. Some lots of Remington brass have been made by Norma at times, but not sold for any more than other Remington brass. Indeed, Remington wanted to buy Norma at one point. Currently, Norma is owned by RUAG.

The 180-grain bullet, if factory-loaded by Norma, isn't any longer usual, so that, alone, may interest a bullet collector. The suggestion to contact Norma is a good one, and they invite contact with questions on their website. Email them to: [email protected]

*The official company history says 20 km, but Google Earth shows 17.75 km, which is just about 11 miles.

[Paul B.]

"Take a look at the ammo in the box, is it what the box says?? Norma made factory ammo will say Norma on the brass. If the cases say "NORMA re" they were made and sold as brass for reloading."

When I had my 6.5x54 M/S, Norma factory loaded ammo cases were stamped RE. Currently I have 5 boxed of Norma .257 Roberts factory ammo and the cases are stamped RF. Dunno if they still stamp RE on their current brass but if memory serves, it meant that the brass vould be reloaded after first use.
Paul B.