A Conversation with Anton Brask

A Product Manager with Many Hats

"Hunting is my greatest passion, and now I get to work with products used in hunting and shooting, so it's really exciting," Anton says enthusiastically.

As a product manager, Anton deals with development, production, and sales/marketing. However, a significant part of his role revolves around monitoring the product portfolio: What should it consist of? What can be phased out, and most importantly, what should be introduced?

"These are some of the questions I ponder over, and it makes me an active player in product development," he explains.

The role is time-consuming and requires effective collaboration. Anton is grateful for the team he has around him.

The Silencer Series – Solving a Modern Problem

When asked if there is something he is particularly proud of, Anton's response is swift.

The issue has arisen as suppressors have become more popular. More people who purchase a rifle with a suppressor tend to shorten the barrel for added convenience, since suppressors add length. When you cut the barrel, you lose velocity on the projectile, and you also get unburnt powder because the powder doesn't have enough time to burn completely in a shorter barrel. This results in a larger muzzle flash and increased muzzle pressure – which isn't ideal for the suppressor.

"With the Silencer series, we've developed a family of cartridges that provide higher velocity in short barrels (50 cm), comparable to the velocity a standard cartridge achieves in a standard barrel (61 cm). It also reduces muzzle flash and muzzle pressure," Anton explains.

The Transition to Lead-Free

The commitment to lead-free ammunition occupies a significant part of Anton's time at the factory.

"The latest product in our rifle ammunition range is ECOSTRIKE, which you can say is an expanding copper bullet designed to perform similarly to ORYX. It expands, retains high weight, and is kind to the meat," Anton says.

"Then we have EVOSTRIKE, a different type of bullet that aims for more immediate effectiveness upon impact. It's for the hunter looking for more immediate results. It's a collaboration we have with our sister company RWS, where they've developed a dual-core bullet made of tin."

Lead has been used in hunting and shooting ammunition for many years and has been present since NORMA began producing ammunition in the first modest two-room facility in 1902. Going lead-free is still relatively new for NORMA's personnel – they've worked with lead for over 100 years, and it requires a lot of work and thought to transition to and develop lead-free products.

Why Lead is Hard to Replace

"Lead is a material you can call forgiving," Anton says, using ORYX as an example.

"It has a bonded lead core, and if you shoot it at high speed and at very close range, it expands more and becomes a shorter bullet compared to how it looked initially – almost like a big mushroom."

A copper bullet like ECOSTRIKE behaves differently. If it hits at too high a speed and perhaps on hard bone, creating a lot of resistance, the mushroom goes down to the base. If it still has too much velocity when the mushroom reaches the bottom of the internal hole, there's a risk the wings will break off. Finding the right expansion window for a range of velocities is a significant challenge.

"Lead is also a bit softer than copper, so at lower velocities or longer distances, it's easier to get a lead bullet to open up and expand. A copper bullet really needs velocity to expand well."

From Idea to Product

What's the process when faced with a new challenge to solve?

"We start a project group that collectively tackles preliminary studies and simulations, and then we test various prototypes both in the machinery and, of course, on ballistics."

It requires a lot of work, especially in terms of finding the right material and function, before a new product can be released. Anton takes ECOSTRIKE, which was launched 5–6 years ago, as an example.

"We started with a caliber, a bullet weight, and then we slowly but surely worked our way forward. It takes about a year to come up with a new caliber and bullet weight that you know shoots accurately and effectively."

"We've used lead for so many years, and now we have to transition quickly. It's a significant challenge."

Rigorous Testing, High Confidence

How much responsibility does Anton feel when new products are released?

"We take it very seriously, and when we release something, we want it to work well. We invest a lot of time in developing a new bullet or even just a new bullet weight or caliber. We examine and test various scenarios extensively."

"So the answer is yes – there's pressure. But when we release something, we're confident it will work. And that's thanks to our rigorous testing process."

The Full Lead-Free Range

NORMA's lead-free lineup spans across multiple segments:

Centerfire rifle: EVOSTRIKE and ECOSTRIKE, along with solids for big game hunting in Africa, such as buffalo.

Rimfire: ECOPOWER, a zinc bullet with a copper jacket that effectively fragments, and ECOSPEED, a solid zinc bullet with a copper jacket designed to stay intact.

Shotgun: NORMA Wetland – steel shot cartridges primarily for waterfowl hunting in wetlands – and Steelmax for clay shooting.

Expanding the Family

Looking ahead, Anton and his colleagues will continue expanding the lead-free product lineup.

"In the case of ECOSTRIKE, it has recently launched in the immensely popular 6.5, but we are working on expanding to more popular calibers. These are known as line extensions within the existing family."

Anton also anticipates an increasing trend toward lead-free products in shooting cinemas, where more and more customers demand non-toxic ammunition.

"It's something we hope to investigate and provide a solution for as soon as possible," Anton says, glancing at the drafting table.