SaintPanzer
AH enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2021
- Messages
- 407
- Reaction score
- 1,205
- Location
- Somewhere west of Laramie
- Media
- 1
- Member of
- Dallas Safari Club; NRA Life Member; Mannlicher Collectors Association
- Hunted
- USA, Germany, Poland
I'm about to take a reloading pause, mostly because in about a month all my gear will be going into a container, to be shipped overseas, and it will be a while before I see it again. In the meantime, I can do research, and I'm trying to understand some things I don't fully understand so I can make better decisions. Hoping someone can help with the theory. Today's question relates to powder selection:
Of course, "use what's in the reloading manual" is the right answer... but let's get a little more specific than that. Most manuals I've seen list several powders. Some are even from the same company... and of course their marketing materials explain the differences, at least to a degree. What I am wondering is how you select between the two (or three or four or...) ?
Let me get a little specific, just to help with the hypothetical. I'm playing with a 30-06, which in this case has a 22 inch barrel. I have other toys with longer and shorter barrels, but let's stick with this one.
I also usually play with VV powders. That selection is a different rabbit hole, so let's stick with this one. Looking at the manual, I can choose N140, N150, N160, and N165. There are others, but let's stay there for now. That list is "most hot" at N140, and then less hot as they go on. Marketing materials all say they are "suitable". So how do you select between?
To list the "marketing materials:
N140: This powder is a true multipurpose powder, which can be used for a large range of calibers from .223 Remington to .308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield and .375 H&H Magnum, just to name few.
N150: It is commonly used with heavier bullets in accuracy loads and hunting loads in cartridges with middle case volumes, like the .30-06 Springfield, the .308 Winchester and the 6,5×55 SE.
N160: Vihtavuori’s N160 rifle powder is especially suitable for large and magnum calibers (especially belted Magnums) starting from 30-06 with heavier bullets, .243 Winchester, .260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×55 SE, 7 mm Weatherby Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum and all the Winchester Short Magnums. It also fits large capacity/small bore cartridges like the 6.5-284 Norma.
N165: N165 is a very slow burning rifle powder, making it a superior choice for the same range of cartridges as N160 when using heavier bullets. As slightly higher velocities can be achieved with N165, it is an excellent choice for long-range shooting and big game hunting.
Of course, those are only the N100 series powders.
If my rifle has a "shorter" barrel (22 inch instead of the "standard" 24 inch), should I go with a hotter powder to ensure a more complete burn in the barrel? What if the barrel was even shorter than that? Or will the slower burn lead to a more gradual pressure build, which would be good if I had an older rifle? Should a heavy for caliber bullet mean the slower powder? What do we mean by "heavy bullet"? 220 grains in a 30-06 strikes me as heavy, but 185 grains? 165? For that matter, is it "heavy for caliber"? My 6.5 shoots 140 and 160 grain bullets, with a smaller than Swede case capacity. My 9.5 shoots 270 grains, with but a 2.25 inch case. Would the N165 be good for all? Or do we go back to "short barrels/make sure it all gets burned? What about a light for caliber? Or, in these times, should I just grab whichever is on the shelf, as there's not a lot of choice out there these days?
I'm at the point where I can load safely, and am getting decent OCW tests to select a load, but I want to be better informed and have better reasons to make choices rather than "just guessing".
Thanks in advance.
Of course, "use what's in the reloading manual" is the right answer... but let's get a little more specific than that. Most manuals I've seen list several powders. Some are even from the same company... and of course their marketing materials explain the differences, at least to a degree. What I am wondering is how you select between the two (or three or four or...) ?
Let me get a little specific, just to help with the hypothetical. I'm playing with a 30-06, which in this case has a 22 inch barrel. I have other toys with longer and shorter barrels, but let's stick with this one.
I also usually play with VV powders. That selection is a different rabbit hole, so let's stick with this one. Looking at the manual, I can choose N140, N150, N160, and N165. There are others, but let's stay there for now. That list is "most hot" at N140, and then less hot as they go on. Marketing materials all say they are "suitable". So how do you select between?
To list the "marketing materials:
N140: This powder is a true multipurpose powder, which can be used for a large range of calibers from .223 Remington to .308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield and .375 H&H Magnum, just to name few.
N150: It is commonly used with heavier bullets in accuracy loads and hunting loads in cartridges with middle case volumes, like the .30-06 Springfield, the .308 Winchester and the 6,5×55 SE.
N160: Vihtavuori’s N160 rifle powder is especially suitable for large and magnum calibers (especially belted Magnums) starting from 30-06 with heavier bullets, .243 Winchester, .260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×55 SE, 7 mm Weatherby Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum and all the Winchester Short Magnums. It also fits large capacity/small bore cartridges like the 6.5-284 Norma.
N165: N165 is a very slow burning rifle powder, making it a superior choice for the same range of cartridges as N160 when using heavier bullets. As slightly higher velocities can be achieved with N165, it is an excellent choice for long-range shooting and big game hunting.
Of course, those are only the N100 series powders.
If my rifle has a "shorter" barrel (22 inch instead of the "standard" 24 inch), should I go with a hotter powder to ensure a more complete burn in the barrel? What if the barrel was even shorter than that? Or will the slower burn lead to a more gradual pressure build, which would be good if I had an older rifle? Should a heavy for caliber bullet mean the slower powder? What do we mean by "heavy bullet"? 220 grains in a 30-06 strikes me as heavy, but 185 grains? 165? For that matter, is it "heavy for caliber"? My 6.5 shoots 140 and 160 grain bullets, with a smaller than Swede case capacity. My 9.5 shoots 270 grains, with but a 2.25 inch case. Would the N165 be good for all? Or do we go back to "short barrels/make sure it all gets burned? What about a light for caliber? Or, in these times, should I just grab whichever is on the shelf, as there's not a lot of choice out there these days?
I'm at the point where I can load safely, and am getting decent OCW tests to select a load, but I want to be better informed and have better reasons to make choices rather than "just guessing".
Thanks in advance.