.243 VihtaVuori Powder = Heavy Bullets

ktm450

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H4831 is/has been out of stock forever. I am deep in the weeds on reloads for 103, 105, and 108 class bullets in a couple .243’s. VV powder is very easy to get and looks to be a good substitute on paper.

Does anyone have first-hand experience with VV160 or VV165 for heavy bullets in a .243?
 
Thanks. N555 seemed to have a burn rate close the R16 and 4350’s. N160 and N165 looked better for 100+ bullets? I appreciate the responses and will experiment with some.
 
Yea I’m sure they would work well. Yea I tried N555 because it was close to H4350 and R16. Both of those seem to be very popular for the 6 creed with heavier bullets.

Here is a pic of the Hornady reloading manual for 6 creedmoor and 105-110 bullet range.
 

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I have no experience using VV powders. However they are listed in the Lee manual. The pictures below are from the manual.
IMG_8353.jpegIMG_8352.jpeg
 

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Haven’t tested for accuracy but n565 gave me a full case and good velocity with 105 Matchburner.

Just shot a couple over the chrono to get a feel where it would be.
 
i have used varget, H4350, H4831 "like" (midwest powder) in W760, 4000MR, Big Game, IMR4350, N555, N560, supreme 780 with 108's. my .243 is picky about velocity and accuracy.
that being said, they all gave acceptable velocity. N560 was the highest fps iirc.
as for the varget, im loading long and theres no 108gr published data. i used GRT, i never had pressure signs on the primer/brass or heavy bolt lift. I still feel like its not the best idea in the back of my mind, so dont use varget with heavies.
 
I like N555 in 6 creed and it would be a good fit for 243 IMO. It is between H4350 and H4831 in charge weights for pressure. N160 or 165 would be good too i'm sure and 560 and 565 would also likely work. Lots of good options.
 
Depending on what you have in stock and what your needs for the load are, RL19 works well with 103 grain bullets.
 
Firsthand experience in .243? No.

But I have used VV powders for a long time, at least as far back as 20 years ago, and still use several of them. I use N110 and N120 in smokeless muzzleloader, N133 in 6.8 spc, I have used N160 in several things, and use N565 in my .280ai.

Also, I use GRT for a lot of things and have done so for several years now. It is not perfect. All models are incorrect; some are useful. GRT has always been useful to me and if it says that one powder will perform better than another in terms of max velocity I generally believe it to be fairly accurate. Also, where it errs, the errors are often attributable to variances in cases or throat lengths, etc, and at least generally, if GRT says I can hit a certain speed with a certain powder/bullet, I can do so, though I may need more or less powder to do so. It has also taught me the importance of seating depth to pressure and velocity, which I freely admit I didn't really understand for a long time.

Based on this info below I'd look for some N560 if I were you. I've never used N560 but I can tell you that N565 is great in my .280ai; it makes more speed than IMR8133 did with the 180eldm and once I got to that point I didn't even push load development anymore. No need. Those things fly well enough to kill stuff bigger than I shoot, further than I shoot.

Anyway - worth what it cost you - here's a comparison to some of the powders mentioned in this thread, with the 243/108:

243GRT108.jpg


ETA: I bet N565 would work too but while I don't mind compressed loads at all, I have found that sometimes what looks like an awesome combo on paper ends up not working because I can't stuff as much powder in the case as GRT thinks I ought to be able to, even if I adjust the model's case volume to match my own.
 
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