Any experience with VV N560?

[BearDown]

Hey everyone,

I’m new to reloading and wanted to see if anyone here has experience with Vihtavuori N560 in the 7mm Rem Mag. I’ve been running some simulations and, so far, N560 looks really promising in terms of velocity, burn efficiency, and load ratio. My setup is a Tikka T3x with a 24" barrel, and I’m loading Peterson brass to a COAL of 3.300" using the Barnes 145gr LRX. Vihtavuori lists load data for a similar 140gr Swift A-Frame with a range of 59.3 to 67.3 grains, so I’ve been using that as a rough guide. I know this might be an overly simplistic approach, but I figured if I stay within the pressure parameters for that bullet weight — while watching case pressure signs and staying below the theoretical max pressure — I’d be in a relatively safe range. Does that logic hold up? Or am I overlooking something obvious? Would love to hear from anyone who’s worked with N560 in this cartridge — or with similar component combos. Always open to advice.
Thanks in advance!
As for the data:
at 59.3gr:
At the max of 67.3:


So for a theoretical load...
A low for the 145gr LRX:

And a high of:

When comparing the two, it seems the muzzle pressure is a somewhat lower for the LRX when compared to the Swift, and it also shows a better load ratio and burn efficiency. Now I fully understand this is all simulation and not real-world data — I’m just trying to find a safe and reasonable starting place for developing this load. Thanks again for the advice and help!

- BearDown

 

[Shooter Mike]

In my experimentation with 7 PRC load development, N560 is what provided me the lowest SD/ES and best velocity from a 22" barrel using 168gr and 174gr Bergers. I sampled it against H1000, 4831SC and N165. None of the powerders were bad, but N560 was the winner at the end of the day.

 

[jeetS]

In my experimentation with 7 PRC load development, N560 is what provided me the lowest SD/ES and best velocity from a 22" barrel using 168gr and 174gr Bergers. I sampled it against H1000, 4831SC and N165. None of the powerders were bad, but N560 was the winner at the end of the day.

Did you try n565?

 

[Shooter Mike]

Did you try n565?

I did not.

 

[menhaden_man]

I went down the rabbit hole with my 7RM X Bolt I picked up during the scamdemic. 28” bbl with a 1:8 twist, which I guess they don’t make anymore.

Tried the 175 ELDX, one of the heavier ABLR (can’t recall), and 168 VLDs to start. The VLDs shot great with several powders. Then got a batch of 180 ELDMs from someone here and tried some iterations that looked ok but couldn’t quite hit the mark. Have used a lot of Retumbo H1000 H4831sc and IMR4350 (sneaky good).

Saw some VV560 and grabbed it before last years elk hunt. Loaded up just below max in the Hornady manual - 60 grains, 180 ELDM, Peterson brass (3x fired), 215 primers. This rifle has a long throat so it was 2.724” CBTO.

Only did five rounds but it was around 1 MOA, not too bad. But it was slow (~2675 fps) compared to the Retumbo load I was pinning down so I didn’t go any further.

I do plan on pushing it a little more - the long BTO and 28” barrel should push the 180 over 2900 (I got over 3100 with Retumbo but backed off a little).

Let us know what you learn - I’ll definitely be trying more of it after I’m done fiddling with a few other rifles.

 

[UnckleBob]

I am going to try it in 280 AI.

 

[2Stamp]

I'm trying it with 160 TMKs. I had to drop down .5 grain after the initial workup because I was getting ejecter marks now it's a little warmer. With 59gr I'm at 2936 with a 22" barrel. 59.5gr was getting me 3011.

 

[Yovi1991]

I’ve been using 560 in my 6.5 PRC w/ 156’s it’s not temp stable I’ve seen about 1fps change per degree

Speed and ES have been great tho single digit SDs