Musings on powder choice, any advice appreciated.

[Daryll]

For several years I've been using H335 for reloading .223 and .308 (Steyr AUG, 20'', 1:9 twist, using 55 and 69gn bullets and Mossberg MVP 18.5'' 1:10 twist, using 155 and 175gn bullets).
I am also thinking about getting another .223 that has a better trigger than the AUG..!

Due to the REACH regulations, H335 will vanish, so I'm looking for another versatile powder that will produce good accuracy in all my calibres and weights.

I'm basically a plinker.... I enter club comps, but I'm not into FT/R, CSR or anything special, and fairly limited to the club 25 and 50 yd ranges, (a 100yd range is in the planning stage), although we do get out on some of the Thetford ranges at 100, 300 and 600yds a few times a year.

So I'm looking for one powder that is easily available, reasonably cheap, usable for both calibres and all bullet weights, and will reach out to 600yds in my rifles.... accurately...

My current choices are Ramshot TAC or Wild Boar, or even Vhit N140 (Bought in bulk 3.5kg containers, Vhit N140 is actually cheaper per LB than the Ramshot powders...)

Can anyone make any other suggestions, or advise one way or another....

Thanks in advance...

Daryll.

[Sim G]

Having used H335 for 25 years in .223, I was concerned at REACH. N140 does a lot, very, very well.
(I am now mincing about with N135 in light .223 and N150 with heavier .308 just for S&Gs...)

One thing I really, really like about Vhit powders now is that it seems every gun shop you go into now has a good selection!

[WelshShooter]

Ramshot Tac is a ball powder very much like H335. It will work well for 223 and 308 for your applications. Vihtavuori N140 and Reload Swiss RS50 are extruded stick powders which will also work very well with 223 and 308. Oddly, I find that vihtavuori is a bit cleaner burning compared with RS50, with cases fired using the latter powder a bit harder to clean around the case necks.

Performance wide, and from a pinking point of view, you won't notice much difference between these powders, so I'd reccomend going with the powder that's readily available from your local RFD/gunshop.

[Daryll]

Thanks Sim and Welsh... I hadn't thought about N140 being a stick powder, thats a bonus for me.
i find that H335, being a ball powder, bounces everywhere when it being dispensed though my hornady auto powder dispenser and gets everywhere over my reloading bench... stick powder wouldn't do that.

Looks like N140 is a good bet then...

[Pete]

RS52 in 223 and 308 (and 6BR) works for me.............around £75/kilo

Pete

[Maggot]

RS52 in 223 and 308 (and 6BR) works for me.............around £75/kilo

Pete

This

[Daryll]

Damn you Pete and Maggot.... I had it all sorted in my mind to go with N140... then you throw another possibility in...

[rox]

RS50 could also be a good option, especially if you don't need the extra velocity offered by RS52 (and, I would assume, the reduced barrel life that goes with it). I use RS50 for the vast majority of my .308 loading with 155 and 168 grain projectiles, with great results back to 1000 yards; I break out the RS52 only for specialist extra-whizzy long range loads. In fact, RS40 could be another option but, as I understand it, it's a real barrel killer.

Damn you Pete and Maggot.... I had it all sorted in my mind to go with N140... then you throw another possibility in...

Sorry!

[WelshShooter]

RS40 and RS52 powders contain nitroglycerine which burns hotter than powders which do not and as rox mentions, reduces barrel life compared with RS50. You most likely won't see the benefits for short range and/or informal shooting, unless you shoot long range on the regular. These powders are equivalent to the Vihtavuori N5xx series of powders. N140 is in the same league, for want of better words, to RS50.

[Racalman]

I use N133 with 69gn Lapua Scenars in my .223. I have tried N140 but it wasn't quite as effective.

N140 works well with 175gn SMKs in my .308.