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Hi all.

So I have asked this before but then I left it alone because of this whole pandemic. Now it's getting to the time where I was to start making up some rounds again.

I have 200x Hornady 178gr HPBT Match (30715) bullets

On Hornady reloading tables they list several bullets into a group, and then give a group reloading dataset. Within this group is also the 180gr Interlock SP (3070).

Now the reloading data here does not list Vihtavuori N140 which unfortunately I bought 1kg bottle of the same day not knowing that Hornady don't list it. I contacted them and they just said that V didn't work for them.

On my Vihtavuori loading guide, it doesn't have the 178gr bullets, but it does have the load data for the 180gr SP's using N140.

My question is, if Hornady are saying that all of these bullets in the group effectively work the same with that one set of data, with the powders listed, then would that carry across to Vihtavuori also?

I just don't want to waste this N140 and/or have to buy a different powder which I will have to wait till they reopen if I can help it. Many thanks.

N140 is probably a bit quick for a 178/180 grain projectile. I would not necessarily lump all 178/180 grain projectiles together either as some are flat based, some boat tailed and this may give longer bearing surfaces and accordingly different pressures. Hopefully Laurie Holland will be along in a bit and give you a definitive answer.

Ovenpaa wrote:N140 is probably a bit quick for a 178/180 grain projectile. I would not necessaries lump all 178/180 grain projectiles together either as some are flat based, some boat tailed and this may give longer bearing surfaces and accordingly different pressures. Hopefully Laurie Holland will be along in a bit and give you a definitive answer.

Hi mate. Thank you very much for your reply. Hope you are keeping safe in this crazy world at the moment. Yes I didn’t think it was particularly amazing Hornady to just a lump about 10 different bullets of different sizes weights and shapes with the same load data. Very odd. (Not that I know a great deal about it.)

The dilemma I’ve got is I’ve got £80 worth of powder, but don’t know whether to just go and buy some reloader 17 which they do list data for. But then again, it’s going to be the data that’s used for ALL of them. And it’s the only place I can find that particular bullet with data. So frustrating


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just to accentuate what Ovenpaa said, even if they lump them together best to start low and work up, as an example I loaded up some 180 softpoints for pigs in .308, I started low by the book as I needed them in a short time not after an extended series of tests, after zeroing typically I didn't get to use them as the pigs all went to my mates area
anyway a couple of months later I had the opportunity to chrono those loads, they were doing 2600fps from a 20" barrel! this was with a near starting load of N140! no hard extract, no extractor wipe and no excessive primer flattening compared to my normal target or hunting loads! so always work up a load. having said that the N140 obviously worked for that load.
RL17 is now RS60 by the way