Where's the Varget?
- Thread starter miles13
- Start date
now in stock... https://reloadingunlimited.com/product/hodgdon-varget/
newbieshooter
:-)
Powder Valley also has 49 8-pounders in stock.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
Hopefully, the OP is still reading this post and now knows the answer to the never-ending, and possibly most important question in the universe, "Where's all the Varget?".
Seriously, if you check with a number online vendors regularly, you will find that it will be in and out of stock periodically. Don't wait until you're down to the last pound, buy some more when it's in stock, long before you run out.
Any time threads like this show up online, they have a tendency to create a buying panic, regardless of whether there is any good reason. Although I still had plenty Varget remaining in my previous Lot, I had been thinking for the last several months it was probably time to replenish my supply. After seeing the comments herein, such as that there won't be any more Varget until 2020, and that there's a dock workers' strike in Australia so it can't be shipped here, you have no way of knowing what's really going on. Obviously, neither of those events turned out to be completely correct as Varget now seems to be back on the shelves here. Nonetheless, after I first read this thread, I found two 8-pounders at my favorite online vendor...as it turned out, the last two they had. I also found several online vendors that held one pound jugs of H4895, which someone else suggested "couldn't be found anywhere". Taking the time to search carefully online can sometimes work in your favor when you hear reports that some particular item is out of stock everywhere.
Seriously, if you check with a number online vendors regularly, you will find that it will be in and out of stock periodically. Don't wait until you're down to the last pound, buy some more when it's in stock, long before you run out.
Any time threads like this show up online, they have a tendency to create a buying panic, regardless of whether there is any good reason. Although I still had plenty Varget remaining in my previous Lot, I had been thinking for the last several months it was probably time to replenish my supply. After seeing the comments herein, such as that there won't be any more Varget until 2020, and that there's a dock workers' strike in Australia so it can't be shipped here, you have no way of knowing what's really going on. Obviously, neither of those events turned out to be completely correct as Varget now seems to be back on the shelves here. Nonetheless, after I first read this thread, I found two 8-pounders at my favorite online vendor...as it turned out, the last two they had. I also found several online vendors that held one pound jugs of H4895, which someone else suggested "couldn't be found anywhere". Taking the time to search carefully online can sometimes work in your favor when you hear reports that some particular item is out of stock everywhere.
I see out of stock right now
DirtySteve
Gold $$ Contributor
Because everyone reading this thread bought some.. lol.
newbieshooter
:-)
Only 1 now
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
See the following burn rate chart:
https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/burn-rate-color.pdf
You can almost take your pick between #87 (IMR 8208 XBR) and #113 (VV N150). Most of the powders in that range have been (or can be) used as substitutes for Varget. IMO - among the best choices would probably be H4895, IMR4166, IMR4320, or VVN140.
Thanks.....got the last 8 pounder
Well thank you for that. So H322 even though its accurate in my rifle, just wont push the bullet as fast as vartget etc?
Looks like AA2520 is real close also and I have some of that on the shelf too.
Thanks again.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
I've used H322 with heavy (90 gr) bullets in .223 Rem with a 30" barrel. IMO, it's simply has too fast a burn rate for such an application and creates pressures issues well before something like H4895 or Varget. In a .223 Rem with 80.5 gr bullets and a much shorter barrel, I've used H322 with excellent results. I've never tried H322 in any other caliber, although I suspect it could work in a variety of different applications, especially those with relatively light-for-caliber bullets. It's an awesome powder for the right application. In my mind, I tend to think of H322 as being in the same class as Benchmark and IMR 8208 XBR, which are just a bit faster than Varget, although you could easily argue that they could be classified as being at the upper end of powders in the general burn rate range of Varget. Powders in this range excel in the .223 Rem with light to medium weight bullets, PPC, and a number of other smaller cartridges. They can work also very well in a .308 Win with light to med weight bullets (</= ~160 gr).
So the real key is to choose a powder that's optimal for the specific situation. Cartridge, barrel length, bullet weight, and other factors, all have an influence on what powders will work optimally. So there is often quite a bit of overlap between powders that are roughly in the burn rate range of Varget. The choice is often not about velocity. I will almost always take precision over velocity, and with many of the powders in this range you're only talking about differences in velocity for tuned loads of maybe 50-75 fps or so. That is not a huge velocity difference, IMO, and not something for which I would be willing to trade the best precision. There are also pressure and brass life considerations, and sometimes powders that are considered "very fast burning" for a specific application tend to generate higher start pressures and be harder on brass.
In general, a powder that gives you reasonable velocity (i.e. not necessarily the highest velocity) with excellent precision is the best way to go, IMO. If you want more velocity you can always go with a double base powder, accepting that it will potentially be more sensitive to temperature changes. Velocity without good precision isn't of very much use, so a powder that gets you to approximately the same velocity region as other powders in the same burn rate range, but with better accuracy/precision, is what I usually try to look for.
So the real key is to choose a powder that's optimal for the specific situation. Cartridge, barrel length, bullet weight, and other factors, all have an influence on what powders will work optimally. So there is often quite a bit of overlap between powders that are roughly in the burn rate range of Varget. The choice is often not about velocity. I will almost always take precision over velocity, and with many of the powders in this range you're only talking about differences in velocity for tuned loads of maybe 50-75 fps or so. That is not a huge velocity difference, IMO, and not something for which I would be willing to trade the best precision. There are also pressure and brass life considerations, and sometimes powders that are considered "very fast burning" for a specific application tend to generate higher start pressures and be harder on brass.
In general, a powder that gives you reasonable velocity (i.e. not necessarily the highest velocity) with excellent precision is the best way to go, IMO. If you want more velocity you can always go with a double base powder, accepting that it will potentially be more sensitive to temperature changes. Velocity without good precision isn't of very much use, so a powder that gets you to approximately the same velocity region as other powders in the same burn rate range, but with better accuracy/precision, is what I usually try to look for.
243Lapua
Silver $$ Contributor
Went to visit a friend in South Texas. Town called Pharr TX. Walked into a sporting store called Point Blank. Out of curiosity I asked a salesperson if they had any Varget. And sure thing they had 5 - 1lbs containers. I only bought 2 lbs just to have even though I don't use it that much. 3 1 lbs containes were on the powder display just in case someone lives around that area.
power55316
Gold $$ Contributor
i got vary lucky today and found a local supplyer with two eight pounders
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