VV N550 barrel life

[rfwind]

I’ve read multiple posts here and even contacted a VihtaVouri rep regarding decreased barrel life with VV N550. The VV rep said he competed with VV550 loads (didn’t relate the discipline) without adverse barrel life. Others experience seems to be that it does affect barrel life.
I have 2 pounds produced in late 2020 that I bought as an available alternative to IMR 4350. My primary use would be in the .280 Remington cartridge for hunting.
Any thoughts or experiences?
Thanks

 

[Webster]

How many shots a year? 1500 shots could last a life time.

 

[kyreloader]

Hunting barrel, I would rock on and not worry about it!

 

[boltfluter]

I’ve read multiple posts here and even contacted a VihtaVouri rep regarding decreased barrel life with VV N550. The VV rep said he competed with VV550 loads (didn’t relate the discipline) without adverse barrel life. Others experience seems to be that it does affect barrel life.
I have 2 pounds produced in late 2020 that I bought as an available alternative to IMR 4350. My primary use would be in the .280 Remington cartridge for hunting.
Any thoughts or experiences?
Thanks

To my way of thinking, which may be totally wrong, the rate of fire would be much more important than the powder you are shooting. A glowing barrel, with any powder, will kill it very fast. Just my 2c.
Paul

 

[Laurie]

N550 will produce significant throat wear with heavy, maximum pressure loads and strings of shots. It heats the barrel and chamber up quickly in such situations. Keep loads/pressures down a bit and barrel life will be pretty well as normal for the bullet speeds with other powders.

However, I would wonder about this grade's suitability for 280 Rem. Despite what burning-rate charts show, this is a much 'quicker' grade than IMR/H4350. In actual applications it runs between H. VarGet and the 4350s, and I'd say closer to VarGet. As Viht doesn't provide any data for the cartridge, I'd suggest erring very heavily on the cautious side with your starting loads, and if your loads-data source lists VarGet or IMR-4895 with your bullet weight, using their starting loads and working up carefully from there.

Also, do NOT trust QuickLOAD results with the default powder values if you use this program. It overestimates safe loads and underestimates pressures/MVs.

Here are N550 range-test results for 260 Rem and 7mm-08 Rem, both in long-freebore chambers with bullet seated out at well over max SAAMI lengths.

http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=3483

http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=3657

 

[rwj]

N550 will produce significant throat wear with heavy, maximum pressure loads and strings of shots. It heats the barrel and chamber up quickly in such situations.

Is this because N550 is a double base powder containing nitrocellulose?

 

[Laurie]

Is this because N550 is a double base powder containing nitrocellulose?

Yes and no as I know what you mean, but you've confused nitroglycerin with nitrocellulose. All commercial smokeless powders use nitrocellulose, and if that's the sole 'energetic' component are called 'single-based'.

Strictly speaking, the Viht N500 powders are what propellants chemists call 'high-energy' types as they are made by treating single-based nitrocellulose-only powder kernels with nitroglycerin at a late stage of the manufacturing process.

 

[TexasC]

N550 high energy powder - Vihtavuori

Vihtavuori N550 – powerful loads for hunting Vihtavuori’s N550 rifle powder was originally developed for .30-06 Springfield and .308 Win. calibers in the late 90’s. The N550 is an ideal fit for many of the 30 caliber magnums with lighter bullets, but also useful across a wide range of bore sizes...

www.vihtavuori.com

The burning rate of N550 is similar to that of the N150 rifle powder and it’s on the medium scale of our high energy powders. Higher velocity is acquired with equal pressure compared to the N100 series – without increased wear on the rifle!

Must be a lot of blather out there for VV to add this specific few sentences to a product description, for me I will believe the manufacturer and happily use what I bought for the intended purpose. That being a replacement for AL RL TS15.5. I will admit that I think VV N540 burns a little hotter than some others. But it does things others don't!

TexasC

 

[Ned Ludd]

Barrels are consumable items. Every powder known to man will promote barrel wear and reduce barrel life. Powders that burn hotter and have higher intrinsic energy content will cause a barrel to wear more quickly. It's really that simple. Velocity isn't without cost, nor are the higher energy powders typically used to generate greater velocity.

 

[ronemus]

In .223 people claim barrel lives of 8-15k rounds, but I typically get ~3,500 using max loads of N-550 under 75 gr Hornady bullets (A-Max and BTHP Match) in LC or Winchester brass using cut-rifled barrels (Krieger or Bartlein). I'm OK with that, but would like more. I'll probably try Bartlein's BBmod400 steel in my next barrel to see if it improve barrel life as much as claimed; 3,500 is barely on season when I'm actively competing.

 

[TTE]

To my way of thinking, which may be totally wrong, the rate of fire would be much more important than the powder you are shooting. A glowing barrel, with any powder, will kill it very fast. Just my 2c.
Paul

Many good replies here.

Here is a powder "heat chart"

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

I’ve read multiple posts here and even contacted a VihtaVouri rep regarding decreased barrel life with VV N550. The VV rep said he competed with VV550 loads (didn’t relate the discipline) without adverse barrel life. Others experience seems to be that it does affect barrel life.
I have 2 pounds produced in late 2020 that I bought as an available alternative to IMR 4350. My primary use would be in the .280 Remington cartridge for hunting.
Any thoughts or experiences?
Thanks

I use 5 series in all my hunting guns, I doubt I hunt enough to really think about the cost of 5 series vs say 1 series on my hunting barrels but monitoring them and comparing them to my comp rifles runnig 1 series I can say it looks like they are harder on barrels but your not going to kill a 308 or 30.06 hunting rifle/barrel with N540 or N550 in a 1000 rounds.

 

[rfwind]

Thanks to all; just what I was looking for. The heat chart info was very interesting; I may rethink some of the other powders I use. Good to see some of my favorite ancient IMR powders are in the midrange on the heat scale.
Also helpful were direct experience comments on the 223 and hunting vs target rifles.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

Try some N160 in your 280

 

[ebb]

^^^^^^^^^^^^ this right here! VV165 might even work well. One of the coldest powders on the temp chart. But even if you decide to use the VV550, you get to decide how much to use.