VV 550 - good for what?
- Thread starter Baer45
- Start date
I checked the site but just because it is listed does not really tell me anything...it would be great if someone had great success with it as a go to competition powder like Varget, H4350, etc.
I shoot mostly, 223, 6XC, 6.5 creedmore, 6.5x47Lapua and 308
Roeder
Silver $$ Contributor
I have been experimenting with N550 in my 6X47 and 6.5X47 Lapua. So far, I have found that a little less powder than H4350 produces higher velocities and promising velocity spreads. It seem that this powder performs as advertised as far as high energy. In the 6X47 I tested 40.0 and 40.5 grains with the Berger 95 VLD. The 40.5 may be a little too hot although there were no pressure signs. The velocity spread opened up quite a bit. The 40.0 load had a low spread and shot very well. In the 6.5X47 with Berger 130 VLDs, I got up to 39.5 grains with low velocity spread and some very small groups.
I need to shoot this powder more and try it during warmer weather to see how it behaves. So far, I am impressed and hopeful.
Kurz
Silver $$ Contributor
6.5 Creedmoor w/130 Norma VLD @ 3,100 fps (1,000 yard Match load)
.308 Win. w/230 gr. A-Tip @ 2,550 fps (testing against the 215 Bergers)
You can load the 6.5x47 with this powder but you lose 100 fps to the Creedmoor.
I'm testing the 147 gr. Hornady's again but I'm not holding my breath... 2,900 fps
.308 Win. w/230 gr. A-Tip @ 2,550 fps (testing against the 215 Bergers)
You can load the 6.5x47 with this powder but you lose 100 fps to the Creedmoor.
I'm testing the 147 gr. Hornady's again but I'm not holding my breath... 2,900 fps
Great! That sounds promising...I have a bunch of coated Berger hybrid 130’s. Maybe I can load a few today. The only VV powders I used were for my handguns and they were top performers there....n310 was the best wad cutter 45acp load I ever had...
Longtrain
Gold $$ Contributor
A while back I tried N550 in my 223 with 75 grain AMX’s, supposedly it would give higher velocity and less pressure. It worked well, used it for FTR for a while, once the new FClass target came out, the wind blew them all over the place. But, it was very accurate, under .2 @ 100 yards.
Roeder
Silver $$ Contributor
I remember back in the 90s, the Marine Corps rifle and pistol teams started handloading. They let on that they were using N310 with Nosler 185 JHPs. They won a lot back in those days. The JHPs made a smaller hole than wadcutters, so they called for a plug for every shot that looked close....
Bill Norris
Back in the Day
I just loaded a few 6mmBR 109 gr. Berger LRHT with VV-N550. Berger customer service has load data but will not give out unless you call them. Very informative with their load data though.
Good idea!
Makes a 30.06 sing with a 200gr bullet
Check the VIHTAVOURI website here: https://www.vihtavuori.com/reloading-data/rifle-reloading/ . I use N-550 IN MY .308 , 6.5X47 LAPUA and 6mm BR . Also was my powder of choice when I shot PALMA many moons ago. And it is a TEMP STABLE powder.
IMO. many Viht powders are shown as being slower burning in charts than they behave in actual cartridges. So, although N150 and 550 are shown as being equivalent in this respect to the 4350s, they are often closer to VarGet / 4064 / 4320 in their behaviours and applications than to IMR and H4350. (No doubt, this is why Vihtavuori is introducing the new N555 'High-Energy' grade imminently to provide an optimum 4350-type match for 6.5mm Hornady Creedmoor and cartridges with similar case capacity to bore ratios.)
In the UK, we long used N550 in hot 308 Win F/TR and 'Match Rifle' loads with large primer brass especially with 185gn bullets. When the Lapua 'Palma' small primer case appeared, we found we could get as good MVs, or at least as high enough as wanted, with the single-based N150, so 550 saw a big decline in F/TR use as there are always concerns with barrel wear with powders incorporating nitroglycerin. (I believe that given the N150 loads / pressures being run, there is no actual difference in this respect between the pair these days.) I suspect the MR boys and girls still use N550 as MV + heavy and high-BC bullets is everything to them. (308 Win used at up to 1,200 yards in the UK / Canada, and up to 1,500 yards on one range in Australia.) But as they're a very secretive bunch who rarely share pet loads, I may be well off base here.
Like N150, it does very well in the 6mm BR Norma too with 105 to 108s, but as N150 is superb here, I and most others prefer to use the single-based version again. (However, where you have a 'slow' barrel, the higher energy and denser 550 may allow enough powder in the case to achieve the desired MVs where N150 drops short.)
The Canadian 223 F/TR and TR shooters long used N550 once >80gn bullets came into use. I found it gave good MVs, but couldn't get groups and MV ESs small enough with 90s and H. VarGet and Re15 gave better results.
My next use with 550 was 6XC with 105-108s where it performed very well indeed. However, when Alliant Re17 appeared, we found that powder would let you into the 3,020-3,050 fps or even higher nodes with less pressure and better brass life (but at the expense of barrels and in continental North America temperature stability).
Given its position between VarGet and the 4350s, N550 has multiple applications across a wide range of cartridges and calibres as many of the previous posts show. It's also pretty dense so you can pack a lot in where space is a limiting factor. It's a forgiving flexible number too. For one reason or other though I cannot think of an application where people say this is the powder to use - so it does lots of jobs very well indeed, but seems to lose out on the exclusive 'this is the one you must try' accolade. I'm sure though that there are some such applications especially amongst the smaller case 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges and would welcome people proving me wrong here.
In the UK, we long used N550 in hot 308 Win F/TR and 'Match Rifle' loads with large primer brass especially with 185gn bullets. When the Lapua 'Palma' small primer case appeared, we found we could get as good MVs, or at least as high enough as wanted, with the single-based N150, so 550 saw a big decline in F/TR use as there are always concerns with barrel wear with powders incorporating nitroglycerin. (I believe that given the N150 loads / pressures being run, there is no actual difference in this respect between the pair these days.) I suspect the MR boys and girls still use N550 as MV + heavy and high-BC bullets is everything to them. (308 Win used at up to 1,200 yards in the UK / Canada, and up to 1,500 yards on one range in Australia.) But as they're a very secretive bunch who rarely share pet loads, I may be well off base here.
Like N150, it does very well in the 6mm BR Norma too with 105 to 108s, but as N150 is superb here, I and most others prefer to use the single-based version again. (However, where you have a 'slow' barrel, the higher energy and denser 550 may allow enough powder in the case to achieve the desired MVs where N150 drops short.)
The Canadian 223 F/TR and TR shooters long used N550 once >80gn bullets came into use. I found it gave good MVs, but couldn't get groups and MV ESs small enough with 90s and H. VarGet and Re15 gave better results.
My next use with 550 was 6XC with 105-108s where it performed very well indeed. However, when Alliant Re17 appeared, we found that powder would let you into the 3,020-3,050 fps or even higher nodes with less pressure and better brass life (but at the expense of barrels and in continental North America temperature stability).
Given its position between VarGet and the 4350s, N550 has multiple applications across a wide range of cartridges and calibres as many of the previous posts show. It's also pretty dense so you can pack a lot in where space is a limiting factor. It's a forgiving flexible number too. For one reason or other though I cannot think of an application where people say this is the powder to use - so it does lots of jobs very well indeed, but seems to lose out on the exclusive 'this is the one you must try' accolade. I'm sure though that there are some such applications especially amongst the smaller case 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges and would welcome people proving me wrong here.
What weights in 308 did you use it with? VV shows it as their accuracy load with 168’s
Sounds like it should do well in 6XC with the 115’s?
If I were still shooting 6XC, I'd certainly give N555 a try. Once (if ever!) we get back to normal shooting here post-Covid, I intend to try this grade in a series of tests I'm running looking at H4350 and H4831 alternatives. (IMR and H4350, 4831 etc are no longer allowed to be imported into Europe due to regulatory changes.) That's in a 7mm-08 F-Class rifle loading 160gn Sierra TMKs.
I used to use N550 to load .223 for 600 yds. Sierra 80 gn molly-coated bullets. I can't say it was a great success. I have not shot .223 in competition for 10 years, so I can't really compare it with anything.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.