Has any one used the Vihtavuori powders? are they any good?
Sincerely stepinit

Use them all the time for 30-30 Win (N140), 308 Win (N-150), 30-06 (N 160), 338 Winmag (N 160), 35 Whelen (N 150), 375 Ruger (N160).

Good powders, work like a dream.

And by the way, welcome to the best forum there is

First-rate powders. love them in my small calibers as well.

They were my go-to powders in my BR rifles (N-133 in the .30PPC, N-135 in the .30BR).

The sole drawback to the Vihtavuori powders are the prices they charge for them. I have only used N-165 but it was the best powder I have used in my .270wsm.

I use N320 and N340 in handgun cartridges. Very clean and consistent burning

Very clean burning powders. I have been using N160 for over 15 years in my 280 Ackley Imp, 243, 7mm08. I also use the N560 in the 280 AI and I found this gave even better velocity. N165 was not so good for me but a great performer in the 7mm WSM of my friend'.

N150 does very well in the 7mm08 & 9.3X62. Yes they cost more than other powders.

I have used a ton of N130 and N133 in calibers such as .222 Rem, .223 Rem, 6mm PPC. N135 for 6mm BR, N135 and N150 for .308 (N140 being the classic choice, but I happened to have N135 and N150 at hand). N160 for calibers such as .270 Win and .30-06. N560 for .270 Wby - a combination with built-in light show...

- mike

The only thing wrong with Vihtavuori powder is the cost (and in some places, availability). I personally have never read anything negative about the quality or performance of Vihtavuori powders.

In addition to all the good qualities mentioned above, the powders also meter like a dream.

quote:

The sole drawback to the Vihtavuori powders are the prices they charge for them.

Totally agree.

Vihtavuori are the most consistent, lot to lot, of any powders I have ever used.

We use a lot of Vihtavuori powder over here. We dont have a heap of powder makers around us. Vihtapowder is very good and also cheaper than Norma powder.
I use N310 for sub loads in 308W, N120 and N130 for reduced loads in 375HH and 470NE, N133 and 135 for 45-70, N140 and N160 for real loads in 308W, 375HH and 470NE.
Works well for me.

In the UK it is the "go to" powder of choice for those who shoot old Lee Enfield rifles.

With either N140 or N150 you can exactly duplicate the British military 174 grain bullet at 2,450fps loading in 303 British.

I also used N160 in my 270 Winchester with 140 and 150 grain bullets and found it extremely accurate. The only downside? As others have said. It is expensive.

I also used N320 as a factory duplication load in the 38 Special with 158 grain RNL bullet.

I use them in a couple of calibers, very uniform. I get really small vel deviations & usually terrific accuracy w/ good vel. They are quite expensive comapred to US brands but fo the few 100 rifle rounds I shoot a year w/ themm, it's not a big deal.

Yep, expensive. Almost 2X here, where I live.
Clean, consistant, meters well, accurate? You betcha. Worth the price? Probably not.
I will ALWAYS have some on my bench, though.
I've used some in my Magnums (.300) and smaller rifles (.222) I've also used some in my pistols (41)
Have fun,
Gene

I live in Cebu, Central Philippines and as the saying goes, you can choose any powder you want for as long as it's Vihtavuori (ha ha). Seriously, it's the ONLY powder available here at $45.50 per pound. Most of you reloaders out there are lucky to have the priveledge of many choices.
I use 24 grains VV N133 under the Hornady 60 grain V Max with great results on my Douglas barreled Sako Vixen 223.
Happy hunting!

I use the Vv N5XX series powders almost exclusively.

I can get about 100-150fps more Mv @ a given pressure from my 8X57IS W/a 200gr bullet using Vv N550 than what I can get W/any other powders.

(I use Quickload for load developemnt)

These are high energy powders & they are very dense per volume.

One can use a slower powder @ a higher charge weight per case volume. This results in compressed loads that yield more MV & better standard deviation (accuracy) W/O exceeding safe pressure levels. I think Hornady uses a similar aproach for their "Light Magnum" loadings.



Very accurate too. Acording to Quickload predictions & case appearance/bolt lift, that load is under 60,000 psi & is used in a modern comercial M98 action.

N560 is a bit slower & better for larger volume cases/heavier bullets. N560 is a good substitute for RL 22 but not up to Norma MRP standards in large cases.

Have never tried them. With the quality they represent and what I hear, I'm afraid they would shoot VERY well and then I'd be tempted to use, what to me is, a VERY expensive powder compared to Hodgdon, IMR, AA, Ramshot and the Reloader series.

But then, that's just me.

Alan

I get some of my greatest speeds using VV powders in my 300 WM.

N-140 is the best powder out there for 7.62x54r.

quote:

Originally posted by 390ish:
N-140 is the best powder out there for 7.62x54r.

Then you should try some N540 or perhaps N550..

I'll bet you can get 100+fps more MV W/better accuracy W/a compressed load.

The VV powders are not all THAT much more expensive if you order online and shop around. Once you find a powder you like for a cartridge you shoot a lot, you can usually get a pretty good discount buying in bulk from the online retailers--especially those catering to the BR crowd like Bruno and Sinclair or others.

I think you'll find that n-135 is a pretty versatile powder as is N340 -- you can find VV's recommended applications here:

http://www.lapua.com/en/home.html

Don't worry if the link takes you to Lapua--they are the same outfit.

You can use VV N340 for the standard weight bullet in 9mm, 40S&W and 45 ACP. As noted above; it meters very easily. When I could shoot it was my first choice.

All of Sako's factory loads are made with VV powders. I will try and get a scan of the latest ammunition listing from Sako that shows the exact charges/powder type and specific bullet. If I scan it in ok I will send it in for the reference section.

I am interested in this as well. I notice that the Barnes website specifies this powder for the 375 H&H with 300 grain and get 2600+ at 100% capacity. Seems to out perform RL15 which I know is a favorite. HEres the info:

POwder |Min Gr |fps | MAx Gr| fps | Capacity
VIT N540 68.0 2455 75.0 2655 100%

Would like to hear experience with this load of anyone has it.

_Baxter