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VV 1 series powder vs VV 5 series powder... VV150 vs VV550 and alike

brianf

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Apr 8, 2010
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been doing some clicking around and it seems that a VV1## series powder is slightly more available than a VV5## powder

are the 5## series of powder that much better ?

thanks
 
Thanks.
There has to be more than that lol

temp stability
Case fill % to consistent ignition
Hotter primers needed
Steeper or flatter pressure curve
Shelf life
Metering accuracy

Etc
 
The 5 series are double based and the 1 series are single based. No nitro glycerin in the 1 series.
 
I have run both. Case fill is good with both. The N100 series powders are single base, as already stated and more temp stable than the N500 series powders. I have found the numbers are better with the N100 series powders, SD/ES, but velocity goes to the N500s. I lost about 70-100 fps going to the N100 version, (depending on cartridge) but it was more accurate and had better numbers. I still run the N570 and N565 in magnums with heavier bullets. They are good powders and a good alternative to the Hodgdon powders. Retumbo is close to N570, prob a bit faster burning, right between N565 and N570. I have not compared it to the N170 yet but those are prob pretty close. N160 is between H4350 and H4831sc, maybe closer to the H4831 burn rate, but good in a Creed. I ran some N165 in the creed too, does ok but a bit too slow even for the 144s, N160 is better. Hope that helps a bit more.
 
well, i have zero complaints about VV powder overall.

every load i shoot with this powder
n140
n540
N150

all shoot good in
308
223
260remmington

i just wish it wasn't so pricey... :cry:
 
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Thanks.
There has to be more than that lol

temp stability
Case fill % to consistent ignition
Hotter primers needed
Steeper or flatter pressure curve
Shelf life
Metering accuracy

Etc

your too demanding
 
Heard that before lol

figured direct question require a direct answer so the people who usually chime in about their pet load for their .270 would stay away.

thanks for the info
 
I used N135 under 80SMK in my 223 and N550 under 200.20x in my 308. That’s it.
 
N160 in the 6x47 Lapua is the bees knees. Basically a super powder in medium capacity 6s.
any reason 560 isnt "better" or it already pressures out with the slower 160

thanks
 
Both series of powders are awesome.
N170 is like H1000
N165 is like H4831

N565 is similar to R26
N570 is amazing in 338 edge and is slower than retumbo

I do my initial fire forming and barrel break it for my magnums with N170.

All the N1xx powders I’ve tried remind me of H4831, consistent and friendly, a lot of big name F class shooter like the N1xx’s probably for just that reason
 
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any reason 560 isnt "better" or it already pressures out with the slower 160

thanks
It could be. I highly doubt it, but I don’t know for sure as I’ve never used it. Double based powders always burn hotter (less barrel life) and vary more with temperature (due to the nitro), so I almost never try them. The exception is when velocity is paramount for the application, such as a long range hunting rifle, then I look to the double based powders. They’re also nice in a case where a bit more hrsprs gets you into another gear, like the 30-06 with 210s.
 
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N570 is amazing in 338 edge and is slower than retumbo
yup, it’s an amazing powder for a wide range of magnums. The only headache is it‘s made of pretty coarse kernels that some powder throwers have trouble with.
 
It could be. I highly doubt it, but I don’t know for sure as I’ve never used it. Double based powders always burn hotter (less barrel life) and vary more with temperature (due to the nitro), so I almost never try them. The exception is when velocity is paramount for the application, such as a long range hunting rifle, then I look to the double based powders. They’re also nice in a case where a bit more hrsprs gets you into another gear, like the 30-06 with 210s.

That’s not the case with VV powders. They have special coatings to reduce barrel wear. What wears out barrels nowadays is heat and ratio of powder volume to bore size not the minute differences between single vs double based.
 
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That sounds like marketing to me. I’ll believe it when I see a bunch of high volume high precision guys switching to double base. If these weren’t limitations of adding nitro they wouldn’t try a work around using coatings. In any case accuracy with them has never been an issue, they shoot.
 
I am a low volume shooter, I use the 5 series VV because my barrels seem to heat slower than with Hodgdon powders during zeroing.
My favorite .270wsm loads is....:)