VV N135 Temp Stable?

M

marc357

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Nov 17, 2003
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226
Location
Cody, WY
Does anyone have any data on temp stability of VV N135? I was thinking of trying it in the .308 Win. ( boring I know, but we still like to play with them)

Always got good results with Varget, and never saw a reason to try anything else, but someone has a 8lb jug of N135 and thought I might try it.

I had some SAKO factory .308 ammo (still have some left actually)- SAKO headstamped Lapua brass, 175 gr SMK and an unknown VV powder. Although it shoots great, it is WILDLY temp sensitive, we tested it and it's on the order of 2fps/ degree.

Hate to bite the bullet on 8lbs and find out it swings that much.
 
marc357 said:
Does anyone have any data on temp stability of VV N135? I was thinking of trying it in the .308 Win. ( boring I know, but we still like to play with them)

Always got good results with Varget, and never saw a reason to try anything else, but someone has a 8lb jug of N135 and thought I might try it.

I had some SAKO factory .308 ammo (still have some left actually)- SAKO headstamped Lapua brass, 175 gr SMK and an unknown VV powder. Although it shoots great, it is WILDLY temp sensitive, we tested it and it's on the order of 2fps/ degree.

Hate to bite the bullet on 8lbs and find out it swings that much.
Click to expand...
If you want to try it, get a 1-pounder instead; I often see them at Scheels. VV does not address temperature sensitivity on its website. I used to be an extreme powder family-only end-user, but honestly, I have stopped worrying about it for some time now. For instance, I have been using RL-17 for 10 years now without any issues.



I usually do load development in October for my fall hunt (which is 20 +/- 10 degrees colder on average). I still use the extreme powders (lately, H1000 and Retumbo), but I still load them in the same time frame.

Good luck!
 
marc357 said:
Good idea, I'll run down to the Cody, WY Scheels and pic up a pound and try it 😁
Click to expand...
1728875668907.png

You might also want to consider the N150.
1728875624028.png
 
Just kidding, I know you're trying to help, and I thank you for that!

Yes, I am a fellow user of mostly Hodgdon Extreme Powders for about 20 years and have been very pleased with them, I have burnt well over 100 lbs of H1000, Retumbo, H4350, and Varget.
We have conducted tepmerature tests like what Mr. Litz describes in the video (and writes about in his books and articles) and seen results similar what he describes. At this point we simply don't factor in velocity variation due to temperature because there basically is none with Hodgdon's Extreme line of powders.

Thanks for the additional info on n135 and n150, we actually like to shoot Lapua and Berger 155s from 20" .308 rifles, the faster n135 may just be the ticket. I'll probably just grab that 8lb er and give er a whirl.

But seriously- no, we ain't got no Scheel's here 🤣
 
marc357 said:
Just kidding, I know you're trying to help, and I thank you for that!

Yes, I am a fellow user of mostly Hodgdon Extreme Powders for about 20 years and have been very pleased with them, I have burnt well over 100 lbs of H1000, Retumbo, H4350, and Varget.
We have conducted tepmerature tests like what Mr. Litz describes in the video (and writes about in his books and articles) and seen results similar what he describes. At this point we simply don't factor in velocity variation due to temperature because there basically is none with Hodgdon's Extreme line of powders.

Thanks for the additional info on n135 and n150, we actually like to shoot Lapua and Berger 155s from 20" .308 rifles, the faster n135 may just be the ticket. I'll probably just grab that 8lb er and give er a whirl.

But seriously- no, we ain't got no Scheel's here 🤣
Click to expand...
That's the beauty of having plenty of choices; your decision, along with its consequences, is always yours to make.
 
I've been trying to find a good power for subs. I have a Rem Model 783 in .308 and all I've tried so far is Trail Boss. I worked up some loads for a Remington TAC in .308 years ago. I'll see if I can find the data.
 
When I looked for alternatives to Varget during the great powder drought - seems like H4895 and N135 are similar, Varget and N140 are similar, and N150 and H4350 are similar. Similar as in not exactly the same but close enough to try out. I know a lot of people who started using N140 as alternative to Varget and really liked N140 (me included).
 
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Varget = VV N140. Check a Powder Rate burn Chart. At the cost of powder and primers. i would humbly say that VVN135 is a waste if you are looking at 308 and 175-grain bullets. N150 would be the best choice for 190-grain bullets.

I used to shoot NRA "across-the-course" matches with 308 and found 4x
.30 cal ammunition cases with 125 Speers over 44.0grains of N140 for rapid-fire to reduce muzzle jump. I just pulled a half- dozen to see if they will work - with 175's; normal load would be 43.5-grains for a bolt -gun.

 
Last edited:
marc357 said:
Does anyone have any data on temp stability of VV N135? I was thinking of trying it in the .308 Win. ( boring I know, but we still like to play with them)

Always got good results with Varget, and never saw a reason to try anything else, but someone has a 8lb jug of N135 and thought I might try it.

I had some SAKO factory .308 ammo (still have some left actually)- SAKO headstamped Lapua brass, 175 gr SMK and an unknown VV powder. Although it shoots great, it is WILDLY temp sensitive, we tested it and it's on the order of 2fps/ degree.

Hate to bite the bullet on 8lbs and find out it swings that much.
Click to expand...
FWIW, I studied VV N565 temp stability here:

www.longrangehunting.com

Powder thermal sensitivity

In a nutshell, I wanted to see how muzzle velocity is affected by powder temperature for Vihtavuori N565 powder. I found that MV velocity goes up about 0.33 FPS per degree F for a 300 Win Mag round containing 75.2 G of powder with a 168 G TTSX bullet, CCI large magnum #250 primer, Lapua brass...
www.longrangehunting.com www.longrangehunting.com

and would not be surprised if all VV are similarly stable.
 

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