Vihtavuori powders

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Lafeswede

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Greetings all knowledgeable shooters,

Need some advice here: I am switching powders; from Vectan back to Vihtavuori. I will try to minimize the numbers of powders. Have used V/V 330 for 9mm and V/V 340 for .45 colt. Which one would be better for .45 ACP? I load cast 200gr SWC and 230gr hardball and JHP. Ideally one and the same powder would also be fine for .38 spl. I have the load tables, but decided to try and cut down the test runs a bit by drawing from other people's experience. The .45 is an STI Trojan 6".
Sail safe
Lafeswede
 
N310 is great for light target loads. N320 will do that as well, but can push it up close to max loads. I had no real luck with N330 in .45, although its burn rate should be a good one for .45. Maybe I did not try hard enough. (N330 sure is good in 9MM, as you posted) N340 shot great, but seemed to give more recoil for the velocity than some powders.

4.4 to 4.5 Grs N310 with those lead 200 Gr SWC's would be a great place to start.
 
Finland power

Hello Walkalong,
Thanks for sharing. I have made some loads with V/V 340, since I had a batch around, no time or climate to check them out yet. I suspect however that it is not so good. The similar burn rate Vectan BA9 was useless in my .45 Norinco, while the faster BA10 was excellent. In my new STI, however, the faster powder loads were much slower, only around 700fps through my chrono. I will try 310 or 320, at least for the lighter bullets. It is also a good choice for .38 spl, I hear.
Lafeswede
 
N320 is an excellent all around .45 ACP powder. It is also useful in several other applications, but, to me anyway, it really shines in .45 ACP & light 9MM loads.
 
Agree with N320. I got great accuracy from N310 and N340. Recoil is a little sharper with 310. N330 isn't recommended for .45ACP.

I love VV powders, but geez they're getting pricey.
 
Walkalong says:
N320 is an excellent all around .45 ACP powder. It is also useful in several other applications, but, to me anyway, it really shines in .45 ACP & light 9MM loads.
Click to expand...

I totally disagree and highly recommend against it. Use Bullseye, Unique or anything else for that matter. N320 sucks!!!!

For Walkalong:

Sorry AC, but N320 is getting hard to come by these days. If we keep telling people how good it is, there won't be any left for us because we know that
N320 is the cats meow in .45ACP and light 9mm.

LGB
 
I'm with LGB. Also, N320 is NOT good for 380 Auto. Nor 44 Special. Not to mention 9mm and 45acp. Nope. Please don't buy it. Leave it on the shelf. :neener:




[On the other hand, the guy in Sweden can buy all he wants, as long as there is enough on the shelf in America. Thank you.] :p
 
Ugh, yea, N320 bites. :p

Now what am I going to do with that 4 pound jug? Oh well, I'll suffer through it. :D
 
Yep, N320 sucks badly. I couldn't get the ES under 30FPS and 25 yards groups looked horrendous at almost 3/4", so I moved on.
 
Lafesswede: VV powders generally do better than Vectan. N320 is an excellent choice.
Ironically I was in Gothenberg last week...
 
i also used 320. what i liked about it most was that it was so clean compared to other powders.

however, i eventually shelved it in favor of titegroup, which is much cheaper, but leaves enough ash on my hands and clothes that you'd think a volcano erupted
 
Yup, LGB has the right idea, Don't tell the Swede how good it is in 45ACP so the Finn's will have more they can send to the US.
 
I love VV powders, but geez they're getting pricey.
Click to expand...

I keep telling myself, "but n320 uses less powder". "It's only a couple of cents more per round", "I save on cleaning supplies", "The gun will run cleaner longer", but man it's getting expensive!
 
As said by Walkalong :), N330 behavior is really strange in .45 ACP: it burns well only with max loads.
It is one of my preferred powders in 9 mm, especially for low and medium power loads.
 
That's probably why VV doesn't recommend it for .45ACP.

I bought a pound by mistake and had to try it for myself. I guess I'm still a Reagan fan: "Trust, but verify."
 
EddieNFL,
please keep us informed about your trials with .45 ACP and N330.
Thanks!
 
My trials are over. In a word, it "sucked." Extreme spreads approaching 100FPS. Accuracy was mediocre, at best. I tried only 200SWC and 230FMJ, so it may work with other weights. However, in my experience with the .45ACP, a powder that works well with one weight will give good results with others.
 
I notice that N330 seems to have disappeared off the list of available VV powders. Maybe that's why. I've been using it in place of N320, but only becasue I found 330 for $22 and could not find 320 at all.
 
I found this on another website:

"Developed by Vihtavuori for optimum performance with 9 x 19 in standard loading of the 8,0g bullet at 300-350 m/sec."

For Americans, this can be translated as:

"Developed by Vihtavuori for optimum performance in the 9mm Luger with the 124gr bullet at 975-1150 fps and standard pressures."

I've read elsewhere that N330 is relatively unavailable because it's the preferred powder for loading the 9mm for the world's armed forces (and they need A LOT...).
 
N330 is good for 9MM. Very good. N320 is great for light 9MM. N340 shoots like a laser in 75 to 80ish% .357 Mag loads.
 
VV N-320 should do excellently in both .45 ACP & .38 Spl.
I use it in both calibers.
Use VV's own load data (from their website) : they cover a very wide range of bullet/velocity combinations.
Good luck !
 
Thanks

Hello,
Thanks to all you guys for the input and encouragment (and the entertainment). I called my dealer; guess what! He was out of 320, has been waiting for weeks. Said he expects a delivery next week, hopefully. Can't wait for this fimbul winter to go away and let me try out your shared experiences. In the meantime, I can chrono some loads from my porch, once I get the snow away...
Sail safe
Lafe:cool:
 
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