Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Redux: Viht N140 & Scenar 155L

I've managed to gather together a 3 kg. jug of N140 and several hundred rounds of Lapua Scenar 155-L in 308.

Your experience with N140? any storage issues?



And the Scenar 155-L bullets?

Past experience loading and hunting with the Lapua 155-L bullets?

Thx in advance!

I guess I should be asking at Euro based sites for advice regarding European powders and bullets...

No storage issues at all--and all VV powders these days are both temp-resistant and contain a decoppering agent.

I remember hearing about the "storage" issue years ago, which apparently came from some other American gun writer. One of the magazines I write for asked me to test it, since I've been using VV powders a long time--and had had had some in my garage loading-room for several years, which isn't temp-controlled. (There's an Ashley wood stove, and a small electric heater over the bench, but no AC in summer.)

I keep the powders out there in coolers, which somewhat mitigates the temperature fluctuations. I tried some handloads that I'd tested years before for various articles, and all performed the same way they had the first time--and published the results. Haven't heard that rumor since then.

Haven't used that specific bullet for hunting, though suspect some other Campfire members have--who might be along here shortly, or might not.

I haven`t used the Scenars on game. They might be the pinpoint bullet in accuracy but their nose design and jacket thickness raises too many questions in my mind, the main one being how well they will expand at moderate impact velocities if they hit on a soft spot.

I know, and respect even if I don`t share, the opinions of those for whom they have worked but very often I hear about bullets behaving in a way that have nothing to do with what I have experienced, the typical example being the guy who has shot so many animals with Barnes with all of them the falling in their tracks and with not a single bullet recovered. I haven´t shot so many but they all run for some length (except shoulder shots that hit the spine) and I have a few recovereds, including some banana shaped ones that failed to expand.

But, regarding N140, I have some experience and can only speak good. It tends to deliver very good or extremely good accuracy and seems almost impervious to temperature changes between -5 and +35 degrees Centigrade. Its using range overlaps with Varget though I seem to get higher pressure s with N140 before reaching maximum Varget velocities.

Thank you John, Chamois.

I'm playing with a pre 64 M70 308 that is showing more accuracy than I'll be able to exact. Groups fire forming revealed solid potential. With Barnes 130 TTSX and H4895 initial groups of sub .600 are printed before tweaking for COAL or finessing with half grain loads. To say I'm ecstatic with the M70 is an understatement.

Loads on Euro sites read:

COAL 2.87"

44-46gr N140

Lapua Scenar 155-L

Fed 210M primers and

Lapua brass.

For brass I have some W-W, Hornady, Hornady Match and Nosler. The game is to see how accurate the pre 64 M70 factory rifles could be with modern bullets like the 155-L and powders designed specifically for the 7.62x51 NATO like the N140 for this over the hill, wanna-be rifleman.

Cheers!

Olgrouser,
All the hunting experience with the 155 Scenar you could ever want is on this thread. It takes a couple pages to get really going.
Deceased by Scenar thread

Reading this thread inspired me to give the 155 a try last hunting season and I was successful, but the shot was not a challenge to the bullet. Still worked great though.
I found both Varget and TAC very accurate but have not tried any of the VVs with the Scenar.

Best of luck with it and please post your results.
Rex

Sir, I just did a search for the Vihtavuori load data online:
Viht .308 Load Data online
Was a bit surprised they list only 43.4 grains of N140 as maximum with the 155 Scenar, for a speed of 2648 FPS. That in a 24" barrel. This sounds a little low to me but does comport with John's reference to N140 topping out on pressure at a lower speed than Varget.
The 2.87" COAL you quoted above gives a bit more case capacity than the 2.795" that Vihtavuori used and might help explain the difference.
Obviously the Euro boys are getting away with 44-46 grains. I'm not trying AT ALL to be the handloading police, just wanted to point you to that data source if you hadn't already found it.

Good luck with these loads!
Cheers,
Rex

My 6th ed. Hornady manual shows 44.6 grains under a 155 Amax in the 7.62x51 M1A data section. This is in Hornady brass with a WLR primer. Different bullet than the Scenar so the usual cautions apply.

Thx for your interest in the N140 and the 155L.

Rex, thx. I had booked marked that very thread. ScenarShooter got me interested in the 155-L bullet for accuracy in the 308.

https://ukvarminting.com/topic/22832-155-scenar-factory-loading

Seems that some folks in UK with custom builds prefer longer projectiles for their rifles. Gleaming info where I can.

My goal is to play with a factory M70 and see what kind of accuracy a pre64 can exact. Thus far only the trigger spring has been swapped out for one from "Ernie the Gunsmith" and the 3 1/2 # of pull feels good.

Just having fun messing around with classic rifles.

Cheers!

I had an AR-10 that’s favorite load was straight out of the Nosler manual 42.5 grains of N140 and 155grain Lapuas. Shot MOA

that old thread was on the original scenars......I have not seen any one give specific reports on hunting with the new Scenar L , which is a somewhat different bullet