Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Suggest a powder please

VV140 is very accurate in cartridges it works for but the velocity isn’t there, and that’s what the OP is looking for, more velocity. There’s no loads with any powder with the 139 grain bullet that delivers higher velocity including VVN150, and going to a heavier bullet makes it worse. What l told him only gives him a couple of hundred fps more. So it’s a waste of components and time to tell him to try VV150.

To the OP

I have an NRA publication of a load at 2900 fps with a 139 grain bullet with a max load of 57.3 grains of H-450, reduction of 10% to start. It’s a Hornady source. That load is listed in my third edition Hornady manual. I take it you have a modern rifle.

Try to find H450 in this day and age. Hah.

Think they discontinued that 15 years ago!

Something to keep in mind is that Vihtavouri's loading data is probably the most conservative out there for whatever reason. Their N150 and others can be loaded to provide much higher velocities than listed assuming a modern bolt action design. Just my real world observations in burning thru some .308 barrels.

Yup ! But he asked for more velocity and he got it but not out of a muzzle !! 🤣

40 years ago, I loaded 42.5 grains of H-4895 with 130 grain Speer for a velocity of 2755 fps and it was a deer killer. 43.5 grains of IMR-4320 or 42 grains of IMR-4064 with the same bullet gave 2716 fps and 2729 fps respectively and good groups.

Seeing some good info here including a 60KSI Quickload data dump posted by Fotis.

7x57 revisited

Little off subject but I remember when 870 was discontinued. I was stationed at huachuca and MWR gun club had a bunch of it. I should’ve bought all of it back then.

Guess just stay away form a sticky bolt, case head impressions, flattened primers or blown primers. But then you're back to less velocity. Those pressures are a bit high Fotis listed. 51K is SAMMI Max. Near 3Kfps is 60K. That's one cartridge I wouldn't feel comfortable loading that data for. Understand that SAMMI is the standard and on the conservative side, all data l see in my manuals, and yes l know they’re on the conservative side too, all list basically the same max load.

StaBall 6.5 works great with 145 LRX or 150 NBT using Hodgdon data for the 7-08. Do not exceed the maximum velocity listed by Hodgdon. A chronograph is an absolute necessity for working up loads using 7-08 data. That said, top velocity and excellent accuracy were easily achieved. The 145 LRX were seated .07" short of the rifling.

1950 Brno 21h but it was rebarrelled with a new barrel.
I’ve considered H4350 but wonder if it will be much better than IMR4350. IMR 4350 was pretty inconsistent, not as bad as H414 mind you.

I can’t find any of the RL powders in Alberta at the moment. And never saw BG here either but will definitely try them if I ever see any for sale.

That 160gr NP load seems like a good one that I should try. I’d rather not mess with 120gr bullets though.

Is N150 pretty temperature stable?
I’ve never used any VV powders?

Mind you a 130gr speer may not be a bad bullet to try, even with Varget I should get speeds close to what you got.

Hot cores are good bullet and elephants were taken down in the ear. However I do stand corrected about the 7mm Mauser and big game.

In JOC's book, The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns," Harper & Row, 1961, he recommends the 7x57 Mauser for Grizzly bears and moose, too.

I have not done any detailed cold weather testing with N150 or N135. I do back off my .308 target loads by .5 grains in the summer here in Phoenix, but we may be pushing 100 degrees during our matches and practice. The velocities seem to stay in the accuracy node doing that when over 85 degrees. The jugs for both now claim temperature insensitivity and decoppering agents. Might be worth trying a pound in your rifle.

VV N series are some of the cheaper powders these days . Bought 2-8 pounders of N135 in December for $504 out the door locally.

Sta all is one of the powders that I can actually get at the moment.
It seems similar in burn rate to H414.
Makes me wonder if my rifle will shoot it though. Given how much it hates H414

May I ask what rifle? My Winchester FW shot like chitt also.

It’s a custom rifle, built on a Brno 21h action.

Funny thing I load for another 1980’s 7x57 Mod 70 fwt.
It shoots shotgun patterns with H414 but groups ridiculously well with Varget too.
I’ve been loading for that fwt for 17 years. Probably a good thing that I never bothered to chronograph it.