I just checked an old Cardboard box that was originally shipped by Tom Higginson to me before his passing. This is exactly how it is labelled. 4350 OEM (v-N160) As I stated in a previous post, the burn characteristics of this powder [when it was fresher] was very similar to the canister grade Vihtavuori N160 I had in stock. The difference was about what you might expect to see in commercial lot-to-lot variances. I would not be surprised if the powder originated from Finland. Thomas did tell me, as he did Bearhunter, that the powder originated in Europe. Regards, Eagleye.
HEAD'S UP!!!! Higginson's OEM 4350 [N160] powder deterioration.
- Thread starter Eagleye
- Start date
It saddened me when my numerous lbs of it went bad 
To bad Vit N-160 is so expensive or I might have purchased it.
Tom was a great guy.
A friend & I drove 2hrs+ one time only to find we had missed closing time, then a nice gentleman walked across the little parking lot introduced himself & asked if we had came for supplies. He quickly offered to re-open as soon as he found out how far we came & showed us around the stock room so we could pick out what we might need. That was the time I purchased said powder. A more pleasant shopping experience I have never had I was very saddened yrs ago to hear of his passing. We are very fortunate Mark was there to take over, one day I will take another drive for supplies.
I will always recommend that business
To bad Vit N-160 is so expensive or I might have purchased it.
Tom was a great guy.
A friend & I drove 2hrs+ one time only to find we had missed closing time, then a nice gentleman walked across the little parking lot introduced himself & asked if we had came for supplies. He quickly offered to re-open as soon as he found out how far we came & showed us around the stock room so we could pick out what we might need. That was the time I purchased said powder. A more pleasant shopping experience I have never had
I was very saddened yrs ago to hear of his passing. We are very fortunate Mark was there to take over, one day I will take another drive for supplies. I will always recommend that business
Just checked my last 5 lbs of Higginson H4350 OEM/N160 that I purchased approx 10 yrs ago and all seems well. I always re-packed my bulk Higginson powders into new/un-used screw cap black plastic oil containers on receipt and never have had a problem with any of them. This has been a very good powder for me. Thanks for the heads-up.
volks r us, When buying powder from Higginson's there was a discount for quantities over 21 lbs and more often than not, free powder thrown in. Buying in bulk also takes the bite out of the haz mat shipping charge.
you guys are able to keep you powders for over 5 years
Im am lucky if it last the 6 months
How much powder are you using in 6 months? We are talking real quantity of powder here. I believe I originally bought 35 lbs of that 4350 OEM powder from Higginsons. Only had about 8 lbs left. Of course, that is only ONE powder. I generally keep several numbers on hand, since I load for everything from the 22 Hornet up to the 375 H&H, plus the 357 and 44 Mags. Regards, Eagleye.
My oem 4350 went sour two years ago, made a mess of my uniflow powder messure. It was stored well with all of my other powders and was the only one I ever had go bad. On the plus side you will never forget the smell, I always sniff my powder cans when I open them now to make sure all is well with the contents.
The notation of v-n160 on the can was solely a note that it was very close to to the new N160 and you could use the new reloading data with caution. It was a awesome powder in my 6mm rem, 7 mag and 30-06. Crying shame its all gone but hey like good whiskey and women we still have some great memories right
The notation of v-n160 on the can was solely a note that it was very close to to the new N160 and you could use the new reloading data with caution. It was a awesome powder in my 6mm rem, 7 mag and 30-06. Crying shame its all gone but hey like good whiskey and women we still have some great memories right
My oem 4350 went sour two years ago, made a mess of my uniflow powder messure. It was stored well with all of my other powders and was the only one I ever had go bad. It was a awesome powder in my 6mm rem, 7 mag and 30-06. Crying shame its all gone but hey like good whiskey and women we still have some great memories right
I, too found it to be an awesome powder. In my 30-06 with 165 grain bullets, I could safely make 2950 FPS, and accuracy was so good that I will not state groups size average for fear of being called a liar! I checked velocity on a fairly cool day, and also found it to be reasonably temperature stable. Had I kinown it would deteriorate, I would have made a determined effort to use it up sooner. FWIW, I had about a dozen rounds of 30-06 loaded with this powder and 165 Partitions. I broke them down the other night and found heavy corrosion on the bullet base and the inside of the brass case. Also noted they were very easy to pull, so perhaps some pressure internally from the deterioration. Regards, Eagleye.
An update on this. I just pulled out some of this powder with the idea of using it to reload for a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser and noticed a distinct ammonia-like odor when I opened the plastic container. I store this and my other bulk powders in new black 1 litre oil bottles with a screw on lid. Identification is N160/H4350 OEM, lot 020397, which I purchased from Higginson's back in 1998. I have 2 other containers which I also checked. One is less odorous, the other not at all. The powder still appears shiny and black, not rust or brown, and still looks dry and flows cleanly. I'm going to dispose of this and recommend that anyone else having some do a check on it for deterioration.
I too bought that powder in the late 1990s. It was great. In fact, check out this target from my then ".303 Winchester Magnum", essentially a P14 rechambered with a .300 Winchester reamer:
However, that powder was at the end of its healthy life. I also experienced the breakdown, the ammonia odour -- everything you have described and I got rid of the last two pounds of it about 7 or 8 years ago for that reason.
I recall speaking to the late Mr. Higginson before I ordered that powder in the 1990s and he confirmed to me that it was a lot of Vihtavuori N160.
These days I use N560 for hunting loads, but if I wanted to replace that powder, I would simply buy a new can of N160.
Like the other posters, I do not blame Higginson in any way for the deterioration of that powder. We all know how much N160 costs, and we were able to purchase this stuff at half the price from these guys in the 1990s. I consider it to be like buying meat at the grocery store that has been marked down because it is near the expiry date: if you don't use it in time, there is a chance you could have trouble.
However, that powder was at the end of its healthy life. I also experienced the breakdown, the ammonia odour -- everything you have described and I got rid of the last two pounds of it about 7 or 8 years ago for that reason.
I recall speaking to the late Mr. Higginson before I ordered that powder in the 1990s and he confirmed to me that it was a lot of Vihtavuori N160.
These days I use N560 for hunting loads, but if I wanted to replace that powder, I would simply buy a new can of N160.
Like the other posters, I do not blame Higginson in any way for the deterioration of that powder. We all know how much N160 costs, and we were able to purchase this stuff at half the price from these guys in the 1990s. I consider it to be like buying meat at the grocery store that has been marked down because it is near the expiry date: if you don't use it in time, there is a chance you could have trouble.
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