Varget Backorder... Alternatives?

[Kevan]

RL15 works better in all my 223s....

 

[Haagen_Dazs]

I knew I had read this before but I just re-discovered it... I should have known before asking

Powders:
The .223 Remington is a reloader’s dream. Not finicky, it shoots well with a wide variety of powders, both extruded (stick) and granular (ball). Ask a dozen .223 shooters and you’ll probably get a dozen different powder recommendations. For the lighter bullets, H335 ball powder is a proven performer, and N133 shows outstanding accuracy. For 55gr to 60gr bullets, Benchmark, TAC, H4895, and AA2015 are excellent choices. For the 69gr and 77gr SMK, Sierra recommends VV N540 and N140 respectively. Finally, for the heaviest bullets, in the 80-90gr range, good choices include Reloader 15, VV N140, N550, and Varget. But there are many other good combinations. If you need a single, do-it-all powder for your .223 Rem loads, H4895, AA 2015, and TAC are all versatile and cost-effective. If you’re loading with a progressive press, you’ll find that ball powders such as H335, BLC-2, and TAC meter best.

 

[Cinch]

H540, RL15, or TAC all work well with .224 heavies, though Varget worked/works best for me.

 

[Longshot]

One of the top BCRA target guys uses VV N150 behind his 90 gr bergers and shot a ton of Vs at the Farky last year.

 

[warrenb]

Get some XBR 8028. 8 twist 223 shilen, 69 grain SMKs. Cold windy day working up a load. With a range of powder charges and 5 shot groups @ 100 yards. Groups ranged from in the .3s to .5s.

I could not find a bad load with this powder that day.

 

[Ron AKA]

VV N140 is likely your closest match for burn rate - just a touch slower than Varget. N135 would likely be fine too. Just a touch faster than Varget. See this link:

VV Burn Rate Chart

N540 is a double base powder with nitro, so will give more velocity, but is a little harder on the barrel (not likely a big concern with a .223). Keep in mind that VV is temperature sensitive, while Varget is not. If this is an issue, then I would suggest as others have said, H4895.

 

[PerversPépère]

Hodgdon's H8208 Benchrest is a good number for all small cases cartridges and .308Winchester with 155gr. or less bullets.
PP.

 

[kevin g]

I did a bit of asking around and did some reading too as I wanted a Tikka Varmint 223. For targets and the odd Yote! A couple of conversations with the two Peters...DOBSON and ELLIOT who live in my neck of the woods, and I was on my way.
I was wanting to play with the heavier bullets and Mr Dobson suggested the 69 gr Scenars would work good in my 8 twist barrel. Mr. Elliot said guys were doing great things with the AA2230 powder. So AA2230 pushing the lapuas it was! I was super excited when I saw what that stuff could do in my Tikka without a big pile of working up loads...played more with the COAL to get it right!..Best so far...15 thou OFF the lands!!..No prob splitting Tylenols @ 100 yds! That 5 shot group is .400 minus the 224 for the bullet...a .176 group!!

,

 

[Haagen_Dazs]

Very nice, I plan on testing the Lapua 77gr Scenars against 3 other (Berger/Nosler/Hornady) 77/80gr projectiles at 600 yards after some lighter stuff. Hopefully I can get some conclusive results too.

 

[sealhunter]

RL15 and Varget, I believe are practically interchangeable for my loads...

Where is there no Varget,?

I have a 10 lbs if ya really needed a pound.

 

[Haagen_Dazs]

Higginsons' is out of Varget. I'm thinking N140... I don't mind the extra cost and temperature sensitivity...

What can I say, I like nice things and fancy labels.

 

[Shelldrake]

Reloder 15 is my choice.

 

[Diver]

I was using varget for about 2 years in my 223 F class rifle with 80 Gr Berger VLD's. It was good at the shorter ranges but always seemed to get a lot of vertical variations at 600m +. I switched to H4895 and the vertical problems dissapeared; "except for the ones caused by the shooter"

 

[elkhuntr]

Shhhh.....some best kept secrets hide imr 4320 as a good alternative. Let the debate begin, it appears the oldies still work fine folks. Do the research by googling it for discussions out there in the net.

 

[kevin g]

I've been told that AA2230 has the greatest resistance to being affected by temperature change. It was developed for this peticular war over in "Half-a-gas-can". Have you also read/heard this??

 

[Haagen_Dazs]

I decided to pick up 4lbs of VV N-140. I'll start with the nice stuff and compare it with the others later...

 

[saskcop]

H4895 is a great powder that you can also use for other stuff. I find that it doesn't measure as nice as Varget though, but it is right beside Varget as far as performance goes.

 

[Nosler06]

I tried 8082XBR OCW test with 75 bthp's last afternoon, and each five shot group I shot went into under MOA, the better half under half-MOA. 8082 was crap in my 308, but its shining in the 223.

Rimfiremac, would you use the IMR 4895 in you .308? If no what would you use in it?