Reloading for a WC 5" CQB

[davester00]

So a buddy of mine would like me to reload using the specs that he got from Wilson Combat.

I was wondering how these 2 powders would meter in a 550b VVN310 and VVN320 ? anyone have experience?

Also where to get 200 grn Jacketed Hollow points for .45?

Please see specs given to me from wilson

VIHTAVUORI N310 - 4 LBS. Yes $90.00

VIHN320-01 * VIHTAVUORI N320 - 1 LB.

6.3gr of Viht N320

200gr JHP

Winchester LP Primer

1.225” OAL

.469” taper crimp

1000 FPS

4.5gr of Viht N310

200gr H&G #68 L-SWC

Winchester LP Primer

1.250” OAL

.469” taper crimp

850 FPS

[Jan R.]

I have no personal experience with VV powder but I've heard good things about it. I get my bullets online from Montana Gold. Very high quality jacketed bullets.

Jan

[9146gt]

310 VV 4.0 with a Star 185 LSWC and Federal primers at 1.20 is a great target load in all my .45 semis and revolvers.

Tom

[mrg]

Loaded some 200 GR LSWC (MO bullet) with 3.8 - 4.0 of N-310. Shot very well, maybe too light. Last week I tried same bullet with 4.2 N-310, very nice kinda like the "push" you get with Clays. I've loaded up 100 with same bullet with 4.4 n-310 and will try this weekend. N-310 and N-320 both meter very well in my Dillon.

I should mention the 4.5 GR of N-310 is .5 above what VV says the max is. But I figure Bill Wilson knows what his pistols shoot best with. My CQBE came with a test target that had the 4.5 N-310 load 200 GR LSWC data you mentioned.

Edited March 3, 2010 by mrg

[DougCarden]

Those are great loads, and VV powder is the shizzle! It aint cheap, but you get what you pay for. The 200gr LSWC load I have used for years and is a tack driver, period. The powder works great in the Dillon powder measures, use it with confidence!

I have pounds and pounds of 310 and 320 under the bench. Good stuff!

DougC

[Duane Thomas]

I have extensive experience reloading both N310 and N320. Both are ball powders and meter superbly. Can't really get better than this.

[wide45]

N320 appears to me to be a fine extruded powder.

BALL POWDER® is a trademark of Winchester.

I don't believe you can call any VIHTAVUORI product ball powder.

[Duane Thomas]

Interesting. Where did you get the info that N320 is an extruded powder? I've always heard "ball powder" used to refer to any powder that consists of spherical round balls.

[Duane Thomas]

Just found the following online. Maybe it's just me, but I found this hideously amusing.

Guns Magazine, Nov, 2002 by Charles E. Petty

I seldom print things from press releases, but I received one not long ago from Hodgdon that made public something that is generally not common knowledge. The press release tells us that Hodgdon's HS-6 and HS-7 are "exactly" the same as the now discontinued Winchester 540 and 571 labels. Any time a maker discontinues a powder there is a rush to buy up available stock by those who like it and there's almost always a bit of a fuss.

Of course the normal reason for the discontinuance of any product is that it wasn't selling in the first place, but there are always loyal followers who gripe. Of course Hodgdon and Winchester have been selling the same powders for a long time, but unless you studied the data you might not know they were the same. Hodgdon's release states that data for 540 is interchangeable with HS-6 and 571 with HS-7.

It is interesting to pay attention to powder labels to see where they were made. There are only two plants for manufacturing smokeless powder in the United States. One is Alliant in Radford, Virginia, which makes extruded type powder. The other is the former Olin plant in St. Marks, Florida, which makes ball type propellants.

If it's "Made in U.S.A." and a bail powder (regardless of what it's called), it came from St. Marks. Actually there is a bit of humor here.

I once got a letter from Winchester's lawyers informing me of the unpardonable sin of using "Ball" powder in a generic fashion. They informed me that "Ball" is a trademarked term and I was misusing it by saying "ball" powder. So Hodgdon got in the act and trademarked "Spherical" which is--guess what-- their name for the stuff they bought in Florida. Small world ain't it.

[wide45]

Interesting. Where did you get the info that N320 is an extruded powder? I've always heard "ball powder" used to refer to any powder that consists of spherical round balls.

My eyes

Tiny little cylinders.

Took a quick look around the net.

Found a site that claims that ball powders are all double based. Have not verified this claim.

VV pistol powders are all single based.

PDF claims all VV small arms powders are extruded, don't know where this originated.

http://shop.vmcustom.cz/data/prebijeni/vihtavuori.pdf

[Duane Thomas]

Found a site that claims that ball powders are all double based. Have not verified this claim.

VV pistol powders are all single based.

Wouldn't doubt that VV pistol powders are all single based. Just WAY too quiet to have nitroglycerin in them.

[Duane Thomas]

Thanks for the link. Looks to me like that info came straight from Viht. I stand corrected on N320 being a ball powder. Thanks again! But I'll stand by the statement that it meters superbly.

[Flexmoney]

Since this is 45 specific, I will move this thread to the dedicated 45 reloading forum.

- Admin.