Don't laugh but some of the powders you guys have been using for years, I still refer to as them new powders.

I'm gonna make the couple of hour drive up to the powder store in a few weeks and might try some "new" powders.

With the exception of Unique and Winchester 748, I have used IMR powders exclusively for the last several years.

Varget and Vihtavouri powders have got my curiosity up. I see them mentioned frequently but never used them myself.

Is this a preference issue or do these powders offer some real advantages?

If I pick a caliber like 243, would these powders offer an improvement in accuracy? Do they meter better? Would they make my wife smile over the huge cost savings so she could buy more ruby slippers?

I don't see any ruby slippers in your wife's future, but...
I use Hodgdon powders almost exclusively these days for rifle loads, for two main reasons. 1) They meter well enough so I don't have to weigh each charge, and 2) They don't lose velocity in cold weather. Varget would be OK for light bullet loads in the .243. I would prefer H4350 for most loads, though. I use those two powders in my 6mm - very similar to your .243.

Varget is good stuff!!! I bought a pound of it a while back and went and got their 8 pound container after i tried it out. I suggest you at least try it...ive been loading all kinds of stuff with it(.223, .308, 30-30, 30-06) and it has worked great...pretty versatile stuff! Definetly some of the more accurate stuff ive used! Pretty darn clean burning too!

I've used Varget in 243 loads, and it's pretty good stuff. It'll give you good velocities, and accuracy with a fairly wide range of loads.

Also like Jeffro said, "It's pretty darn clean burning too!".

Last check in the powder closet had IMR, Hodgdon, Alliant, Winchester and VihtaVuori, as well as CCI, Federal, Winchester and Remington primers.

Wish I could say just one brand will do the job, but as evident, each has a special application! :D

If you've been using Unique and 748, alont with the IMR range, the new powders are going to have to "stun" you with something very noticably better before you're impressed. Find few of them are "stunners"...are good powders, and are better in some applications than the standards.

Are a few specailized applications that are almost uniquely suited to certain powders...5477 and BR2015, along with AA#9 have managed to "stun" me.

Don't know about the Ruby Slippers....just be glad she doesn't need the money for "flying monkey-chow".

lumberjak -

I think the price of VV powders will have you gasping for air - at least they did me! But maybe that's just a local market thing?

Here's a list of what I currently use:

9mm Luger - HS-6
.45ACP - Clays, HS-6
.357 Mag - H110
.44 Mag - H110
.22-250 - Varget
.257 Roberts - Varget, H4895, H4350, H4831SC
7mm Rem Mag - IMR4831
.375Win - AA1680
.45-70 - HS-6, Varget, Reloder 7, H4198, Benchmark

I will probably be dropping IMR4831 for the 7mm Rem Mag and going with H4831SC.

If you use a lot of Winchester 748 and want a cost savings, you might look in to buying some milsurp WC846 (which is supposed to be equivalent Winchester 748 and Hodgdon BL(C)-2 -- you'd probably want to chrono it for near max loads). I mail ordered 16 lbs of the stuff and even after the hazmat fees it came out to about $7/lb. Dirt cheap!

Don't laugh but some of the powders you guys have been using for years, I still refer to as them new powders.

I'm gonna make the couple of hour drive up to the powder store in a few weeks and might try some "new" powders.

With the exception of Unique and Winchester 748, I have used IMR powders exclusively for the last several years.

Varget and Vihtavouri powders have got my curiosity up. I see them mentioned frequently but never used them myself.

Is this a preference issue or do these powders offer some real advantages?

If I pick a caliber like 243, would these powders offer an improvement in accuracy? Do they meter better? Would they make my wife smile over the huge cost savings so she could buy more ruby slippers?
Lumberjack,
I think that old habits play as big a roll in selecting powders as does scientific study.
I started out using IMR powders when I did'nt have a lot of choices. Now,after trying all kinds of powders,half of my favorite powders are still IMR.
My hunting loads in 30/30 and 30/40 are IMR 3031.My hunting load in 270 Win is 4064.My 'go to'powder for developing cast bullets is 4198.
Of course,I have the advantage of the Belding & Mull powder measure.It was designed to meter stick powders.
My new favorites are H110 in my 30 cal Carbine and Reloader 7 in my 45/70 Trapdoors.
Frank

Thank you all for your help. Along with my regular list of IMR, I certainly will try Varget.

I had condensed my on-hand reloading supplies down to what I liked best and used the most some years back. It would appear that I will be going back the other way again with a few new flavors.

I'm still undecided on Vihtavouri. The smallest quantity listed is two pounds at about $17 a pound. Not much higher than the others price-wise. I might just pick something like their N140 and try it.

A final salute to a very excellent response.....the flying monkey chow crack was brilliant!

I have been very happy with Varget in a very heavy 26in. barreled .22-250 in the 4000+fps range. It meters nicely in the Dil550 and is very clean.
I have had absolutely amazing results with VV N310 under 45ACP! So much so, I bought 2Lbs of VV N140 for the .22-250. In S&W500 I prefer Lil'Gun but plan to develope some VV loads for that too. No longer in use: Bullseye (filthy in llow velocity loads) and TiteGroup (good, but no as good as VV's offering) for the 45ACP. I am trying to standardize on VV powders - if I can. Depends on the results.

Mike

Buy the "chow" it for mother-in-law's day (which just happens to be Oct. 31st).

Don't know about the rest of you, but whenever a brand new (to me) caliber enters the house, will go on a powder buying spree. Test various combinations, find what's working, and then get serious.

What you end up with are three or four pounds of powder that didn't work out in that gun...next gun you may only end up with two or three powders...maybe no news one if the case capasity of the next "new" caliber is about the same, but sooner or later you'll buy a real large cased gun or a real small cased one, and end up with more "almost good enough" powder.

At the end of a few years, there are perhaps 12 or even 20 types of powder that aren't "favorites"...good powders, but by testing you know the results have been second best.

(BTW: good place to mention, most fire codes have a limit on smokless powder...at least without specific storage requirments...and limits on primer amounts. The powder police aren't going to come knock down your door and drag you fof to jail (but the matress tag police may)...but it there is a fire, and your insurnce compny wants to play hard ball, it can be a problem.)

So...there is this larg estash of powder, and you'll dip into it every so often...with hope in your heart that perhaps the combination of a new bullet, or a differnt cae, or some other change will make it work out right....sometimes it does, but usually not.

The new packages of 4 4oz containers seems like a good thing...kind of a sample pack....you'll still end up with 2 or 3 "almost good enough" but they won't hang arround for nearly as long.

Now..if the bullet makers would get into the act with 4 packs of 25 bullets, I'd also solve my bullet storage problem.

Ribbonstone, that is priceless, and so true. Even the comment on bullets. I am relieved I am finally done with my .45ACP load [4.4gr VVn310, Nos. 185JHP, Fed150] and yes, plently of undesireable surplus. Still working on 2 other calibers, currently. I would like to borrow a BMG50 to rid myself of these excess powders quickly, the bullets I will get through - eventually. So whatcha got laying around? Fancy a trade :)

I like the VV powders - especially the high density ones (VVN550, VVN560, etc). Found the VVN133 is a real sweetheart in the 45-70.

Yup - there's probably at least 20 containers of various types of powders in the powder pantry right now. As you say, some bought with glowing reports in the gun rags, only to find they didn't do squat in my reloads, anyway. My goal is to take a bunch of the various weights and brands of bullets that also didn't pan out, load them and the undesired powder and blow them both downrange sometime when there's nothing better to do.

I recommend you do a little testing. What ever you try for a new powder, at the same time load up and test for accuracy, 5 rounds with IMR4350 to use as a baseline control group. Select aload weight about 5-10% below max. Therefore you'll have something to compare to.

I may find to your chargrin that its pretty hard to beat!

IMR4350 is the quintessential 243 powder.

Of coarse almost everything meters better, but very few outperform it.

Here in Sweden it is difficult to find other powders than Vihtavuori and Norma so I use mostly them and especially Norma.

Well ribbonstone said it better than I could. I know I got to get in that powder locker and get rid of a bunch I don't use and won't ever use.

I have no idea how all those cans of powder got there. I couldn't possibly have bought all that. A few years ago counted 26 guns in the safe, Got that down to 11 now and a lot fewer calibres to load for. Must have been powder crazed for a while there.

Well I do use the IMR's and as Mordo said that 4350 is a good powder for the 243. I kinda like H414 in it too.

Good luck in your search. I know that two guns of the same make and same calibre will sometimes want a different bullet powder combo to perform well.

I still use Unique for handgun and light rifle loads, but aside from that and a few Accurate Arms powders, I have been buying an awful lot of Hodgdon powders. Of the last eight I bought, seven were Hodgdon, I used to use a lot of IMR stuff but BL(C)2 and H414 have proven more accurate and better metering. I've been tempted to try VV powders, but they're pretty pricey in my neck of the woods. :eek:

My next project is to buy several pounds of L'il Gun, and test it in all my Marlins and hot Handgun loads, it sounds like my powder needs will be radically simplified! :)

PJ