N140 and .260Rem

[Colabear]

With all the caveats about other people loads and work ups, not being blasé but taken as said. No liability.

With the restricted supply of many powders I have stocked up on 5kg of VhtN140 and, for better or worse I am going to standardise on the for all but LR (600yds plus) which is R52 in a TRG22 .308. I already have dope for .308/.223 & .303 for N140 but my favourite rifle to shoot is a .260 Tikka T3 24” in an MDT chassis. I shoot either Lapua 123g or Sierra  MK’s 120g. Can anyone give me some guidance if the have use N140 for .260 and their findings. Miss H4350...a lot!

[jcampbellsmith]

I'd recommend a read of https://www.vihtavuori.com/reloading-data/rifle-reloading/?cartridge=13

It shows N140 is possible for light bullets, however it doesn't look much use for your requirement. I've used N160 extensively for the 260 Rem in medium bullet weights with success. I'd suggest that you wait until things ease up and then get some N160 or N555.

Regards

JCS

[Colabear]

Thanks JCS. I had consulted with the Vht site, it still lists N140 for 120’s anything to 25/2600 is more than enough to take me to 600 yards or poss 8-900 at a push. Vht is widely available but I have worked up loads with various powders over the last few years and get settled in one and then it isn’ t available or out of stock and you have to wait for a Bisley or other trip in the hope of finding something! Further comments and direct experience welcome. 

[VarmLR]

N140 won't be ideal.. N160 would be the better Vhit choice really.  The listing on the N140 load data sheets for Vhit only list a couple of the medium/heavier 260 bullets being the 130grn Berger VLD and Swift Scirocco II, and the lighter 120 gr Barnes TTSX.  The trouble with reading off bullet weights if you intend on replicating any of those loads (as you're probably aware) is that you may not be comparing like with like even for the same weights, so for example the VLD may have a shorter wall length than a more tangent or hybrid bullet shape of the same weight.  Using the latter could well result in higher pressures for the same comparative loads, so if you must use just one powder, you have answered your own question really, with the caveats in mind, start light and work up.  You could ask someone with QL to run a check for you based on your barrel length and bullet details.  That probably wouldn't be a bad place to start if you must stick to just N140.

If it were me though I'd use the more suited powder.  I use three different powders for three different cals and the only thing you have to be careful with is mixing them up!  There's a good reason not many people use N140 for the 260...it's just not the ideal powder, and unlike the equivalent TR140/RS50, the velocity's from my own tests with using both are that Vhit tends to concentrate most velocity gains in the last few grains of load, whereas the RS is a lot more uniform with more of a straight line gain in velocities so you may end up disappointed.  If you have some, why not give it a try and see for yourself though?  

The nearest powder to Hodgons popular H4350 is likely to be RS62 which is a very common replacement for both 260Rem and 6.5 CM and that will see you safely up to the heavier 6.5mm bullets but also work well with the lighter ones. Personally, I'd use that or the N160.

[Colabear]

Thank you so much for your comments and observations very useful.

it has just been a really frustrating time and as I shoot a lot of calibers compatible with N140 (.308/.223/.303) and as mentioned I use RS52 for LR.308.

Trouble is availability and pricing and a lot of the better powders being banned under REACH. N140 and H4350 covered 90% of needs. I am keen club shooter but not committed enough to have lots of stock and that thing where you load a batch shoot 75% at a comp, get decent ‘dope’ and then can’t repeat the load to match the remaining 25% let alone the same batch! I have loaded 60 .260 on a researched load using 120 SMK’s reduced 5% from the quoted load. I was hoping someone with access to QL might run some numbers for me. Just bought a TAC A1 in 6.5C so now the fun really starts as these seem to run best on ‘fairy dust’!😂

[phaedra1106uk]

6.5C shoots very nicely with N140 using 100 - 120gr bullets. 

I use it with Scenar 100gr and use N150 for the heavier 139gr Scenars and 140gr Nosler CC.

[Ronin]

N 160 and 165 works very well 

[Colabear]

Thanks phaedra1106 it was me that bought your .260 Tikka in the MDT chassis which I still enjoy shooting very much. Thanks for the input on the 6.5C load I will retain that for a trial load.