View Full Version : Varget for plinking?
Would there be any drawbacks to using Varget over BLC-2 for AR plinking loads? I have thought about trying to go to one powder for rifle. I currently reload 223 Remington, and will be reloading 308 Winchester and 30-06. The 308 and 30-06 loads are intended to be very accurate, which led me to Varget, and I'll be doing 223 loads for accuracy to out of a bolt gun as well. I figure that since the Varget is good for accurate loads in all three calibers, I might try to see about using it for plinking and start buying it in 8 pound jugs. I only use HS-6 for handgun(45ACP,9MM,38 Super), and I'd like not having to stock a cabinet full of different powders.
m1a_scoutguy
05-29-13, 00:04
I say in this day & age,,if ya can get Varget,,get it & use it !! It is a good powder for accurate loads in most any of the main Military/Service Rifle Calibers,,so go for it !!! I think there are some other powders that could be cheaper/less $$$ per pound,,but its all about what ya can find,,plus its nice to settle on one type of powder for all,,but then that can be a problem also,,when ya run out & can't find it !!! :eek:
eightmillimeter
05-29-13, 01:12
Personally I think a plinking powder should be one that is cheaper and easier to load (read...ball powder). BLC2, 2460/2520, CFE223 would be at the top of the list.
Accuracy loads in all three Varget is a solid choice, as is N140, H4895. I prefer slower powders in my 06 loads so I would never settle on one for all three but it can certainly be done.
If it is accurate for you then why not? You can save some money buying in the 8# kegs. I prefer Varget for the .30-06 Garand loads and BLC2 and H335 for most .223 loads only because those are the most accurate. But if they all shot well for me with just one powder you bet I would stock on that in the 8 pounders.
I personally would not use varget for plinking. I would go with something that meters better. Varget is great powder for accurate loads, but has not done great for me in 30-06. I use imr 4895 for my 06 loads, and have seen no reason to change. It is a BAR for hunting so im not looking for sub moa.
If you choose blc2 for a powder be careful when working up in winter then shooting the loads in summer. It is temperature sensitive. I have a pound sitting around for the last year or two after I had some light loads worked up in 50 degree temps. I saved them till summer to shoot. It was a hundred plus, and the pressure spiked causing brass to flow into the ejector.
It is nice to have one powder for multiple rounds, but sometimes your better off using multiple powders. I use win231 for all my pistol loads, but have not been able to do it with rifle.
As stated... why anyone likes Varget for .223 is beyond me. There are much more user friendly options out there.
You don't even have to go Ball powder if you don't want. Benchmark, H322, 8208xbr, etc... all easy to use.
Striving to have one powder isn't worth it in my opinion. But if you're only shooting 50 rounds per week or whatever and you want ONE powder.... by all means... Varget will work great.
I use H335 for my .223 plinking loads. For heavy weight 75 and 77 stuff I have been using 8208XBR for a few years with great success just like markm. H335(and BLC-2) dont run the heavies in 223 very well IMO, gotta go slower, but I dont know about Varget slower. I know guys run it, but I personally dont.
Varget does not meter well and if higher velocity is a concern, it's no better than so-so for .223.
Ramshot TAC is my one .223 powder for 55 & 77 gr loads. It worked well in testing as a .308 powder in a 16" SCAR w/ 150gr Hornady FMJs; but I like Benchmark better for that load.
Varget does not meter well and if higher velocity is a concern, it's no better than so-so for .223.
I've been able to get max loads into .223 brass with a drop tube. But then there you are loading with a high maintenance powder.
For plinking... probably not the most efficient, but everyone has his own time constraints, and ammo volume needs.
I appreciate all the advice. It looks like I might stick with BLC-2 for plinking. Part of the fun of reloading (for me) is learning, and I appreciate the abundance of knowledge and help present in this forum. If is works better to use more than one powder, than I'll go with what works better. I also like reloading because you get to find what works best for you. I bought a powder drop in January, and it would probably be good for filling 223 cases with ball powder. We'll have to see what the targets show. I don't mind multiple powders if it's for a good reason. I currently have time to spend money and think, but I won't get to shoot for a few months because of work.
When I get home I'll buy a few 8 pound jugs of powder; BLC-2 and HS-6 for sure, with Titegroup and Varget to experiment. My thought behind Varget was temperature stability. With Titegroup, moderate/light target loads using the 800 45acp 185 grain bullets from buying Hornady reloading components. HS-6 seems to prefer full power loads. I purchased a pound of Varget for 223 and another pound for 308 so my dad could do some experimenting in his Remington 700 5Rs while I'm gone. I had been curious if it'd be good for plinking, or specifically, high round count classes and competition. Thanks again for all the input.
tappedandtagged
05-31-13, 06:42
When I get home I'll buy a few 8 pound jugs of powder; BLC-2 and HS-6 for sure, with Titegroup and Varget to experiment.
My only question is this: where the crap are you finding these powders in 8# jugs or in any quantity!?
As to plinking powder, if/when it becomes available again, get some surplus WC844 (non-canister grade H335). Just be sure to start low and work up both during initial load development AND when switching lots of powder since the surplus powder burns rates vary more lot to lot than canister grade.
My only question is this: where the crap are you finding these powders in 8# jugs or in any quantity!?
We bought 4 - 8s of H322 from Brunos last night. Pappabear is will calling them today.
32 lbs of pure excellence. :cool: A little expensive, but for the powder we like best....
I am "friends"(as in, I'm been a very good customer and one of the first to a gun shop that opened up almost a decade ago) with a few gun shop employees that have common background to me. At least one of whom I'm friends with regardless from a previous profession. I tell them what I'd like, and I pick it up when it comes in. This particular shop seems to have seen the signs in advance, so even at the worst, they never ran out of black rifles, reloading supplies, or popular pistols. It seems like anything I wanted to pick up(say, primers) was either in stock when I wanted it or within a few weeks. I live in a rural area, so it is easy to have a handshake relationship if you pay your bills on time, and have cash in hand when what you ask for shows up. They seem to be a master dealer for at least:Hornady, Remington, Ruger, Glock, Springfield Armory, Benelli, S&W, Beretta, Arsenal Inc, and more. They have full supply for reloading, ammo, safes, magazines, Surefire, Aimpoint, Eotech, Leupold, and a few other things.
Since I reload currently on a single stage, I usually have components for my next batch before I need them, and the long, sub-zero temp winters give me plenty of time to get small batches done as I go. Once I perfect a few loads, some of them will be moved to a progressive reloader.
As far as finding things, my job takes me away from home for a few months at a time. That's usually enough time for what I want to show up. Even when the 8 pounders were out, they still had 1 pound cans, and since I have plenty of time, I can wait till 8 pound jugs show up again. I've been perfectly happy with 1 pound cans, but I figure 8 pounds at a time is the next logical step. It's nice to be able to work on cash and a handshake. Maybe that's just a perk of living in a rural area. I'm planning on buying about $500 of powder and primers after this next stint away. I'm purchasing brass and bullets as I go, though I'm good on bullets for at least the load development process.
Is there any advantage to H335 over BLC-2 if you're reloading both 223 and 308 for plinking?
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