New powders from Alliant Varmint and AR-COMP

[JerrySharrett]

Has anyone tried these new powders from Alliant Power-Pro Varmint and AR-COMP in any competition loadings? A couple of us have tried them in 6mmBR and 6PPC and have not found them to have great utility in either of these two chamberings in the bullet ranges normally used for them, 100-108 grain bullets in the 6,,BR and 62-68 grain bullets in the 6PPC.

[skeetlee]

jerry
i was kinda hoping that the AR Comp would shoot in the ppc. Looks like thats not so!! Thanks for sharing! Lee

[JerrySharrett]

There is now some, some-not a lot, of load data on the Alliant site but when I was sent this powder to test it was followed with the following info:

""AR Comp is very slightly faster than RL15 by perhaps a grain. Varmint is
similar to our discontinued RL12, making it a little faster than AR
Comp. ""

The above has been true so far. For powder volume droppers, I haven't used a powder that flows more consistent than Varmint. The AR-COMP is a nice short grain stick powder much like V133.

[mike in co]

jerry,
have you dropped oem 8208 or the newer imr8208 ?

mike in co

There is now some, some-not a lot, of load data on the Alliant site but when I was sent this powder to test it was followed with the following info:

""AR Comp is very slightly faster than RL15 by perhaps a grain. Varmint is
similar to our discontinued RL12, making it a little faster than AR
Comp. ""

The above has been true so far. For powder volume droppers, I haven't used a powder that flows more consistent than Varmint. The AR-COMP is a nice short grain stick powder much like V133.

[JerrySharrett]

jerry,
have you dropped oem 8208 or the newer imr8208 ?

mike in co

I have used many of the "pulled/surplus" 8208's (18163, 18164, 18165, 45710, A068, AAC122910 and a bunch I can't recall right now) and they all meter the same since they are made from the original spec. IMR8208XBR (4 of the 5 lots) ditto, T32 ditto, T322 ditto again. Why do you ask?

[mike in co]

i found in my testing that the oem metered at plus or minus 0.05........using an acculab mx123 to check with, but only got plus or minus 0.09 with the imr8208....its kernle size is aprox 15% larger than oem 8208.
i have always said that one reason people shot so well with oem 8208 is that it meters better than any other powder used in br. v133 does plus or minus 0.2 or worse.
harrells precision thrower.

just my 2 cents worth

[ballpowder]

So Jerry is the Varmint loads compressed? Slower than Benchmark and IMR XBR? Very curious about these Alliant powders.

Tim

[JerrySharrett]

So Jerry is the Varmint loads compressed? Slower than Benchmark and IMR XBR? Very curious about these Alliant powders.

Tim

By weight Power Pro Varmint would be slower, but it has a higher bulk density that BM and XBR. A 6PPC case nearly full is 33 grains for 3340 fps with a 65 grain 825 jacket load in a 0.090" freebore chamber. I need to go back and look at this loading further since I tested it in a high wind and no wind flag condition. I just shot it at 50 yards and it looked good from there but at 33 grains the bullet was crushed tight. It takes 32 grains of PPV to get the same velocity as 28 grains of XBR with the same case fill (about 3280 fps).

[expiper]

Hi Jerry....good to see you still kikin......is the Varmint a stick or ball powder.....it mite work in a BR with lil'l bullets.....it looks like winter is just about to strike...ahah...hav a good un...Roger

[JerrySharrett]

Hi Jerry....good to see you still kikin......is the Varmint a stick or ball powder.....it mite work in a BR with lil'l bullets.....it looks like winter is just about to strike...ahah...hav a good un...Roger

Hey Rogee, the PP Varmint is a very smooth pouring/metering ball powder. If I get better weather I have some faster loads loaded in 6PPC/66g. We had gusty/swirly winds at Rodney's today of about 28 or so according to their local Weatherbug station. My Walker Mountain range was even worse!!
Not what I wanted to test accuracy.