Author: britrifles
Subject: Hornady 174 gr RN with Varget and 2520
Posted: January 19 2024 at 4:34am
I’ve shot thousands of SMKs over 40.0 grains of Varget, probably more than 8,000. It’s been a very accurate load in my four No. 4 rifles. Won many matches with this load. I also use this powder in my No. 4 7.62 conversions. But, the bore has to be in good condition, boattail bullets generally don’t do well in barrels that have had the throat burned out with cordite Mk 7 ammunition. Rifles that have been in military service in the U.K. are the most susceptible to this since they almost exclusively used cordite in the Mk 7 ball loads. Canada generally used Mk 7z nitrocellulose powder which burned much cooler and resulted in much less throat errosion.
Subject: Hornady 174 gr RN with Varget and 2520
Posted: January 19 2024 at 4:34am
I’ve shot thousands of SMKs over 40.0 grains of Varget, probably more than 8,000. It’s been a very accurate load in my four No. 4 rifles. Won many matches with this load. I also use this powder in my No. 4 7.62 conversions. But, the bore has to be in good condition, boattail bullets generally don’t do well in barrels that have had the throat burned out with cordite Mk 7 ammunition. Rifles that have been in military service in the U.K. are the most susceptible to this since they almost exclusively used cordite in the Mk 7 ball loads. Canada generally used Mk 7z nitrocellulose powder which burned much cooler and resulted in much less throat errosion.
The Hornady 174 gr RN is .312 in diameter and a flat base bullet. It has considerably more bearing surface area in the bore than the 174 SMK. Velocities will be lower at the same pressure. It may shoot well, I’ve not tried that bullet myself. Note the max cartridge length with this bullet, 2.945 inches which is shorter than the typical 3.075 max length for Spitzer shaped bullets. The round nose profile may jam this bullet into the lands if you exceed the max cartridge length shown, that can raise pressures significantly. The lower max charge of Varget with the Hornady 174 RN bullet compared to the 174 SMK is a result of these two differences.
There is indeed a lot of variation in published load data. I generally follow the powder manufactures data, particularly if they list the specific bullet you are loading and it includes pressure data (i.e Hodgdon data). Hodgdon obtains its data direct from the powder manufacture. Varget is the Hodgdon name for ADI AR2208, if you look up ADI AR2208 online data, you will see it is identical to Varget.
Look at the bore of your rifle from the breech end. If the rifling is sharp and well defined right at the throat (just forward of the chamber) count yourself lucky. If you see a half inch or more with no rifling, you will probably be better off trying a flat base bullet with a relatively fast burning powder like IMR 3031.
Be cautions with AA 2520. This is a double base ball powder that burns hot and produces high velocities. If loaded close to max chamber pressure it can quickly burn the throat out of the barrel. Keep to low to mid range loads with this powder. I’ve not used it in the LE, but used it in my AR-15 loads for a few years and it burned the throat out in only 1500 rounds on two barrels.