Saving some Money on Vihtavuori propellants for your Savage 10ML-II
The long-time importer and distributor of Vihtavuori powder in the United States has been Kaltron Outdoors. They also supply Lapua ammunition and the highly regarded Baschieri & Pellagri (B&P) shotshell ammunition. See http://www.kaltronoutdoors.com .
Product manager Jeannie Bolda and Kaltron have long been supportive of the Savage 10ML project. Vihtavuori N110 has been a book load powder, published by Savage Arms in the 10ML-II owner's manual for years. N110 makes a lot of gas in a hurry, and in my opinion is best suited for 250 grain projectiles. 38 – 42 grains pushing a .452 diameter Hornady XTP in an MMP short black sabot is generally ideal.
Above is a Savage 10ML-II 3-shot group fired by Bob Parker @ 100 yards, measuring just .659 in. center-to-center. With 60 grains of N120 and a 300 grain Parker Match Hunter, it was good for 2356 fps muzzle velocity.
My personal favorite propellant for the Savage 10ML-II has long been 57 – 60 grains of N120, pushing a 300 grain Barnes Original .458 Semi-Spitzer Flat Base bullet, in an MMP Orange .458 / 50 sabot. The flattest shooting combination is the same powder charge, using a bullet just introduced this year, the Parker Match Hunter 300 grain that uses the same short, black MMP sabot that the 250 grain XTP does.
N120 is not likely to appear at your gunshop a couple of blocks away from you though. No one likes to pay Haz-Mat, but everybody does one way or the other. To soften the blow a bit, Jeannie has decided to offer 10% off orders placed directly with her. If you order 20 pounds of powder, then she will knock off 13%. It all helps
As always, you just contact me Jeannie direct at: jbolda@kaltron.com or give her a ring at 815-505-4104.Jeannie says she is able to do this from now until April 15, 2012, so for Savage 10ML fans it is a good time to stock up. As most Savage shooters have hunting buddies that also shoot 10ML-II's, it is easy enough to split an order several ways to lessen the haz-mat impact, and save a few dollars on the entire order as well. Thanks, Jeannie!
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Please Note: Randy Wakeman, his agents, heirs and assigns, hereby disclaims all possible liability for damages including, actual, incidental and consequential, resulting from usage of the information or advice contained in these articles. Use the data and advice at your own risk, and with extreme caution.
