.308 125g and Viht data

[Foxyboy43]

For many years my favourite deer load has been Viht 140 and Sierra 125g Prohunters, using a load I developed from the then Viht Reloading Guide - way, way before "T'internet"! The oldest guide I still have is the 2008 Viht Edition 6 (though I am sure my pet load predates it by some years) and it shows only one bullet in 125g - Nosler Ballistic Tip with a powder range for N140 of 44.1-49.8gF and a top end velocity of 3071fps. This is repeated in Edition 11 which I guess was perhaps 5 years later? Soooo when I first started reloading - just after the relief of Mafeking, I worked my load up in sensible increments to 47g - as near as dammit to halfway through the Viht powder range, no pressure issues and soft to shoot = a happy bunny! I was very pleased with this recipe and have used it across our deer species to good effect ever since. Then this year along comes the excellent Viht 2020 guide available free on t'internet and lo and behold loads for N140 are now provided for a range of bullets including the Nosler BTip which remains the same as shown above and going back at least 12 years. Great stuff - until I look at the N140 load for Sierra 125g (remember my Prohunters?) and find that my pet load is suddenly only 0.2g below the new max and on the new Viht figures is likely to be pretty hot! It gets worse - when I looked at N133 it too has a new max of 42.4g against Editions 8 and 11's 46.3g! So anyone who, like me, worked up a safe load of say 45g on their original data i.e. 1.3g below the Viht data max is according to the 2020 Viht Guide way over the new much lower max and presumably should consider pulling their erstwhile perfectly safe rounds! One could be forgiven for wondering just what is going on!
Soooooo is this:-
- Viht's response to the US market and its tendency to reach for their attorney;
- Provision of more precise/safe loads for different bullets;
- Something else (like what?); or
- Just me having a needless rant??
If it is the last one then the kinder souls will know that a nil response will suffice!

 

[Utectok]

Vhit new load data is notoriously low for .308 some treat the highest load as a start! Obviously caution is the word and plenty of lower MV work well to.

 

[eldon]

I used to run 46g behind a 150g bullet (.308)so I can't see your 47g/125g combination being an issue.
There is a thing about copper de-fouling agents or something being added in the newer versions so as always with a new batch it might be worth dropping a grain and working back up

Me I've still got 3kgs or so of old stuff so can plod on with what I know previously worked. Its a bit of an incentive buying your powder in bigger lots despite the initial expense.

 

[Flyer4u0]

I use the same load as you 47gr Vhit N140 over a 125 gr pro hunter. Never had any signs of pressure problems. Velocity out of my Tikka t3 clocked at 2850 fps.
The reloading data on the internet is for 125gr, either a Nosler Ballistic tip or a Sierra TMK.
I also fail to understand why the Sierra's max is 2.6gr less than the Nosler.
One is for hunting and the other is a target round so could there be a difference in the construction of the bullet requiring further consideration.
I am interested if anyone has more technical info that explains it.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Good to hear re 140 and 125g Sierra thanks - it has always served me very well going out at 2840 fps - only 10 fps below your own though I don't think the deer would really notice! Meanwhile the N133 enigma continues........
Maybe there is a clue in the use of "Guide" in the viht title???