Vihtavuori Pistol
Vihtavuori N340
A flexible medium-burn powder for medium and large caliber handguns running medium to heavy high-velocity loads, and for medium and heavy shotshell loads.
The medium-speed generalist of the N300 line, formerly sold as 3N18: medium and large caliber handguns with heavier bullets at higher velocity, plus medium and heavy shotshell loads. It is what you pick when N330 is too fast for the bullet weight and N350 is more than the cartridge needs. The clean-burning claim holds up well here, and it is a common choice for full-power .357 and .44 Magnum when you do not want a ball magnum powder's ignition demands.
- full-power .357 Magnum
- heavy .45 ACP
- .44 Magnum
- .40 S&W
Who has Vihtavuori N340 today
Checked October 10In stock at 1 store — lowest in hand $60.86/lb (4 lb at Graf & Sons)
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 4 lb | $205.99 | $60.86 | In stock ↗ |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $61.99 | $99.44 | In stock ↗ |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 4 lb | $187.99 | $58.72 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $55.99 | $102.89 | Out |
“In hand” is the shelf price plus that store’s hazmat fee and shipping, spread over one container. Stock is checked once a day — confirm on the store’s page before ordering. Compare all powders →
Official Vihtavuori load data →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Vihtavuori |
|---|---|
| Product family | Vihtavuori Pistol |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | pistol, shotshell |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.1066 cc per grain · 0.61 g/cc |
| Composition | single-base |
| Burn-rate position | 44 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 9mm Luger, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, 44 Remington Magnum, 12 Gauge |
Grain shape
Small tubular extruded grains, neutral-burning, so surface holds roughly constant as the perforation opens and it stays civil at the velocities it is aimed at. Across the N300 range the burn-rate steps come mostly from porosity and surface treatment rather than grain size, so it meters much like N330 does.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Vihtavuori says N340 burns extremely clean with no residuals. It was formerly sold as 3N18 before being renamed.
Burn rate
Medium on Vihtavuori's handgun scale, slower than N330 and faster than 3N37/N350.
Chart agreement: consistent across the three charts that list it Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Alliant Herco (position 41)
- Winchester Super Field (WSF) (position 42)
- Shooters World Auto Pistol (position 43)
- Alliant BE-86 (position 45)
- Accurate No. 5 (position 46)
- Hodgdon HS-6 (position 47)
Sources
The specifications above come from Vihtavuori's own published documentation, linked below. The two “RCM's read” sections are ours, not theirs — our assessment of what this powder is like to load, drawn from its published characteristics and from what handloaders consistently report. No manufacturer endorses them and no source below backs them. If you think we have one wrong, tell us — we would rather fix it.