Vihtavuori N500 High Energy
Vihtavuori N530
A high-energy powder for small bottleneck cases and large straight-wall cases; it was developed for 5.56mm NATO military loadings and STANAG qualified, and also saw small- and big-game hunting use.
Effectively withdrawn, since Vihtavuori no longer lists it with the current N500 powders. It was the fastest of the high-energy double-base series, developed for 5.56 NATO military loadings and used in .308 and .45-70. The N500 idea is straightforward: nitroglycerine raises energy content, so you get more velocity at the same pressure than the equivalent N100 powder gives. Retail stock still circulates, but there is no reason to build a program around it.
- .223 Remington
- .308 Winchester
- .45-70 Government
Who has Vihtavuori N530 today
Checked October 10Out of stock at every store we track
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $49.99 | $81.43 est. | 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 →
Discontinued. Canisters still circulate, but the maker no longer produces it — and load data for it may be withdrawn or archived.
Official Vihtavuori load data →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Vihtavuori |
|---|---|
| Product family | Vihtavuori N500 High Energy |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Application | rifle |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0705 cc per grain · 0.92 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Burn-rate position | 113 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 223 Remington, 308 Winchester, 45-70 Government |
Grain shape
Small tubular extruded grains, neutral-burning, with a thin web, which is what put it at the fast end of the N500 series. Double-base means more energy per unit of powder, so the top of the range deserves more respect than the N100 equivalent.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Nitroglycerine added to a nitrocellulose base for higher energy content. Small tubular grains. Vihtavuori no longer lists N530 among the seven N500 powders on its current series page, it is absent from the current canister burn rate chart, and it has no description in the latest Reloading Guide, so it is treated here as withdrawn; retail stock may still circulate.
Burn rate
Was the fastest-burning member of the N500 high-energy series.
Chart agreement: coverage gap in the opposite direction - ranked by Hodgdon and Wolfe/LoadData but omitted from Vihtavuori's own current tabloid chart. Ranked by: Hodgdon, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Ramshot TAC (position 110)
- Alliant Power Pro Varmint (position 111)
- Hodgdon H4895 (position 112)
- IMR 4895 (position 114)
- Vihtavuori N135 (position 115)
This powder is obscure enough in the US that its practical character is thinly documented. The note above is deliberately short rather than padded.
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.