Vihtavuori N500 High Energy
Vihtavuori N550
Developed around the .30-06 Springfield and .308 Winchester and extended to medium and large cases with heavier bullets; suited to hunting rounds and more powerful loads generally.
The high-energy counterpart to N150, built around .30-06 and .308 and extended to medium and large cases with heavier bullets. It is the choice when N150 is right in burn rate but you want more out of the case, which mostly means hunting loads where the extra velocity is worth the extra throat wear. Straightforward and unfussy, with the lot consistency the brand is known for.
- .30-06 hunting loads
- heavy-bullet .308 Winchester
- .300 Winchester Magnum
- 6.5x55 SE
Who has Vihtavuori N550 today
Checked October 10In stock at 1 store — lowest in hand $59.05/lb (8 lb at Graf & Sons)
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 8 lb | $434.99 | $59.05 | In stock ↗ |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $65.99 | $103.44 | In stock ↗ |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 8 lb | $400.99 | $55.99 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $58.99 | $105.89 | 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 N500 High Energy |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | rifle |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0692 cc per grain · 0.94 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Burn-rate position | 147 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 30-06 Springfield, 308 Winchester, 6.5x55 SE, 300 Winchester Magnum |
Grain shape
Symmetrical single-perforated tube grains, neutral-burning, with a thicker web than N540; that ladder mechanism inside the N500 series works the same way it does inside the N100 series. Regular geometry means it meters well for an extruded powder.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Double-base, nitroglycerine-enhanced. Symmetrical tubular grains.
Burn rate
Vihtavuori puts its burn rate close to N150; on the chart it follows N150.
Chart agreement: consistent across charts - listed in the same relative neighbourhood by every publisher that carries it Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Shooters World, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Winchester 760 (position 144)
- Accurate 2700 (position 145)
- Norma URP (position 146)
- IMR 4350 (position 148)
- IMR Enduron 4451 (position 149)
- Alliant Reloder 16 (position 150)
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.