MP540 Powder in the 308 Winchester

I made it out to the range with my initial test loads using the American Reloading MP540 powder. It worked very well. This is suppose to be similar to Vihtavuori N540 powder, so I started with their published starting load of 41.7 grains. From the published load data, the expected velocity from a 24″ barrel was 2,411 fps. I subtracted 135 fps for the 18″ barrel and landed on expecting 2,276 fps according to the book. With QuickLoad, it estimated 2,453, and that ended up being pretty close at an average of 2,435. The SD and ES also had good showings. I didn’t get to shoot this load at 100 yards, but it grouped acceptably at 25 yards. Now that the baseline for the starting load is dialed in, a new batch will be created to find pressure. At $29/lb, it is exciting to see such good performance right out of the gate.