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The choice of rifle powder is one of the most critical decisions in long-range precision reloading. Several research studies have shown that the type of gun powder you choose can significantly affect pressure, velocity, and combustion dynamics, ultimately influencing precision and group size. But with so many options on the market, what’s the best reloading powder for long range?
To cut through the noise, we analyzed what the top 200 Precision Rifle Series (PRS) competitors are using in their match ammo. (Learn about the Precision Rifle Series.) The results are clear—one brand dominates the field, and just two powders account for the majority of top-ranked shooters. But is your go-to powder still the best choice? And why has the best rifle powder shifted over the past decade?
In this article, we break down the best powder for rifle reloading based on real-world data from top competitors. You’ll discover which powders are trusted by the best in the sport, why they’ve become the gold standard for long-range precision, and how changing cartridge trends have reshaped powder preferences over time. If you’re serious about precision reloading, this data-driven analysis will help you choose the best rifle powder for consistency and accuracy.
Best Reloading Powder For Long Range
Let’s dive into the data! The chart below shows what brands of reloading powders this group of elite shooters are using to win long-range rifle matches.
88% of pro shooters are using a Hodgdon brand rifle powder for their match ammo! That included the majority of the guys in the top 10 and 86% of those in the top 50. All of the Hodgdon reloading powders being used are part of the Hodgdon Extreme Series line of rifle powders, which are specially formulated to show very little sensitivity to swings in ambient temperature. That means you get very similar muzzle velocities regardless of whether the outside air temperature is 40° F or 90° F. (More on temp sensitivity in an upcoming article.) The Extreme Series powders (e.g., Varget, H4350) are manufactured in Australia by Thales Australia (previously known as Australian Defence Industries or ADI Powders). Hodgdon imports these rifle powders and markets them under the Hodgdon name in the United States and other regions.
The second most popular brand was Vihtavuori powders, representing 8% of these shooters. That included 1 in the top 10 and a total of 7% of the top 50. Vihtavuori is a Finnish company with over 100 years of expertise, and they’re trusted worldwide for their exceptional consistency, clean-burning performance, and rigorous quality control. Their N-series powders are engineered to deliver stable performance across varying temperatures and conditions, making them ideal for long-range precision shooting. Vihtavuori is a sister company to other popular brands like Lapua and Berger.
2% of these shooters said they load their match ammo with Alliant’s Reloder Powder, but that included 1 in the top 10 and 2 more in the top 25. Alliant Powder is an American manufacturer and distributor. They make some reloading powders in-house, but they import the Reloder (aka Reloader) series of rifle powders from Eurenco Bofors in Sweden. Eurenco Bofors has a long history of innovation in the energetics industry, dating back to the late 1800s, and it is known for its uniform granules and stable burn rates. Many, but not all, Reloder powders are engineered to perform consistently across a wide range of temperatures.
Lastly, there was 1 shooter who said they used an IMR powder and 1 shooter who said they used a Winchester powder, both of which are marketed by Hodgdon powders in the United States and other regions under those respective brand names. Winchester Powders are sourced from General Dynamics in the U.S., which produces reloading powders for both commercial and military applications. IMR Powders are manufactured by General Dynamics in Canada.
It’s interesting to see how global the rifle powder industry is. It probably also helps us understand how fragile the supply chain for reloading powders can be.
Best Rifle Powder
Now, let’s break it down beyond brand or line of reloading powder and look at the specific type of rifle powder these top 200 shooters said they were using in their match ammo.
62% of these shooters were using Hodgdon Varget, including the majority of the guys in the top 10. Varget has been the favorite rifle powder among the PRS crowd from the beginning. It’s also very popular among competitive shooters in F-Class and Benchrest. There are a few key reasons that so many shooters prefer Varget:
- Temperature Stability: Varget is part of Hodgdon’s Extreme Series, designed to perform consistently across a wide range of temperatures. This minimizes velocity and pressure variations, ensuring consistent accuracy in diverse weather conditions.
- Exceptional Consistency: Known for its uniform granules and predictable burn rate, Varget delivers precise shot-to-shot performance, which is critical for long-range accuracy.
- Clean-Burning: Varget burns efficiently, reducing barrel fouling and maintaining consistent accuracy over extended shooting sessions.
- Excellent Energy Output: Its optimized burn characteristics allow shooters to achieve high velocities without generating excessive pressures, ideal for precision loads.
- Versatility: It works well with a variety of calibers and bullet weights, from 223 Rem to the 30-06 Springfield. Of course, most of these shooters are using it in 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 6BR, 6BRA, 25×47 Lapua, 25 GT, and a few 308 Win in the tactical class.
- Proven Track Record: Varget has a long-standing reputation in competitive shooting, with many shooters reporting outstanding results in disciplines like F-Class, PRS, and benchrest competitions.
25% were running Hodgdon H4350, including 1 in the top 10 and another 10 in the top 50. H4350 is also part of the Hodgdon Extreme Series powders but has a slightly slower burn rate than Varget. That makes it ideal for slightly larger cartridges.
That means Varget and H4350 combined to represent 87% of these pro shooters, and the remaining 13% were spread over 7 different rifle powders:
- 5% Vihtavuori N150 (including 1 in the top 10 and 2 more in the top 50)
- 3% Vihtavuori N140 (none in the top 50)
- 2% Hodgdon H4895 (none in the top 50, also part of the Hodgdon Extreme Series line)
- 1% Alliant Reloder 16 (including 1 in the top 10 and another 1 in the top 50)
- 1% Alliant Reloder 15.5 (including 1 in the top 25 and no others in the top 50)
- 1% IMR 4350 (none in the top 50)
- 1% Vihtavuori N555 (none in the top 50)
Rifle Reloading Powder Trends Among The Pros
Ten years ago, Varget and H4350 were the top rifle powders, too – but they were almost exactly flipped! In 2014, 67% of the top-ranked PRS shooters were using H4350, and 21% were using Varget (view 2014 reloading powder data)! That’s because back then, the most popular cartridges were the 6 Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6×47 Lapua, and 6.5×47 Lapua (view 2014 cartridge data). There wasn’t a single shooter using a 6mm Dasher or any other cartridge based on the 6mm BR in 2014. It was around the 2016 PRS Season when you saw the 6 Dasher and 6 BR starting to show up among the pros (view 2016 cartridge data), and then by the end of the 2018 season, the 6mm Dasher and other 6BR-based cartridges were dominant! In 2018, 48% of all the shooters surveyed were using a cartridge based on the 6mm BR case – and it was 60% among the top 10 (view 2018 cartridge data).
That explains why Varget is the favorite reloading powder today and H4350 was 10 years ago. It all comes down to what is the best rifle powder for the size of cartridge you’re shooting:
- Varget is a slightly faster-burning rifle powder that is a great choice for the 6mm Dasher, 6BR, 6BRA, and other cartridges that are on the smaller size of cases used for long-range rifle matches.
- Hodgdon H4350 is a great choice for cases like the 6 Creedmoor and 6.5 Creedmoor.
Important: You should always reference comprehensive reloading manuals and start with powders and safe charge weights they recommend. There are a ton of factors that vary from them to you, including exact chamber/barrel dimensions, brass specs, reloading scales, powder lots, seating depth and tension, etc., so it’s critical to follow safety precautions. Failure to follow safe loading practices could result in severe personal injury (including death) or gun damage to the user or bystanders. Technical data and information are based on survey responses from other shooters under specific conditions and circumstances. The author has not independently verified the accuracy of the data and cannot be responsible for errors in published load data. Because this site and its affiliates have no control over the individual loading practices and/or components used, no responsibility is assumed by PrecisionRifleBlog.com or its affiliates in the use of this data. The information is to be used at the sole discretion of the user and the user assumes all risk.
The table below shows how many of these top 200 shooters run Varget or H4350 for various cartridges. The cartridges are sorted based on the estimated case capacity, with the smallest cases on top and the largest on bottom.
| Cartridge | # of Shooters Using Hodgdon Varget | # of Shooters Using Hodgdon H4350 |
| 6mm ARC | 1 | |
| 6mm BR | 5 | |
| 6mm BRA | 6 | |
| 6mm Dasher | 68 | 3 |
| 6mm GT | 6 | 7 |
| 25 GT | 3 | 1 |
| 6×47 Lapua | 2 | |
| 25×47 Lapua | 6 | 4 |
| 6.5×47 Lapua | 1 | 1 |
| 6XC | 1 | |
| 6mm Creedmoor | 6 | |
| 25 Creedmoor | 11 | |
| 6.5 Creedmoor | 6 |
Based on the reported data above, it looks like there are a few cartridges where virtually all of the shooters are using either Varget or H4350, and then there are a few that seem pretty split between the two. I was curious to see if those aligned with the size of the case (i.e., case volume or case capacity).
The chart below seems to represent the choice of the majority of these top marksmen in terms of what reloading powder is ideal based on the size of the case their rifle is chambered for.
You can see there is some crossover in the cases that hold between 43 and 49 grains of water, but those that are less than 43 virtually all used Varget, and those with 50 or more virtually all used H4350.
Coming Up Next
This article is part of a series on rifle reloading data, load development, and reloading components. Here are other related articles that I’ve recently published or plan to publish in the near future:
- Best Reloading Presses & Dies – What The Pros Use
- Best Powder Scale – What The Pros Use
- How Do The Best Shooters Reload? What The Pros Use (This is all about the reloading steps and process that these shooters perform to reload their match ammo.)
- Best Brass – What The Pros Use
- Best Long Range Bullet – What The Pros Use
- Unlock the Secrets of Ammo: A Must-Read for Every Shooter and Reloader (This is a review of the book Ammunition, Demystified by Jeff Siewert, which is the best book I’ve ever read on ammo.)
- Best Rifle Powder – What The Pros Use (this article)
- Rifle Load Development – How To Pick The Right Powder & Load (coming soon)
- Rifle Powder Temperature Sensitivity – Why It Matters & Best Powders To Use (coming soon)
- Best Rifle Primers – What The Pros Use (coming soon)
- Best Match Ammo Options For Shooters Who Don’t Reload (coming soon)
I’ve also published a lot of reloading data in the past based on the exact load data from the top PRS shooters. You can find all of that rifle load data here:
- 6 & 6.5 Creedmoor Load Data – What The Pros Use
- 6mm Dasher Load Data – What The Pros Use
- 6×47 and 6.5×47 Lapua Load Data – What The Pros Use
- 6BRA, 6BRX & 6BR Load Data – What The Pros Use
- 6XC Load Data – What The Pros Use
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When will you be doing another What the Pros use Gunsmith rankings from the 2024 series
Hey, Randy. I don’t have that on my schedule right now, because there wasn’t significant change from last year. Some of this seems to stay the same for a few years and then one year, you see a lot of change. I’ll publish it at some point, but it’s just not on my shortlist.
Thanks,
Cal
Hi Cal
I believe this is the first article in this series that I will not have to think about making a change, looks like I got it right the first time with H4350.
It’s very interesting that in 2014 they were using H4350 and now ten year later its complete changed and Varget is #1. Both excellent powders. That’s a major change involving a lot more than just powders. Clearly shows that Precision Rifle Series is willing to change with the times.
Hodgdon tells you clearly when reloading what are the starting loads and what are the maximum loads to use with a powder. They also give you the starting and maximum pressures those loads give you.
I know to look for pressure signs if I go to maximum loads or better, but I never know how much pressure in PSI I have created if I do go higher than maximum.
With my 6.5 creedmoor the book says you should be safe with pressure up to about 60,000 PSI. Is there an easy way to measure or tell how much pressure you have created in PSI’s with a hot load?
Paul Goggan
Hey, Paul. Honestly, 100% of the ammo I load for all of my rifles (and there are a bunch) is with one of the Hodgdon Extreme Series powders. Specifically, it is Varget, H4350, and H1000 for 95% of them + Retumbo for the last 5%. I’ve found all of those to be very consistent and temperature stable, which I’ll do a deep dive into in an upcoming article. I even did a pretty thorough test of some of that recently and I’ll share that in the article – but it ended up confirming that Varget and H4350 are just crazy consistent loads.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a good way to tell how many PSI your load is. I’ve even heard the engineers at Hornady talk about how they measure that, and it’s not as direct of a method as you’d think. I thought they might have a pressure gauge connected to a rifle or barrel that gives them a digital readout when they fire a shot (like “59,452 PSI”). But I believe that most ammo manufacturers use strain gauges to estimate chamber pressure by measuring the expansion of the barrel when a cartridge is fired, which provides an indirect pressure reading based on the strain (deformation) of the barrel steel under pressure. They use special SAAMI or CIP pressure test barrels which are made to tight tolerances with known steel alloys to ensure consistency in pressure readings. The strain gauge is basically a thin, resistive sensor that is glued to the outside of the barrel at a precise place near the chamber. There isn’t anything in the chamber measuring pressure. But, the tricky part is they have to calibrate the sensor to known pressures using some reference baseline to establish a conversion factor between strain and actual chamber pressure. Over time, they develop a reliable formula for translating strain gauge readings into estimated PSI values.
It’s kind of crazy to think that is still how we do this, but I guess 60,000 PSI would destroy any kind of sensor in the chamber – or potentially change the reading, because it changes the physics of the chamber.
I have also heard the guys at Hornady say they have used strain gauges to test some of the loads that they see people post online, and they have to stop early before they can build up to that powder charge – because they would risk damaging their equipment. They say it’s shocking how many shooters are running ammo well above safe pressure limits.
So we are left to estimate based on inferred info and observations. Many people look for a “stiff bolt lift”, a flattened primer, or a bright spot on the case head. I think all of those are bad indicators, and may or may not be present when you’re over pressure. After talking to a lot of ammo manufacturers and ballistic engineers, the way I think about it, “There is no free lunch.” For example, the Hornady reloading book (11th Edition) says for a 6.5 Creedmoor running 147-153 grain bullets, you can safely get up to 2600 fps with a max load of 40.3 grains of H4350. Now that is for a 24″ test rifle, so for a 26″ barrel the Berger manual says you could expect around 25 fps more per inch. If a H4350 load is pushing 2750 fps, it has to be over pressure. That’s what I mean by, “There is no free lunch.” I’ve had individual barrels that were from the same lot of barrels and chambered by the same gunsmith on the same day vary by 25 fps with the same exact ammo. So it’s not an exact science. But, if you’re 100 fps or more above what a reloading manual suggests as the velocity of the max load … you have to be over pressure.
Honestly, I shoot enough rifle matches every year that I shoot in the rain at least one day annually. Anytime that happens, you’ll see all of those guys blowing primers and triggers going down. Their ammo got a little damp, and water is not compressible. So a little moisture in your chamber will bump up your pressure some. Some people say rain will “spike your pressure” – but it’s not like it doubles. Ballistic testing shows peak pressure is usually increased 5-10%. But rain always shows the guys who are running over pressure, because they are already red-lining on pressure … and that last 5-10% tips the scales.
I actually water test my ammo, and I know many of these pros that do the same thing. We literally load a magazine, pour a bottle of water on it, and then fire it. That will tell you whether you’re load has a margin of safety to it. I want to know that before I load ammo for a match, not when it starts to rain right before I go up to shoot a stage at a match.
I will also say that VERY few of these pro shooters run on the ragged edge of muzzle velocity. You’ll hear guys today say, “low and slow.” That is the trend among the pros. We want SUPER consistent velocities and ZERO ammo malfunctions. You’re not going to hit one more target over the course of a match by your velocity being 20 fps faster. And if a guy want to run a little faster, then pick a different cartridge. We have a billion choices these days! 😉
That’s probably way more than you wanted! Sorry for going off on a tangent. I just know there are probably a lot of people reading this article that probably need to hear that.
I sure wish there was a sensor we could just tack on our rifle like a chronograph or something to measure pressure … but if you have a chronograph, I’d say that gives us the next best thing. 😉
Thanks,
Cal
Sadly in the UK we cannot buy Varget or H4350 due to health and safety legislation. In fact getting ANY reloading supplies at the moment is like looking for unicorn tears. Bullets, powder and primers are unobtainable, nothing coming in from the US where most components are produced. I shoot 300 deer a year and am almost out of all components, which is a real problem.
Dang, Steve. That’s tough! I travel internationally enough to know it’s very different in other places, but I would have expected powders like Vihtavuori (made in Finland) and Alliant Reloder (made by Eurenco Bofors in Sweden) to be readily available to you guys in Europe, and potentially at lower prices than we can get it for in the states.
The reason I researched where each powder was actually produced was really because I was thinking of international guys. I wasn’t sure if those manufacturers sold the same or similar powder under a different brand name in other countries. I think I heard someone in New Zealand say in the past that they buy Varget or H4350, but it was branded as ADI Powder there. I forgot what the exact name was, but ADI has been bought out since then. And maybe companies like Hodgdon or Alliant have exclusive agreements with the manufacturer that won’t produce the same exact recipe of powder for anyone but them, but perhaps they simply make a very similar powder.
Can you not find powders from Vihtavuori or Eurenco Bofors there? Or is it that they have put a lockdown on all ammo components?
Either way, it sucks to hear that you guys are having such a tough time getting components. There are times that you can’t find particular types of powder or primers or even brass over here in the US. We all complain about it, but I bet it isn’t anywhere near as hard as finding some of these things in other countries.
And I can’t get past this: 300 deer per year?!!! That is nuts! I didn’t have any idea that deer populations in the UK were that high. That is a crazy amount of management – and meat! I bet you really know which bullets perform best in terms of terminal ballistics. Would you mind sharing your thoughts there? That is just a lot of experience, so I’d be curious what bullets you’ve found to be most effective. Do you fall in the old-school camp of Accubond style bullets or are do you actually use match bullets like Bergers or ELD-Ms like a lot of hunters seem to be going to?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hate to hear that’s the current state in the UK.
Cal
Just for anyone else reading this, I just had someone tell me that ADI 2208 and 2209 are the exact same powders as Hodgdon Varget and H4350. ADI Powders is the original manufacturer, although I think they got bought out more recently. Hodgdon imports those powders into the US and markets them under as Hodgdon Varget and H4350, but I’m told that they’re sold in some other countries as ADI 2208 and ADI 2209. They specifically said, “They are the exact powders that are Varget and H4350. Only the sticker on the packaging is different.
Just thought that might help one of my international readers. 😉
Thanks,
Cal
Thanks for taking the time to reply Cal. Due to EU regulations, Hodgdon and ADI powders are not sold in the UK. We can indeed buy Vihtavuori but supplies are limited and because the bullets and primers are in such short supply, I don’t want to waste what I have doing more load development.
We have huge deer problems in large parts of the UK. In some areas we are paid under contract to shoot them as the price a game dealer pays for a carcase is so low no one shoots enough of them to reduce numbers otherwise. If you come to the UK sometime give me a call and I will happily take you out stalking. I do almost all of mine on foot, shooting off sticks.
Cheers, Steve Rawsthorne.
Hi Cal,
Thanks a lot for another very interesting article!
About that powder situation in Europe : I would love to know what cartridges are loaded with the N150 powder by the PRS shooters you surveyed. N150 seems to be the best powder available in my country.
Thanks,
Alic
Hey, Alic. Great question! It seems to be a cross-section of the most popular cartridges among this group. Here are all of the cartridges of the shooters who said they use Vihtavuori N150 powder:
6mm Dasher (several shooters)
25 GT
25×47 Lapua
6.5 Creedmoor
308 Win
So it sounds like that is a powder that is similar to Varget or H4350 that could be used for most of the popular cartridges used by the pros in the PRS.
Thanks,
Cal