New AR-Comp Powder from Alliant — Swedish Varget?
Here’s important news for handloaders. Alliant Powder has introduced a new medium-burn-rate powder: AR-Comp™. This new powder was developed specifically for AR-style rifles. Alliant says that AR-Comp powder is “ideally suited for heavy .223 and .308 match bullets”. We presume, from that description, that the powder will have a burn rate similar to Varget. The AR-Comp powder, produced in Sweden by Bofors Nobel, is an enhanced temp-insensitive reformulation of Reloder 15. The burn rate is slightly faster than Reloder 15, according to Alliant.
Alliant Claims AR-Comp is NOT Temp-Sensitive
We have limited information about AR-Comp, and we have not yet been supplied with a test sample. We have confirmed is a double-base extruded powder, and is an upgraded version of the Reloder 15 formulation. Alliant claims the powder meters very well and delivers “consistent pressures and velocities across temperature extremes”. This new powder is supposed to be very uniform from lot to lot. That would be great — if it is true — but only time will tell.
We will try to get a sample of AR-Comp soon and test it in both .223 Rem and .308 Win rifles. We suspect, if AR-Comp suits both the .223 Rem and .308 Win, it should work well in the 6mmBR and 6.5×47 Lapua cartridges as well. Stay tuned — we hope to have more info next week. AR-Comp should be hitting the market in June or July, 2011, provided DOT Classification goes smoothly. It will be offered in both one-pound (#150664) and 8-lb (#150665) containers.
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Tags: .223 Win, Alliant, AR-Comp, Bofors Nobel, Reloder 15, Varget
Looks interesting – I would like to try this out when it is available. I suspect it’s a fine stick type powder only because I have never seen ball or spherical powders that were really temperature insensitive to the extent that stick powders are. Naturally when a new powder becomes available to add to the lineup of powders that can be used in the 6mmAR and the 6mmAR Turbo 40 Imp., that’s of interest to me. Time will tell if it’s really something different or better than the current RL-15 or if it’s really more of a marketing event.
Robert Whitley
Yesterday, I bought a pound of new Alliant MR 2000, a double base ball powder Alliant says is “ideally suited for heavy .223 and match .308 loads”. It is US made and was recently written up in Handloader. I am anxious to try it. AR Comp sounds like a cookie cutter.
Just in time for summer. Where I shoot can be 80º one day and 102º a day or two later. Temp-indifferent powders are a great thing, I look forward to trying it.