Hodgdon Varget Smokeless Powder, 1 lb

Varget is the powder that made Hodgdon's Extreme line famous and it remains the default answer for .308 Winchester match loads. Hodgdon calls it the first of its Extreme Extruded powders and states that it is insensitive to hot and cold temperatures while producing higher energy for improved velocities over other powders in its burning-speed class. That temperature claim is the practical reason it dominates precision benches: a load developed in July that holds its velocity in January does not string vertically when the season changes, and elevation dope stays honest. Hodgdon lists it for .223 Remington with heavy bullets in competitive matches, 22-250 Remington, .308 Winchester, .30-06, and .375 H&H. The grains are small for an extruded powder, which helps it meter more uniformly through a powder measure than long-grain stick propellants. It sits at position 113 on Hodgdon's own 2024 relative burn rate chart, between Alliant RL15 and Hodgdon CFE 223. Pull charge weights from Hodgdon's current published data for your exact bullet and work up from the starting load.