Solid solution range and congruency of Sr3Nb1-xGa3 + (5/3)NSi2O14 (SNGS) were examined by powder X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis (DTA), which enables the selection of a suitable starting composition for micro-pulling-down (mu -PD) growth. On the basis of these data, SNGS single crystals have been grown by the CI-PD method, where composition was determined by chemical analysis.