Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .260 Picra with .264 | 131gr | Sellier & Bellot SP bullet and 30 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star, ReloadSwiss RS 14 and Hodgdon TrailBoss.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 60% and propellant combustion ≥ 80%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS² | <<locked>> | 68% | 50,662 psi | 90% | 1486 fps | 96.6% |
| Accurate Solo 1000² | <<locked>> | 64% | 48,138 psi | 85% | 1237 fps | 100% |
| Accurate Solo 1250² | <<locked>> | 64% | 50,604 psi | 89% | 1280 fps | 100% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 68% | 50,401 psi | 89% | 1378 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 72% | 48,921 psi | 86% | 1207 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 72% | 49,327 psi | 87% | 1220 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 68% | 49,487 psi | 87% | 1234 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,879 psi | 88% | 1430 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,168 psi | 87% | 1250 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 72% | 50,850 psi | 90% | 1319 fps | 100% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 68% | 49,023 psi | 87% | 1240 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 64% | 50,763 psi | 90% | 1253 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 76% | 47,819 psi | 85% | 1220 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,052 psi | 87% | 1217 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,997 psi | 60% | 1043 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 50,067 psi | 89% | 1483 fps | 94.7% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 64% | 47,616 psi | 84% | 1247 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 64% | 48,747 psi | 86% | 1250 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,385 psi | 87% | 1247 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,385 psi | 87% | 1230 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,156 psi | 60% | 1063 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30² | <<locked>> | 76% | 50,850 psi | 90% | 1493 fps | 99.7% |
| SNPE Vectan A0² | <<locked>> | 64% | 50,314 psi | 89% | 1299 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 68% | 49,879 psi | 88% | 1227 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,415 psi | 89% | 1440 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,864 psi | 88% | 1335 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265² | <<locked>> | 72% | 48,544 psi | 86% | 1447 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N110² | <<locked>> | 72% | 50,502 psi | 89% | 1460 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star | <<locked>> | 96% | 50,836 psi | 90% | 1217 fps | 100% |
| Winchester AutoComp ² | <<locked>> | 64% | 50,589 psi | 89% | 1283 fps | 100% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 38,653 psi | 68% | 1325 fps | 92.3% |
| Accurate Solo 1000² | <<locked>> | 60% | 44,092 psi | 78% | 1191 fps | 100% |
| Accurate Solo 1250² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,745 psi | 81% | 1227 fps | 100% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 41,176 psi | 73% | 1276 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 60% | 38,319 psi | 68% | 1089 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 60% | 38,725 psi | 68% | 1106 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 41,974 psi | 74% | 1155 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 44,121 psi | 78% | 1365 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 44,527 psi | 79% | 1201 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 60% | 38,609 psi | 68% | 1184 fps | 100% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 41,408 psi | 73% | 1155 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,963 psi | 81% | 1207 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 33,518 psi | 59% | 1060 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 33,330 psi | 59% | 1033 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss² | 6.4 gr | 60% | 17,405 psi | 31% | 787 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 34,301 psi | 61% | 1260 fps | 87.6% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 60% | 43,120 psi | 76% | 1198 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 60% | 44,730 psi | 79% | 1207 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,310 psi | 80% | 1204 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,295 psi | 80% | 1188 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14² | 6.6 gr | 60% | 17,709 psi | 31% | 810 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 30,705 psi | 54% | 1204 fps | 93.3% |
| SNPE Vectan A0² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,194 psi | 80% | 1247 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 60% | 42,322 psi | 75% | 1148 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,747 psi | 51% | 1148 fps | 97.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,034 psi | 80% | 1286 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 33,794 psi | 60% | 1240 fps | 92.5% |
| Vihtavuori N110² | <<locked>> | 60% | 35,215 psi | 62% | 1260 fps | 98.3% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | 8.7 gr | 60% | 26,818 psi | 47% | 935 fps | 100% |
| Winchester AutoComp ² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,876 psi | 81% | 1237 fps | 100% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
* not dangerous but load has suboptimal powder burnt with possible characteristics such as extensive muzzle flash or inaccurate loads.
² fill rate low - you might want to consider using a filler to ensure proper ignition.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 30 powders for .260 Picra loaded with the .264 | 131gr | Sellier & Bellot SP. ReloadSwiss RS 30 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,493 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,043 fps to 1,493 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 5 of the 30 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (390 MPa), the top charges use 60–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 131.0 gr projectile in 0.264" calls for a 1:10.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star, ReloadSwiss RS 14, Hodgdon TrailBoss rank at the top here: for .260 Picra with the .264 | 131gr | Sellier & Bellot SP they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, IMR 4227 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. ADI APS 350, ADI APS 450, Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol stay subsonic at start load. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.