Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .260 Picra with .264 | 140gr | Speer Hot-Cor bullet and 29 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>> | 64% | 46,166 psi | 82% | 1385 fps | 96.2% |
| Accurate Solo 1000² | <<locked>> | 64% | 48,327 psi | 85% | 1194 fps | 100% |
| Accurate Solo 1250² | <<locked>> | 64% | 51,010 psi | 90% | 1240 fps | 100% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 64% | 46,833 psi | 83% | 1296 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 72% | 48,907 psi | 86% | 1168 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 72% | 49,385 psi | 87% | 1181 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 68% | 49,588 psi | 88% | 1198 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 64% | 51,169 psi | 90% | 1394 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,472 psi | 87% | 1214 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 68% | 47,137 psi | 83% | 1237 fps | 100% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 68% | 49,139 psi | 87% | 1198 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 64% | 51,068 psi | 90% | 1214 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 76% | 48,211 psi | 85% | 1184 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,139 psi | 87% | 1178 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,592 psi | 61% | 1014 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 45,716 psi | 81% | 1391 fps | 94.5% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 64% | 47,979 psi | 85% | 1207 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,632 psi | 88% | 1217 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,603 psi | 88% | 1211 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 64% | 49,487 psi | 87% | 1191 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,809 psi | 62% | 1037 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30² | <<locked>> | 72% | 46,702 psi | 83% | 1394 fps | 99.6% |
| SNPE Vectan A0² | <<locked>> | 64% | 50,850 psi | 90% | 1260 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 68% | 49,937 psi | 88% | 1188 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2² | <<locked>> | 76% | 46,659 psi | 82% | 1352 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3* | <<locked>> | 84% | 51,010 psi | 90% | 1467 fps | 88.4% |
| Somchem S265² | <<locked>> | 72% | 50,256 psi | 89% | 1424 fps | 98.7% |
| Vihtavuori N110² | <<locked>> | 68% | 46,441 psi | 82% | 1368 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,443 psi | 86% | 1152 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% | 40,234 psi | 71% | 1306 fps | 94.1% |
| Accurate Solo 1000² | <<locked>> | 60% | 44,266 psi | 78% | 1152 fps | 100% |
| Accurate Solo 1250² | <<locked>> | 60% | 46,079 psi | 81% | 1191 fps | 100% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 41,959 psi | 74% | 1240 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 60% | 38,798 psi | 69% | 1056 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 60% | 38,725 psi | 68% | 1066 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 42,047 psi | 74% | 1115 fps | 100% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,266 psi | 80% | 1332 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Green Dot² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,324 psi | 80% | 1168 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 60% | 39,073 psi | 69% | 1148 fps | 100% |
| Alliant RED DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 41,466 psi | 73% | 1119 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 46,224 psi | 82% | 1168 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 33,736 psi | 60% | 1027 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 33,779 psi | 60% | 1007 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss² | 6.4 gr | 60% | 17,724 psi | 31% | 768 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 31,227 psi | 55% | 1178 fps | 87.3% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 60% | 43,453 psi | 77% | 1161 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 3² | <<locked>> | 60% | 44,962 psi | 79% | 1168 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 4² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,469 psi | 80% | 1168 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 60% | 45,353 psi | 80% | 1148 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14² | 6.5 gr | 60% | 17,738 psi | 31% | 781 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 32,053 psi | 57% | 1188 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan A0² | <<locked>> | 60% | 46,238 psi | 82% | 1214 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 60% | 42,337 psi | 75% | 1109 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,762 psi | 53% | 1129 fps | 98.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3* | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,034 psi | 80% | 1391 fps | 85.6% |
| Somchem S265*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 34,925 psi | 62% | 1220 fps | 94.3% |
| Vihtavuori N110² | <<locked>> | 60% | 36,521 psi | 65% | 1237 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | 8.7 gr | 60% | 27,253 psi | 48% | 909 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 29 powders for .260 Picra loaded with the .264 | 140gr | Speer Hot-Cor. SNPE Vectan SP 3 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,467 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,014 fps to 1,467 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 5 of the 29 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (390 MPa), the top charges use 61–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 140.0 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 | 140gr | Speer Hot-Cor they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, IMR 4227, SNPE Vectan SP 3 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. ADI APS 350, ADI APS 450, ADI AS 30 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.