Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .30-30 Ackley Improved with .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing bullet and 16 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Reloder-10x, Norma 200 and ADI AR 2207.
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 ≥ 80% and propellant combustion ≥ 95%. 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: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 84% | 39,494 psi | 85% | 2533 fps | 97.6% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,552 psi | 85% | 2615 fps | 96.8% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,843 psi | 88% | 2648 fps | 100% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,970 psi | 80% | 2635 fps | 98.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,712 psi | 88% | 2664 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,306 psi | 87% | 2595 fps | 98.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,327 psi | 65% | 1696 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,930 psi | 88% | 2618 fps | 98.8% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 82% | 39,450 psi | 85% | 2536 fps | 99.4% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,756 psi | 88% | 2552 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,828 psi | 88% | 2654 fps | 98.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,791 psi | 64% | 1732 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,133 psi | 89% | 2605 fps | 99.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,030 psi | 86% | 2411 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,277 psi | 87% | 2595 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,133 psi | 89% | 2605 fps | 97.9% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,577 psi | 75% | 2434 fps | 96.3% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,708 psi | 75% | 2520 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 26.7 gr | 80% | 29,559 psi | 64% | 2415 fps | 98.5% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 92% | 28,834 psi | 62% | 2434 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 29.7 gr | 88% | 31,633 psi | 68% | 2477 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,560 psi | 68% | 2411 fps | 96% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,901 psi | 47% | 1512 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 29,109 psi | 63% | 2352 fps | 95.1% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,246 psi | 80% | 2497 fps | 99.1% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,492 psi | 79% | 2474 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 28.7 gr | 82% | 29,660 psi | 64% | 2415 fps | 95.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,640 psi | 47% | 1552 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,245 psi | 78% | 2510 fps | 98.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,142 psi | 74% | 2313 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,934 psi | 60% | 2339 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,184 psi | 69% | 2425 fps | 95.3% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 39 powders for .30-30 Ackley Improved loaded with the .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing. Alliant Reloder-10x delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,664 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,696 fps to 2,664 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 39 of the 39 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 60–89 %, leaving at least 11 % headroom. The 115.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:14.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Accurate 2495, Alliant AR-Comp 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. Alliant Reloder-10x, Norma 200, ADI AR 2207 rank at the top here: for .30-30 Ackley Improved with the .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2460, Accurate 2495, Accurate LT-32 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.