Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .30-30 Ackley Improved with .308 | 135gr | Sierra VarmintKing bullet and 32 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, ADI AR 2219 and Hodgdon H322.
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 2015 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,510 psi | 89% | 2487 fps | 98.9% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,205 psi | 87% | 2474 fps | 95.9% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,244 psi | 76% | 2448 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,640 psi | 88% | 2385 fps | 97.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 84% | 39,856 psi | 86% | 2448 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,437 psi | 87% | 2500 fps | 97.2% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,872 psi | 88% | 2552 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,900 psi | 86% | 2477 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,553 psi | 90% | 2448 fps | 99.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,452 psi | 89% | 2415 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,785 psi | 88% | 2507 fps | 97.3% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,668 psi | 85% | 2484 fps | 95.9% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 39,726 psi | 86% | 2379 fps | 96.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,299 psi | 67% | 1585 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,318 psi | 80% | 2497 fps | 97.3% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,668 psi | 85% | 2428 fps | 99.7% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,914 psi | 86% | 2461 fps | 99.7% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 39,537 psi | 85% | 2487 fps | 96% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,285 psi | 67% | 1627 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,191 psi | 89% | 2484 fps | 96.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,640 psi | 88% | 2234 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,538 psi | 87% | 2497 fps | 96.1% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,857 psi | 88% | 2480 fps | 98.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,669 psi | 88% | 2415 fps | 96% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,941 psi | 80% | 2356 fps | 96.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,771 psi | 90% | 2457 fps | 97.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,843 psi | 90% | 2434 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 92% | 39,972 psi | 86% | 2421 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,524 psi | 89% | 2457 fps | 98.8% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,188 psi | 80% | 2461 fps | 98.3% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,465 psi | 85% | 2457 fps | 96.3% |
| Vihtavuori N540ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,189 psi | 84% | 2477 fps | 95.7% |
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 2015 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,384 psi | 61% | 2221 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 90% | 37,391 psi | 81% | 2425 fps | 95% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 92% | 26,919 psi | 58% | 2264 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,837 psi | 73% | 2251 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,056 psi | 76% | 2362 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 31.8 gr | 84% | 35,404 psi | 76% | 2398 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 29 gr | 82% | 24,729 psi | 53% | 2178 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,051 psi | 63% | 2254 fps | 96.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,405 psi | 78% | 2352 fps | 99% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,908 psi | 69% | 2231 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 31.3 gr | 88% | 33,910 psi | 73% | 2365 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,072 psi | 80% | 2434 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,099 psi | 76% | 2290 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,163 psi | 50% | 1424 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 94% | 31,270 psi | 67% | 2359 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,488 psi | 68% | 2264 fps | 98.3% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,127 psi | 71% | 2333 fps | 98.6% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,202 psi | 80% | 2441 fps | 95.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,018 psi | 50% | 1457 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,812 psi | 84% | 2438 fps | 95.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,450 psi | 83% | 2205 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,855 psi | 82% | 2444 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 82% | 31,821 psi | 69% | 2297 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,174 psi | 82% | 2369 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 98% | 34,693 psi | 75% | 2313 fps | 95.4% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,954 psi | 75% | 2333 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,663 psi | 70% | 2277 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,775 psi | 60% | 2169 fps | 95.9% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 88% | 29,269 psi | 63% | 2211 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 92% | 29,254 psi | 63% | 2287 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,202 psi | 80% | 2415 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 98% | 36,956 psi | 80% | 2434 fps | 95% |
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 60 powders for .30-30 Ackley Improved loaded with the .308 | 135gr | Sierra VarmintKing. Alliant Power Pro 1200-R delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,559 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,585 fps to 2,559 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 60 of the 60 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 67–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 135.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:17.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, Accurate 4064, Hodgdon TrailBoss 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 AR-Comp, ADI AR 2219, Hodgdon H322 rank at the top here: for .30-30 Ackley Improved with the .308 | 135gr | Sierra VarmintKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 4064, ADI AR 2206H, ADI Benchmark 8208 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.