Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .30 Picra with .308 | 178gr | Remington SP Extended-Range bullet and 21 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2, 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 4100*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,259 psi | 87% | 1191 fps | 92.4% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,317 psi | 87% | 1112 fps | 100% |
| Alliant 2400*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 34,171 psi | 84% | 1175 fps | 94.4% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,404 psi | 87% | 1168 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,389 psi | 87% | 1047 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Power Pro 300-MP*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 33,460 psi | 82% | 1184 fps | 88.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 72% | 35,766 psi | 88% | 974 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,346 psi | 87% | 925 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H110*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 34,403 psi | 85% | 1198 fps | 88.1% |
| Hodgdon LilGun*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 34,635 psi | 85% | 1220 fps | 94.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,311 psi | 70% | 860 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Enforcer² | <<locked>> | 64% | 33,982 psi | 84% | 1175 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,108 psi | 69% | 879 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30* | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,810 psi | 88% | 1247 fps | 92.6% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,374 psi | 85% | 1178 fps | 97.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 64% | 36,448 psi | 90% | 1089 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265* | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,752 psi | 88% | 1184 fps | 88.4% |
| Vihtavuori 3N38² | <<locked>> | 64% | 33,185 psi | 82% | 1119 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N105² | <<locked>> | 68% | 36,651 psi | 90% | 1165 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,577 psi | 85% | 1194 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,042 psi | 89% | 925 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 4100*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 27,137 psi | 67% | 1070 fps | 87.6% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,384 psi | 70% | 1027 fps | 100% |
| Alliant 2400*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 30,327 psi | 75% | 1119 fps | 92.6% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,036 psi | 69% | 1063 fps | 97.2% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,993 psi | 71% | 971 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Power Pro 300-MP*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 29,022 psi | 71% | 1115 fps | 85.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 26,832 psi | 66% | 876 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,530 psi | 73% | 863 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H110*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 29,805 psi | 73% | 1129 fps | 85.3% |
| Hodgdon LilGun*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 22,524 psi | 55% | 1024 fps | 86.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss² | 4 gr | 60% | 14,069 psi | 35% | 650 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Enforcer*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,704 psi | 73% | 1112 fps | 93.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14² | 4.1 gr | 60% | 13,880 psi | 34% | 663 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30* | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,572 psi | 70% | 1135 fps | 88% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2*² | 10.5 gr | 64% | 17,738 psi | 44% | 896 fps | 86.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 32,547 psi | 80% | 1047 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 31,662 psi | 78% | 1125 fps | 86.2% |
| Vihtavuori 3N38² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,588 psi | 73% | 1070 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N105² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,761 psi | 71% | 1066 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 21,045 psi | 52% | 971 fps | 86.1% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | <<locked>> | 60% | 22,829 psi | 56% | 774 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 21 powders for .30 Picra loaded with the .308 | 178gr | Remington SP Extended-Range. ReloadSwiss RS 30 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,247 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 860 fps to 1,247 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 7 of the 21 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (280 MPa), the top charges use 69–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 178.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:6.0 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. SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2, ReloadSwiss RS 14, Hodgdon TrailBoss rank at the top here: for .30 Picra with the .308 | 178gr | Remington SP Extended-Range they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 4100, Alliant 2400, Alliant Power Pro 300-MP burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Accurate 4100, ADI AP 100, Alliant 2400 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.