Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .30 Picra with .308 | 180gr | Winchester Silvertip 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% | 35,549 psi | 88% | 1188 fps | 92.6% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,505 psi | 87% | 1109 fps | 100% |
| Alliant 2400*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 34,447 psi | 85% | 1171 fps | 94.7% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,636 psi | 88% | 1165 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,534 psi | 88% | 1040 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Power Pro 300-MP*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 33,779 psi | 83% | 1181 fps | 88.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 72% | 35,882 psi | 88% | 968 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,418 psi | 87% | 919 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H110*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 34,722 psi | 86% | 1198 fps | 88.6% |
| Hodgdon LilGun² | <<locked>> | 72% | 35,012 psi | 86% | 1217 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,398 psi | 70% | 856 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Enforcer² | <<locked>> | 64% | 34,272 psi | 84% | 1175 fps | 95.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,210 psi | 69% | 876 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30* | <<locked>> | 88% | 36,158 psi | 89% | 1243 fps | 93% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,679 psi | 85% | 1175 fps | 97.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 64% | 36,637 psi | 90% | 1083 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265* | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,027 psi | 89% | 1181 fps | 88.8% |
| Vihtavuori 3N38² | <<locked>> | 64% | 33,402 psi | 82% | 1115 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N105² | <<locked>> | 64% | 32,793 psi | 81% | 1112 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,896 psi | 86% | 1191 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,143 psi | 89% | 922 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% | 27,369 psi | 67% | 1066 fps | 88.1% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,543 psi | 70% | 1020 fps | 100% |
| Alliant 2400*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 30,574 psi | 75% | 1115 fps | 92.9% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,224 psi | 70% | 1060 fps | 97.4% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,124 psi | 72% | 968 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Power Pro 300-MP*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 29,298 psi | 72% | 1115 fps | 86.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 26,934 psi | 66% | 869 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,602 psi | 73% | 856 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H110*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 30,095 psi | 74% | 1129 fps | 85.8% |
| Hodgdon LilGun*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 22,785 psi | 56% | 1024 fps | 87.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss² | 4 gr | 60% | 14,127 psi | 35% | 646 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Enforcer*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,950 psi | 74% | 1109 fps | 93.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14² | 4.1 gr | 60% | 13,924 psi | 34% | 659 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 25,338 psi | 62% | 1070 fps | 85.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2*² | 10.5 gr | 64% | 17,898 psi | 44% | 896 fps | 86.6% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 32,706 psi | 81% | 1040 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 31,908 psi | 79% | 1122 fps | 86.6% |
| Vihtavuori 3N38² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,791 psi | 73% | 1066 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N105² | <<locked>> | 60% | 29,008 psi | 71% | 1063 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 21,234 psi | 52% | 971 fps | 86.6% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | <<locked>> | 60% | 22,902 psi | 56% | 771 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 | 180gr | Winchester Silvertip. ReloadSwiss RS 30 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,243 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 856 fps to 1,243 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 180.0 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 | 180gr | Winchester Silvertip 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.