Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .30 Picra with .309 | 180gr | LEE Mold C309-180-R 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, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star and ReloadSwiss RS 14.
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>> | 72% | 36,332 psi | 89% | 1207 fps | 92.7% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 72% | 36,680 psi | 90% | 1132 fps | 100% |
| Alliant 2400*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 35,505 psi | 87% | 1198 fps | 94.9% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 68% | 32,503 psi | 80% | 1132 fps | 98.6% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 72% | 36,477 psi | 90% | 1063 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 72% | 33,823 psi | 83% | 958 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 68% | 34,505 psi | 85% | 919 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon LilGun*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 35,056 psi | 86% | 1230 fps | 94.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 26,353 psi | 65% | 843 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 64% | 36,550 psi | 90% | 1010 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Enforcer² | <<locked>> | 68% | 34,795 psi | 86% | 1191 fps | 95.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 25,005 psi | 62% | 853 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30* | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,100 psi | 89% | 1250 fps | 92.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,461 psi | 85% | 1181 fps | 97.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 64% | 34,432 psi | 85% | 1070 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265* | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,636 psi | 88% | 1188 fps | 88.3% |
| Vihtavuori 3N38² | <<locked>> | 68% | 34,853 psi | 86% | 1145 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N105² | <<locked>> | 68% | 33,040 psi | 81% | 1129 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110* | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,360 psi | 85% | 1194 fps | 94.8% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,127 psi | 84% | 912 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N350² | <<locked>> | 64% | 36,724 psi | 90% | 1096 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>> | 64% | 27,311 psi | 67% | 1076 fps | 87.5% |
| ADI AP 100² | <<locked>> | 60% | 26,179 psi | 64% | 1001 fps | 100% |
| Alliant 2400*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 26,324 psi | 65% | 1060 fps | 89.8% |
| Alliant BLUE DOT² | <<locked>> | 60% | 25,135 psi | 62% | 1020 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Herco² | <<locked>> | 60% | 26,600 psi | 66% | 948 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol² | <<locked>> | 60% | 24,801 psi | 61% | 856 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 28,645 psi | 71% | 853 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon LilGun*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 22,118 psi | 54% | 1017 fps | 85.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,966 psi | 29% | 630 fps | 100% |
| Maxam CSB 1² | <<locked>> | 60% | 32,677 psi | 80% | 971 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Enforcer*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 25,831 psi | 64% | 1056 fps | 90.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14² | 4.1 gr | 60% | 11,443 psi | 28% | 636 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 30* | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,224 psi | 70% | 1129 fps | 87.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2*² | 11.8 gr | 72% | 19,043 psi | 47% | 932 fps | 86.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA7 1/2² | <<locked>> | 60% | 30,458 psi | 75% | 1024 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S265* | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,241 psi | 77% | 1125 fps | 85.7% |
| Vihtavuori 3N38² | <<locked>> | 60% | 26,658 psi | 66% | 1030 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N105² | <<locked>> | 60% | 25,179 psi | 62% | 1020 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N110*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 23,264 psi | 57% | 1020 fps | 87.6% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star² | 5.5 gr | 60% | 20,726 psi | 51% | 758 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N350² | <<locked>> | 60% | 32,242 psi | 79% | 1047 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 .309 | 180gr | LEE Mold C309-180-R. ReloadSwiss RS 30 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,250 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 843 fps to 1,250 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 62–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 180.0 gr projectile in 0.309" 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, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star, ReloadSwiss RS 14 rank at the top here: for .30 Picra with the .309 | 180gr | LEE Mold C309-180-R they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 4100, Alliant 2400, Hodgdon LilGun 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.