Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .303 Savage with .308 | 130gr | Speer Hot-Cor bullet and 10 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, Alliant Reloder-10x 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 ≥ 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: 22"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,418 psi | 90% | 2448 fps | 95.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,330 psi | 88% | 2418 fps | 99.6% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,809 psi | 89% | 2503 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,243 psi | 87% | 2438 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,937 psi | 79% | 1611 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 34,708 psi | 89% | 2395 fps | 97.8% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,258 psi | 87% | 2425 fps | 97.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,501 psi | 78% | 1644 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,577 psi | 88% | 2388 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,186 psi | 90% | 2398 fps | 96.8% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 22"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 92% | 33,199 psi | 85% | 2398 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,184 psi | 82% | 2369 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 31.5 gr | 90% | 28,993 psi | 74% | 2352 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 28.7 gr | 84% | 30,153 psi | 77% | 2339 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,829 psi | 58% | 1440 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,356 psi | 75% | 2260 fps | 95.8% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,994 psi | 77% | 2323 fps | 96.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | 10 gr | 80% | 22,611 psi | 58% | 1473 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,387 psi | 83% | 2343 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 86% | 31,357 psi | 80% | 2313 fps | 95.4% |
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 28 powders for .303 Savage loaded with the .308 | 130gr | Speer Hot-Cor. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,513 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,611 fps to 2,513 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 28 of the 28 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (270 MPa), the top charges use 78–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Accurate 2495, 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. Alliant AR-Comp, Alliant Reloder-10x, ReloadSwiss RS 14 rank at the top here: for .303 Savage with the .308 | 130gr | Speer Hot-Cor they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2495, Accurate LT-30, ADI AR 2219 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.