Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .303 Savage with .308 | 180gr | Winchester Silvertip bullet and 18 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, Accurate 2495 and IMR 3031.
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>> | 88% | 35,389 psi | 90% | 2041 fps | 98.8% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,084 psi | 87% | 2090 fps | 98.9% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 98% | 33,924 psi | 87% | 2096 fps | 96.5% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 90% | 34,534 psi | 88% | 2093 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,040 psi | 87% | 2021 fps | 99.3% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,940 psi | 89% | 2057 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,230 psi | 90% | 2070 fps | 96.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,416 psi | 83% | 1332 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 92% | 35,056 psi | 90% | 2116 fps | 98% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,256 psi | 82% | 1362 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,389 psi | 90% | 2037 fps | 96% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,505 psi | 88% | 2018 fps | 97.9% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 35,201 psi | 90% | 2008 fps | 97.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,375 psi | 90% | 2018 fps | 97.1% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,606 psi | 88% | 1985 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,127 psi | 87% | 1988 fps | 98.3% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 94% | 33,779 psi | 86% | 2060 fps | 98.6% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 92% | 33,939 psi | 87% | 2028 fps | 96.1% |
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>> | 80% | 27,543 psi | 70% | 1880 fps | 96.5% |
| Accurate 2495 | 27.1 gr | 86% | 24,424 psi | 62% | 1883 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 94% | 30,081 psi | 77% | 2021 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 25 gr | 80% | 25,454 psi | 65% | 1893 fps | 98.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,053 psi | 82% | 1982 fps | 98.9% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,763 psi | 79% | 1972 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 82% | 32,953 psi | 84% | 2024 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,830 psi | 61% | 1184 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | 26.2 gr | 84% | 27,485 psi | 70% | 1946 fps | 95.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,830 psi | 61% | 1217 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 86% | 33,373 psi | 85% | 1998 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,445 psi | 83% | 1978 fps | 97.3% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 29,573 psi | 76% | 1896 fps | 95.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 84% | 29,530 psi | 75% | 1900 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,734 psi | 78% | 1909 fps | 98.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,745 psi | 68% | 1834 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 84% | 24,889 psi | 64% | 1860 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,749 psi | 81% | 1985 fps | 95.3% |
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 48 powders for .303 Savage loaded with the .308 | 180gr | Winchester Silvertip. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,116 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,332 fps to 2,116 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 48 of the 48 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (270 MPa), the top charges use 82–90 %, 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, Rottweil R 903 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, Accurate 2495, IMR 3031 rank at the top here: for .303 Savage with the .308 | 180gr | Winchester Silvertip they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, ADI Benchmark 8208, Alliant Power Pro 1200-R, Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 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.