Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing bullet and 21 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Reloder-10x, Norma 200 and ADI AR 2207.
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: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,192 psi | 88% | 2762 fps | 98.6% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,640 psi | 85% | 2822 fps | 97.4% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,178 psi | 90% | 2769 fps | 96.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,756 psi | 87% | 2838 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,641 psi | 89% | 2890 fps | 96% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,016 psi | 84% | 2897 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,597 psi | 87% | 2864 fps | 98.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,191 psi | 86% | 2789 fps | 98.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,147 psi | 86% | 2749 fps | 96.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,806 psi | 64% | 1801 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,771 psi | 87% | 2815 fps | 99.2% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,409 psi | 89% | 2762 fps | 99.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,423 psi | 87% | 2726 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,959 psi | 88% | 2858 fps | 99.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,603 psi | 64% | 1847 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,916 psi | 88% | 2795 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,989 psi | 90% | 2608 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,728 psi | 89% | 2867 fps | 97.1% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,959 psi | 88% | 2799 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,844 psi | 90% | 2818 fps | 98.6% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,047 psi | 88% | 2808 fps | 97.5% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,057 psi | 77% | 2657 fps | 97.5% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 92% | 33,794 psi | 71% | 2671 fps | 95.4% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,218 psi | 80% | 2664 fps | 95% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 30.7 gr | 80% | 32,416 psi | 68% | 2638 fps | 99.3% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,045 psi | 84% | 2835 fps | 95.2% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 88% | 27,804 psi | 58% | 2569 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 32.6 gr | 84% | 30,661 psi | 64% | 2608 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,156 psi | 71% | 2631 fps | 97.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 38,580 psi | 81% | 2694 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,771 psi | 48% | 1614 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,588 psi | 62% | 2520 fps | 96% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,030 psi | 84% | 2717 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,204 psi | 82% | 2684 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 32.2 gr | 80% | 30,632 psi | 64% | 2595 fps | 96.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,481 psi | 47% | 1650 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,334 psi | 82% | 2743 fps | 99.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,637 psi | 77% | 2497 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 38,014 psi | 79% | 2766 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,648 psi | 68% | 2605 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 86% | 31,647 psi | 66% | 2572 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,940 psi | 73% | 2654 fps | 95.5% |
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 .308 Marlin Express loaded with the .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing. Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,897 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,801 fps to 2,897 fps. Accurate 2495 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 (330 MPa), the top charges use 64–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 115.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:14.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, Accurate 2520, Alliant AR-Comp 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 Reloder-10x, Norma 200, ADI AR 2207 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2460, Accurate 2520, Accurate LT-32 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.