Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 123gr | Nosler Expansion Tip bullet and 25 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are SNPE Vectan SP 3, Alliant Reloder-10x and Norma 200.
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% | 41,524 psi | 87% | 2651 fps | 98.7% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,177 psi | 88% | 2753 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,482 psi | 89% | 2654 fps | 96.7% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,973 psi | 86% | 2723 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,032 psi | 88% | 2779 fps | 96.3% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,436 psi | 82% | 2785 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,265 psi | 90% | 2795 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,772 psi | 89% | 2720 fps | 99.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,989 psi | 90% | 2687 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,076 psi | 90% | 2799 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,640 psi | 87% | 2654 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,545 psi | 64% | 1722 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,275 psi | 78% | 2740 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,191 psi | 86% | 2703 fps | 99.4% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,076 psi | 88% | 2654 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,901 psi | 85% | 2615 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,814 psi | 85% | 2736 fps | 99.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,313 psi | 63% | 1762 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,046 psi | 86% | 2677 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,351 psi | 88% | 2497 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,177 psi | 88% | 2756 fps | 97.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,249 psi | 86% | 2684 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,916 psi | 88% | 2703 fps | 98.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,060 psi | 86% | 2690 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,301 psi | 70% | 2618 fps | 95.9% |
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% | 36,405 psi | 76% | 2549 fps | 97.7% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 92% | 32,576 psi | 68% | 2552 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,623 psi | 79% | 2559 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,546 psi | 66% | 2523 fps | 99.4% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,349 psi | 82% | 2723 fps | 95.5% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 88% | 26,890 psi | 56% | 2461 fps | 95.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 30.4 gr | 82% | 27,920 psi | 58% | 2448 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,315 psi | 70% | 2523 fps | 97.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,418 psi | 74% | 2536 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,058 psi | 80% | 2697 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 39,001 psi | 81% | 2598 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,408 psi | 47% | 1539 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 98% | 35,157 psi | 73% | 2690 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,008 psi | 61% | 2415 fps | 96.3% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,247 psi | 82% | 2598 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,551 psi | 81% | 2572 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 30.7 gr | 80% | 29,341 psi | 61% | 2474 fps | 96.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,075 psi | 46% | 1575 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,421 psi | 80% | 2625 fps | 99.6% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,027 psi | 75% | 2392 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | 32.7 gr | 88% | 35,041 psi | 73% | 2602 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,778 psi | 66% | 2493 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 84% | 29,008 psi | 61% | 2415 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,272 psi | 72% | 2549 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 98% | 31,401 psi | 66% | 2569 fps | 95.1% |
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 25 powders for .308 Marlin Express loaded with the .308 | 123gr | Nosler Expansion Tip. Hodgdon H322 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,799 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,722 fps to 2,799 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 25 of the 25 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (330 MPa), the top charges use 63–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 123.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:13.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Alliant AR-Comp, Hodgdon TrailBoss 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 SP 3, Alliant Reloder-10x, Norma 200 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 123gr | Nosler Expansion Tip they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.