Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 123gr | Sako Gamehead bullet and 27 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, Hodgdon H322 and ADI AR 2219.
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>> | 82% | 42,250 psi | 88% | 2687 fps | 99.2% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,481 psi | 87% | 2759 fps | 98.4% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,041 psi | 73% | 2710 fps | 97.4% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,091 psi | 90% | 2694 fps | 97.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,134 psi | 88% | 2759 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,801 psi | 89% | 2822 fps | 97.1% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,250 psi | 90% | 2884 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,395 psi | 89% | 2799 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,408 psi | 87% | 2713 fps | 99.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,278 psi | 86% | 2680 fps | 97.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,495 psi | 87% | 2795 fps | 96.7% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,351 psi | 88% | 2812 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,177 psi | 88% | 2690 fps | 96.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,372 psi | 66% | 1755 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,263 psi | 86% | 2854 fps | 97.6% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,843 psi | 87% | 2740 fps | 99.7% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,453 psi | 89% | 2782 fps | 99.7% |
| Norma 202ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,930 psi | 88% | 2808 fps | 95.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,227 psi | 65% | 1798 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,960 psi | 90% | 2523 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,770 psi | 85% | 2749 fps | 97.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 98% | 43,178 psi | 90% | 2726 fps | 95.9% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,698 psi | 87% | 2730 fps | 96.7% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,293 psi | 88% | 2717 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,149 psi | 90% | 2746 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,264 psi | 88% | 2740 fps | 98.4% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,028 psi | 77% | 2726 fps | 97.6% |
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% | 39,465 psi | 82% | 2635 fps | 98.7% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 86% | 30,298 psi | 63% | 2507 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 94% | 28,500 psi | 60% | 2546 fps | 95% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,926 psi | 75% | 2543 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,056 psi | 73% | 2618 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 37 gr | 86% | 37,608 psi | 79% | 2710 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 33.9 gr | 84% | 26,411 psi | 55% | 2464 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,196 psi | 61% | 2493 fps | 96% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,608 psi | 76% | 2612 fps | 98.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,084 psi | 71% | 2526 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 36.6 gr | 88% | 36,419 psi | 76% | 2684 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,581 psi | 83% | 2753 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,304 psi | 78% | 2589 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,047 psi | 48% | 1568 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,301 psi | 72% | 2694 fps | 95.3% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,386 psi | 66% | 2500 fps | 97.6% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,880 psi | 69% | 2575 fps | 98% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 39,407 psi | 82% | 2759 fps | 95.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,090 psi | 48% | 1611 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,783 psi | 81% | 2454 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 84% | 33,750 psi | 71% | 2592 fps | 95.4% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,567 psi | 85% | 2677 fps | 95.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 36,709 psi | 77% | 2628 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,259 psi | 74% | 2582 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,210 psi | 59% | 2408 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 88% | 31,386 psi | 66% | 2497 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 94% | 30,705 psi | 64% | 2569 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 27 powders for .308 Marlin Express loaded with the .308 | 123gr | Sako Gamehead. Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,884 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,755 fps to 2,884 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 27 of the 27 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (330 MPa), the top charges use 65–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Accurate 2495, 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. Alliant AR-Comp, Hodgdon H322, ADI AR 2219 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 123gr | Sako Gamehead 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.