Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 125gr | Barnes TSX 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 Reloder-10x, SNPE Vectan SP 3 and IMR 4198.
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% | 43,192 psi | 90% | 2677 fps | 99.2% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,568 psi | 87% | 2736 fps | 98.4% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,256 psi | 67% | 2625 fps | 96.5% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,466 psi | 87% | 2631 fps | 96.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,801 psi | 89% | 2743 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,959 psi | 86% | 2753 fps | 96.5% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,075 psi | 86% | 2812 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,743 psi | 89% | 2779 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,003 psi | 88% | 2697 fps | 99.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,148 psi | 88% | 2667 fps | 97.4% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,293 psi | 88% | 2782 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,931 psi | 90% | 2795 fps | 95.9% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,091 psi | 90% | 2677 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,966 psi | 65% | 1726 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,102 psi | 82% | 2779 fps | 97% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,699 psi | 89% | 2726 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,337 psi | 88% | 2631 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,496 psi | 89% | 2759 fps | 99.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,748 psi | 64% | 1768 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,743 psi | 89% | 2700 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,394 psi | 86% | 2470 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,263 psi | 86% | 2733 fps | 97.6% |
| Somchem S335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,076 psi | 88% | 2707 fps | 96.7% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,989 psi | 90% | 2703 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,365 psi | 86% | 2687 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,091 psi | 90% | 2723 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,114 psi | 73% | 2657 fps | 97% |
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% | 37,724 psi | 79% | 2572 fps | 98.4% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 88% | 30,255 psi | 63% | 2487 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 98% | 30,008 psi | 63% | 2569 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,535 psi | 76% | 2530 fps | 95.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,199 psi | 69% | 2552 fps | 99.8% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 38,392 psi | 80% | 2700 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 86% | 26,440 psi | 55% | 2441 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 30.5 gr | 80% | 27,427 psi | 57% | 2425 fps | 95.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,548 psi | 72% | 2543 fps | 98.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,693 psi | 72% | 2513 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 37,144 psi | 78% | 2674 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,321 psi | 84% | 2743 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,203 psi | 80% | 2579 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,669 psi | 47% | 1542 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,345 psi | 72% | 2667 fps | 95.3% |
| IMR 4198 | 29 gr | 80% | 30,095 psi | 63% | 2441 fps | 97.2% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,972 psi | 84% | 2589 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,821 psi | 64% | 2503 fps | 97.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,365 psi | 47% | 1578 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,059 psi | 84% | 2648 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,144 psi | 78% | 2402 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | 32.8 gr | 86% | 34,142 psi | 71% | 2575 fps | 95.5% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,072 psi | 77% | 2608 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,431 psi | 70% | 2520 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 82% | 28,384 psi | 59% | 2392 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,502 psi | 66% | 2477 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 96% | 30,806 psi | 64% | 2549 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 | 125gr | Barnes TSX. Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,812 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,726 fps to 2,812 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 64–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 125.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:14.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. 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 Reloder-10x, SNPE Vectan SP 3, IMR 4198 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 125gr | Barnes TSX 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.