Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 125gr | Frontier BTSP bullet and 26 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% | 42,946 psi | 90% | 2651 fps | 99.1% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,568 psi | 87% | 2717 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,445 psi | 68% | 2608 fps | 96.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,466 psi | 87% | 2612 fps | 96.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,685 psi | 89% | 2723 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,814 psi | 85% | 2730 fps | 96.2% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,017 psi | 86% | 2792 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,917 psi | 90% | 2762 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,032 psi | 88% | 2677 fps | 99.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,134 psi | 88% | 2648 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,148 psi | 88% | 2756 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,279 psi | 90% | 2661 fps | 96.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,038 psi | 65% | 1709 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,146 psi | 82% | 2756 fps | 96.7% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,525 psi | 89% | 2703 fps | 99.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,366 psi | 89% | 2612 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,888 psi | 90% | 2743 fps | 99.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,908 psi | 65% | 1752 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,888 psi | 90% | 2680 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,597 psi | 87% | 2457 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,249 psi | 86% | 2710 fps | 97.4% |
| Somchem S335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,858 psi | 87% | 2684 fps | 96.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,888 psi | 90% | 2680 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,162 psi | 86% | 2661 fps | 98.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,946 psi | 90% | 2703 fps | 98.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,201 psi | 74% | 2638 fps | 96.8% |
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% | 37,768 psi | 79% | 2552 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,416 psi | 68% | 2520 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 98% | 30,443 psi | 64% | 2559 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,767 psi | 77% | 2513 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,359 psi | 70% | 2536 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 38,247 psi | 80% | 2674 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 86% | 26,760 psi | 56% | 2428 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 29.7 gr | 80% | 27,789 psi | 58% | 2411 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,853 psi | 73% | 2530 fps | 98.1% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,072 psi | 77% | 2546 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 37,043 psi | 77% | 2648 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,582 psi | 85% | 2608 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,902 psi | 48% | 1529 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,679 psi | 72% | 2651 fps | 95.1% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,182 psi | 63% | 2421 fps | 96.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,943 psi | 83% | 2569 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 30.8 gr | 80% | 31,444 psi | 66% | 2497 fps | 97.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,669 psi | 47% | 1565 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,161 psi | 84% | 2631 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,318 psi | 78% | 2385 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | 32 gr | 86% | 34,418 psi | 72% | 2562 fps | 95.3% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,144 psi | 78% | 2589 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,576 psi | 70% | 2503 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 82% | 28,747 psi | 60% | 2382 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,662 psi | 66% | 2461 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 96% | 31,169 psi | 65% | 2536 fps | 95.2% |
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 26 powders for .308 Marlin Express loaded with the .308 | 125gr | Frontier BTSP. Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,792 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,709 fps to 2,792 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 26 of the 26 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. The 125.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:12.5 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. SNPE Vectan SP 3, Alliant Reloder-10x, Norma 200 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 125gr | Frontier BTSP 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.