Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 125gr | Hornady SST bullet and 26 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Reloder-10x, Alliant AR-Comp 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>> | 82% | 41,524 psi | 87% | 2641 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 43,250 psi | 90% | 2762 fps | 98.7% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,301 psi | 72% | 2661 fps | 97.1% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,699 psi | 89% | 2651 fps | 97.2% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,510 psi | 87% | 2713 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,322 psi | 88% | 2776 fps | 96.9% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,496 psi | 89% | 2835 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,597 psi | 87% | 2749 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,192 psi | 90% | 2713 fps | 99.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,611 psi | 85% | 2635 fps | 97% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,988 psi | 86% | 2749 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,684 psi | 87% | 2644 fps | 96.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,517 psi | 66% | 1732 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,509 psi | 85% | 2805 fps | 97.4% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,307 psi | 86% | 2694 fps | 99.6% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,684 psi | 87% | 2733 fps | 99.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,067 psi | 65% | 1768 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,960 psi | 90% | 2756 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,743 psi | 89% | 2487 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,569 psi | 89% | 2776 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,641 psi | 89% | 2753 fps | 97.9% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,973 psi | 86% | 2684 fps | 96.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,669 psi | 87% | 2674 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,815 psi | 89% | 2707 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,756 psi | 87% | 2694 fps | 98.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,535 psi | 76% | 2684 fps | 97.4% |
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% | 39,030 psi | 82% | 2592 fps | 98.6% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 88% | 31,560 psi | 66% | 2513 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 96% | 29,834 psi | 62% | 2556 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,433 psi | 74% | 2500 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,374 psi | 72% | 2569 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,014 psi | 77% | 2664 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 33 gr | 84% | 26,034 psi | 54% | 2421 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 30.6 gr | 80% | 28,631 psi | 60% | 2448 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,013 psi | 75% | 2569 fps | 98.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,853 psi | 75% | 2536 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 88% | 36,129 psi | 75% | 2644 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 39,131 psi | 82% | 2595 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,974 psi | 48% | 1542 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 94% | 33,562 psi | 70% | 2641 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,009 psi | 65% | 2457 fps | 97.5% |
| Norma 200 | 31.7 gr | 80% | 32,343 psi | 68% | 2530 fps | 97.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,756 psi | 48% | 1578 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,364 psi | 84% | 2707 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,145 psi | 80% | 2411 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,697 psi | 83% | 2720 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 84% | 33,286 psi | 70% | 2549 fps | 95.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 36,260 psi | 76% | 2582 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,548 psi | 72% | 2536 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,891 psi | 58% | 2369 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 88% | 30,995 psi | 65% | 2457 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 94% | 30,443 psi | 64% | 2533 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 | Hornady SST. Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,835 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,732 fps to 2,835 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 1:14.5 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, Alliant AR-Comp, Norma 200 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 125gr | Hornady SST 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.