Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 135gr | Sierra HPBT MatchKing bullet and 37 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, IMR 3031 and Hodgdon H322.
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 2015 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,989 psi | 88% | 2651 fps | 99.2% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,379 psi | 84% | 2638 fps | 96.3% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,696 psi | 81% | 2667 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,105 psi | 90% | 2730 fps | 96.6% |
| Accurate 4064ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,027 psi | 75% | 2625 fps | 96% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,236 psi | 90% | 2582 fps | 98.3% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,060 psi | 86% | 2539 fps | 95.8% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,569 psi | 89% | 2635 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,134 psi | 90% | 2713 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,133 psi | 86% | 2723 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,699 psi | 89% | 2680 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,379 psi | 86% | 2592 fps | 99.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,263 psi | 86% | 2569 fps | 98.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,814 psi | 87% | 2687 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,511 psi | 89% | 2700 fps | 97% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,206 psi | 88% | 2575 fps | 97.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,923 psi | 67% | 1680 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,800 psi | 87% | 2749 fps | 98.7% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,003 psi | 88% | 2618 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,683 psi | 85% | 2697 fps | 95.9% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,873 psi | 90% | 2664 fps | 100% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,598 psi | 89% | 2703 fps | 97.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,879 psi | 67% | 1719 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,466 psi | 87% | 2644 fps | 96.6% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,683 psi | 85% | 2697 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,902 psi | 90% | 2395 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,669 psi | 85% | 2657 fps | 96.5% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,973 psi | 86% | 2638 fps | 98.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,031 psi | 86% | 2575 fps | 96.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,291 psi | 82% | 2559 fps | 97.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,829 psi | 87% | 2618 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,714 psi | 89% | 2595 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,046 psi | 86% | 2589 fps | 99.5% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,902 psi | 90% | 2635 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,103 psi | 84% | 2674 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,902 psi | 90% | 2684 fps | 97.5% |
| Vihtavuori N540ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,510 psi | 87% | 2674 fps | 96.6% |
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 2015 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,209 psi | 57% | 2316 fps | 95% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 88% | 37,608 psi | 79% | 2582 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 90% | 27,528 psi | 58% | 2408 fps | 95.8% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,074 psi | 84% | 2674 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 98% | 33,808 psi | 71% | 2575 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,969 psi | 75% | 2438 fps | 96.5% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,624 psi | 81% | 2490 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,434 psi | 78% | 2543 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,127 psi | 69% | 2493 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 32 gr | 80% | 24,976 psi | 52% | 2316 fps | 96.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,314 psi | 65% | 2438 fps | 97.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,885 psi | 81% | 2543 fps | 99.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,953 psi | 71% | 2418 fps | 96.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 34.7 gr | 84% | 34,432 psi | 72% | 2526 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,101 psi | 78% | 2589 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,668 psi | 83% | 2526 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,743 psi | 50% | 1506 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | 35.2 gr | 88% | 30,661 psi | 64% | 2490 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,460 psi | 70% | 2441 fps | 99% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,869 psi | 79% | 2641 fps | 95% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,592 psi | 74% | 2520 fps | 99.3% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 94% | 37,652 psi | 79% | 2605 fps | 95.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,554 psi | 49% | 1539 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 90% | 37,057 psi | 77% | 2552 fps | 95.3% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,869 psi | 79% | 2641 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,944 psi | 86% | 2365 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 84% | 38,029 psi | 79% | 2605 fps | 95.7% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,024 psi | 67% | 2438 fps | 96% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 36,158 psi | 76% | 2477 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,938 psi | 69% | 2421 fps | 95.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 32,938 psi | 69% | 2431 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,594 psi | 79% | 2503 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,298 psi | 63% | 2356 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 82% | 28,079 psi | 59% | 2306 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 88% | 27,688 psi | 58% | 2382 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,737 psi | 75% | 2539 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 96% | 36,608 psi | 76% | 2572 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 71 powders for .308 Marlin Express loaded with the .308 | 135gr | Sierra HPBT MatchKing. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,749 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,680 fps to 2,749 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 71 of the 71 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (330 MPa), the top charges use 67–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 135.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:15.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, Accurate 4064, Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 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, IMR 3031, Hodgdon H322 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 135gr | Sierra HPBT MatchKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2230, ADI AR 2206H, ADI Benchmark 8208 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.