Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 136gr | Peregrine Plainsmaster (VLR-4) bullet and 32 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2219, Hodgdon H322 and SNPE Vectan SP 3.
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% | 40,828 psi | 85% | 2507 fps | 99.2% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,235 psi | 88% | 2618 fps | 98.9% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,741 psi | 85% | 2608 fps | 95.8% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,895 psi | 69% | 2520 fps | 97.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,047 psi | 88% | 2516 fps | 97.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,279 psi | 90% | 2612 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,466 psi | 87% | 2635 fps | 97.3% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,916 psi | 88% | 2697 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,886 psi | 85% | 2608 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,496 psi | 89% | 2575 fps | 99.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,583 psi | 89% | 2549 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,917 psi | 90% | 2661 fps | 97.6% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,886 psi | 85% | 2625 fps | 96% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,046 psi | 86% | 2510 fps | 96.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,198 psi | 65% | 1631 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,581 psi | 83% | 2661 fps | 97.7% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 43,163 psi | 90% | 2598 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,859 psi | 90% | 2503 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,625 psi | 85% | 2592 fps | 99.7% |
| Norma 202ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,364 psi | 84% | 2621 fps | 96% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,719 psi | 64% | 1667 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,669 psi | 87% | 2612 fps | 96.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,221 psi | 88% | 2352 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,945 psi | 88% | 2641 fps | 96.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,134 psi | 88% | 2618 fps | 98.3% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,756 psi | 87% | 2546 fps | 96.1% |
| Somchem S335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,627 psi | 89% | 2592 fps | 97.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,944 psi | 86% | 2533 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,959 psi | 88% | 2569 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,944 psi | 86% | 2556 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,476 psi | 74% | 2543 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,479 psi | 80% | 2556 fps | 95.7% |
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% | 38,159 psi | 80% | 2454 fps | 98.8% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 86% | 28,703 psi | 60% | 2329 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,014 psi | 79% | 2552 fps | 95% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 94% | 26,731 psi | 56% | 2365 fps | 95% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,983 psi | 73% | 2375 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,765 psi | 71% | 2438 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 33.2 gr | 84% | 34,156 psi | 71% | 2480 fps | 95% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 82% | 23,612 psi | 49% | 2238 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,934 psi | 58% | 2323 fps | 96.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,230 psi | 74% | 2434 fps | 98.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 82% | 32,822 psi | 69% | 2356 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 33.6 gr | 88% | 35,288 psi | 74% | 2507 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 38,247 psi | 80% | 2572 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,477 psi | 76% | 2418 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,756 psi | 48% | 1453 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,808 psi | 69% | 2507 fps | 95.5% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,385 psi | 63% | 2329 fps | 97.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,306 psi | 84% | 2461 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,328 psi | 65% | 2395 fps | 98.1% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,695 psi | 79% | 2569 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,495 psi | 47% | 1490 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,334 psi | 82% | 2566 fps | 95.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,666 psi | 79% | 2280 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 88% | 38,899 psi | 81% | 2582 fps | 95.4% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | 30.4 gr | 84% | 32,764 psi | 68% | 2421 fps | 95.7% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,247 psi | 82% | 2500 fps | 95.4% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,534 psi | 74% | 2454 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,982 psi | 71% | 2405 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,050 psi | 57% | 2241 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 88% | 30,153 psi | 63% | 2326 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 94% | 29,573 psi | 62% | 2402 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 98% | 36,303 psi | 76% | 2510 fps | 95% |
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 32 powders for .308 Marlin Express loaded with the .308 | 136gr | Peregrine Plainsmaster (VLR-4). Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,697 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,631 fps to 2,697 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 32 of the 32 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 136.0 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. ADI AR 2219, Hodgdon H322, SNPE Vectan SP 3 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 136gr | Peregrine Plainsmaster (VLR-4) 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.