Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .308 | 140gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos bullet and 39 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, Hodgdon H335 and IMR 3031.
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% | 41,350 psi | 86% | 2575 fps | 99.1% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,598 psi | 89% | 2615 fps | 96.9% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,043 psi | 79% | 2592 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,250 psi | 88% | 2651 fps | 96.4% |
| Accurate 4064ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,447 psi | 74% | 2549 fps | 96% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,670 psi | 89% | 2507 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,062 psi | 90% | 2513 fps | 96.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,018 psi | 88% | 2562 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,569 psi | 89% | 2635 fps | 98.1% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,625 psi | 85% | 2648 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,496 psi | 89% | 2612 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,959 psi | 86% | 2520 fps | 99.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,308 psi | 90% | 2543 fps | 98.6% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,147 psi | 86% | 2608 fps | 97.8% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,887 psi | 88% | 2625 fps | 97% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,771 psi | 87% | 2503 fps | 97.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,010 psi | 67% | 1631 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,408 psi | 87% | 2677 fps | 98.7% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,887 psi | 88% | 2552 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.4 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,149 psi | 90% | 2628 fps | 96.3% |
| Lovex D073.6ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,018 psi | 90% | 2677 fps | 96.6% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,279 psi | 88% | 2589 fps | 99.9% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,916 psi | 88% | 2628 fps | 97.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,995 psi | 67% | 1673 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,162 psi | 86% | 2575 fps | 96.6% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,149 psi | 90% | 2628 fps | 96.3% |
| Shooters World Match Rifleᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,018 psi | 90% | 2677 fps | 96.6% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,946 psi | 90% | 2333 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,091 psi | 90% | 2641 fps | 97.2% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,105 psi | 90% | 2612 fps | 98.9% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,091 psi | 90% | 2549 fps | 97.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,986 psi | 81% | 2490 fps | 97.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,437 psi | 87% | 2549 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,177 psi | 88% | 2520 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 92% | 43,265 psi | 90% | 2562 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,308 psi | 88% | 2559 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,711 psi | 83% | 2602 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,351 psi | 88% | 2608 fps | 97.5% |
| Vihtavuori N540ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,857 psi | 85% | 2598 fps | 96.5% |
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>> | 82% | 28,587 psi | 60% | 2297 fps | 95.8% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 88% | 37,159 psi | 78% | 2510 fps | 95.4% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 90% | 27,151 psi | 57% | 2346 fps | 95.8% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,537 psi | 83% | 2598 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 98% | 33,170 psi | 69% | 2500 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,505 psi | 74% | 2365 fps | 96.5% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,276 psi | 80% | 2418 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,072 psi | 77% | 2470 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,605 psi | 68% | 2421 fps | 95.2% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 30.8 gr | 80% | 24,845 psi | 52% | 2257 fps | 96.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,053 psi | 65% | 2372 fps | 97.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,754 psi | 81% | 2477 fps | 99.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,605 psi | 70% | 2352 fps | 96.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 82% | 32,097 psi | 67% | 2408 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H335 | 36.5 gr | 86% | 36,651 psi | 77% | 2520 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,189 psi | 82% | 2454 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,511 psi | 49% | 1457 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | 33.8 gr | 88% | 30,284 psi | 63% | 2418 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,069 psi | 69% | 2372 fps | 99% |
| Lovex D073.4 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,379 psi | 84% | 2575 fps | 95.6% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,304 psi | 78% | 2569 fps | 95% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,099 psi | 73% | 2448 fps | 99.3% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,838 psi | 73% | 2484 fps | 95% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,366 psi | 49% | 1490 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 90% | 36,637 psi | 77% | 2484 fps | 95.3% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,379 psi | 84% | 2575 fps | 95.6% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,304 psi | 78% | 2569 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,553 psi | 85% | 2297 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 84% | 37,710 psi | 79% | 2533 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,749 psi | 66% | 2372 fps | 96% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,752 psi | 75% | 2408 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,416 psi | 68% | 2352 fps | 95.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 32,590 psi | 68% | 2365 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,260 psi | 78% | 2434 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,110 psi | 63% | 2293 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 82% | 27,717 psi | 58% | 2241 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 88% | 27,528 psi | 58% | 2320 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,346 psi | 74% | 2467 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 96% | 36,085 psi | 75% | 2500 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 | 140gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,677 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,631 fps to 2,677 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 140.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:14.5 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, Hodgdon H335, IMR 3031 rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .308 | 140gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos 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.