Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .308 Marlin Express with .311 | 123gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos 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 Alliant AR-Comp.
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% | 40,451 psi | 85% | 2635 fps | 98.7% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,974 psi | 88% | 2749 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,692 psi | 68% | 2641 fps | 96.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,626 psi | 87% | 2641 fps | 96.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,902 psi | 90% | 2756 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,147 psi | 86% | 2766 fps | 96.2% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,321 psi | 86% | 2825 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,018 psi | 90% | 2792 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,279 psi | 88% | 2710 fps | 99.3% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,395 psi | 89% | 2680 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,496 psi | 89% | 2792 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,207 psi | 90% | 2687 fps | 96.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,270 psi | 65% | 1736 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,436 psi | 82% | 2792 fps | 96.7% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,772 psi | 89% | 2736 fps | 99.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,409 psi | 89% | 2641 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,062 psi | 90% | 2776 fps | 99.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,792 psi | 64% | 1772 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,844 psi | 90% | 2710 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,785 psi | 87% | 2487 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,365 psi | 86% | 2743 fps | 97.3% |
| Somchem S335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,119 psi | 88% | 2717 fps | 96.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,091 psi | 90% | 2713 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,597 psi | 87% | 2697 fps | 98.8% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,931 psi | 90% | 2730 fps | 98.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,186 psi | 74% | 2664 fps | 96.7% |
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% | 37,971 psi | 79% | 2582 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,547 psi | 68% | 2549 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 98% | 30,792 psi | 64% | 2592 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,999 psi | 77% | 2546 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,431 psi | 70% | 2566 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 38,667 psi | 81% | 2710 fps | 95.5% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 33.3 gr | 86% | 26,861 psi | 56% | 2457 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 30.2 gr | 80% | 27,833 psi | 58% | 2438 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,143 psi | 73% | 2562 fps | 98.1% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,911 psi | 73% | 2526 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 37,391 psi | 78% | 2684 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,319 psi | 80% | 2589 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,945 psi | 48% | 1552 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,708 psi | 73% | 2680 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,313 psi | 63% | 2451 fps | 96.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,118 psi | 84% | 2602 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,430 psi | 66% | 2523 fps | 97.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,698 psi | 47% | 1588 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,190 psi | 84% | 2661 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,536 psi | 78% | 2415 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | 32.5 gr | 86% | 34,403 psi | 72% | 2585 fps | 95.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,478 psi | 78% | 2625 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,649 psi | 70% | 2533 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 82% | 28,761 psi | 60% | 2405 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,082 psi | 67% | 2497 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 96% | 31,241 psi | 65% | 2562 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 .311 | 123gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos. Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,825 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,736 fps to 2,825 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 64–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 123.0 gr projectile in 0.311" calls for a 1:14.0 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, Alliant AR-Comp rank at the top here: for .308 Marlin Express with the .311 | 123gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos 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.