Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .338 Marlin Express with .338 | 165gr | TPM XTLD bullet and 29 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Hodgdon H322, ADI AR 2219 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% | 41,597 psi | 90% | 2487 fps | 99.3% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,683 psi | 88% | 2559 fps | 98.6% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,843 psi | 90% | 2595 fps | 96% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,185 psi | 74% | 2513 fps | 97.6% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,292 psi | 87% | 2454 fps | 97.1% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,771 psi | 90% | 2556 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,639 psi | 85% | 2566 fps | 96.7% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,132 psi | 86% | 2631 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,858 psi | 90% | 2595 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,930 psi | 88% | 2513 fps | 99.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,582 psi | 87% | 2484 fps | 97.5% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,060 psi | 88% | 2595 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,481 psi | 89% | 2605 fps | 96.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,785 psi | 90% | 2493 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,604 psi | 68% | 1614 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,524 psi | 87% | 2648 fps | 97.9% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,437 psi | 89% | 2536 fps | 99.8% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,698 psi | 90% | 2575 fps | 99.8% |
| Norma 202ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,234 psi | 89% | 2608 fps | 96.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,401 psi | 68% | 1654 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,277 psi | 87% | 2549 fps | 95.6% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,611 psi | 88% | 2297 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,176 psi | 87% | 2546 fps | 97.8% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,843 psi | 88% | 2526 fps | 96.9% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,901 psi | 90% | 2516 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,364 psi | 87% | 2507 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,713 psi | 90% | 2539 fps | 98.6% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,579 psi | 79% | 2533 fps | 97.9% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,262 psi | 85% | 2536 fps | 95.9% |
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% | 39,044 psi | 84% | 2441 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 86% | 29,762 psi | 64% | 2326 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 92% | 39,218 psi | 85% | 2546 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 94% | 27,992 psi | 60% | 2365 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,620 psi | 72% | 2313 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,722 psi | 75% | 2425 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 39 gr | 84% | 34,693 psi | 75% | 2461 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 35.7 gr | 82% | 24,526 psi | 53% | 2234 fps | 95.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,848 psi | 62% | 2313 fps | 96.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,071 psi | 78% | 2418 fps | 98.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 82% | 33,562 psi | 72% | 2339 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 39.6 gr | 88% | 36,158 psi | 78% | 2493 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 38,972 psi | 84% | 2556 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,057 psi | 80% | 2398 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,076 psi | 50% | 1437 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 94% | 33,779 psi | 73% | 2500 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,169 psi | 67% | 2316 fps | 98% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,518 psi | 70% | 2388 fps | 98.4% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 38,711 psi | 83% | 2559 fps | 95.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,061 psi | 50% | 1476 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,159 psi | 82% | 2507 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,261 psi | 82% | 2260 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 82% | 31,459 psi | 68% | 2356 fps | 95.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 36,318 psi | 78% | 2441 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,940 psi | 75% | 2392 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,862 psi | 60% | 2231 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 88% | 31,067 psi | 67% | 2320 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 92% | 28,718 psi | 62% | 2346 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 98% | 36,927 psi | 80% | 2490 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 29 powders for .338 Marlin Express loaded with the .338 | 165gr | TPM XTLD. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,648 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,614 fps to 2,648 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 29 of the 29 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 68–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 165.0 gr projectile in 0.338" calls for a 1:14.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, Hodgdon TrailBoss, IMR 3031 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. Hodgdon H322, ADI AR 2219, Alliant AR-Comp rank at the top here: for .338 Marlin Express with the .338 | 165gr | TPM XTLD 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.