Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .338 Marlin Express with .338 | 175gr | Hammer Hunter bullet and 34 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% | 40,364 psi | 87% | 2480 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,365 psi | 89% | 2516 fps | 96.7% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,767 psi | 79% | 2493 fps | 98.8% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,031 psi | 88% | 2549 fps | 96.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,829 psi | 90% | 2415 fps | 98.1% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,162 psi | 89% | 2467 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,771 psi | 90% | 2539 fps | 98% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,769 psi | 86% | 2552 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,394 psi | 89% | 2513 fps | 99.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,350 psi | 87% | 2431 fps | 99.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,900 psi | 86% | 2405 fps | 98% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,292 psi | 87% | 2513 fps | 97.7% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,843 psi | 88% | 2526 fps | 96.8% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,944 psi | 88% | 2411 fps | 97.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,734 psi | 68% | 1565 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,205 psi | 87% | 2572 fps | 98.5% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,002 psi | 88% | 2457 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex D073.6ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,394 psi | 89% | 2569 fps | 96.2% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,365 psi | 89% | 2493 fps | 99.9% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,741 psi | 88% | 2530 fps | 96.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,575 psi | 68% | 1604 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,292 psi | 87% | 2480 fps | 96.4% |
| Shooters World Match Rifleᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,394 psi | 89% | 2569 fps | 96.2% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,204 psi | 84% | 2487 fps | 96.2% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,610 psi | 85% | 2467 fps | 98.3% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,697 psi | 86% | 2411 fps | 96.3% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,985 psi | 82% | 2398 fps | 96.9% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,495 psi | 87% | 2454 fps | 97.5% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,336 psi | 89% | 2428 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,842 psi | 86% | 2428 fps | 99.4% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,263 psi | 89% | 2464 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,508 psi | 83% | 2503 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,423 psi | 89% | 2513 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N540ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,711 psi | 86% | 2497 fps | 96.2% |
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% | 27,905 psi | 60% | 2211 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 88% | 36,114 psi | 78% | 2415 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 90% | 26,281 psi | 57% | 2254 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,377 psi | 83% | 2503 fps | 95.4% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,882 psi | 75% | 2280 fps | 96.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,303 psi | 78% | 2382 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,908 psi | 69% | 2329 fps | 95% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 34.8 gr | 80% | 24,221 psi | 52% | 2169 fps | 96.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,240 psi | 65% | 2283 fps | 97.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,840 psi | 82% | 2382 fps | 99.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,938 psi | 71% | 2264 fps | 96% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 37.7 gr | 84% | 33,301 psi | 72% | 2365 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,810 psi | 77% | 2425 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,435 psi | 83% | 2362 fps | 96.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,409 psi | 50% | 1401 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | 39.1 gr | 90% | 31,386 psi | 68% | 2375 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,619 psi | 70% | 2287 fps | 99% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 98% | 38,725 psi | 83% | 2520 fps | 95.5% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,330 psi | 74% | 2359 fps | 99.2% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 94% | 36,100 psi | 78% | 2438 fps | 95.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,438 psi | 51% | 1437 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,621 psi | 77% | 2385 fps | 95% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 98% | 38,725 psi | 83% | 2520 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,883 psi | 79% | 2441 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,980 psi | 67% | 2280 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 92% | 37,173 psi | 80% | 2362 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 33,707 psi | 73% | 2310 fps | 95.6% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 33,866 psi | 73% | 2323 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,506 psi | 79% | 2346 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,356 psi | 63% | 2205 fps | 97.1% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 84% | 28,834 psi | 62% | 2201 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 88% | 26,760 psi | 58% | 2228 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,374 psi | 74% | 2372 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,333 psi | 80% | 2451 fps | 95.5% |
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 34 powders for .338 Marlin Express loaded with the .338 | 175gr | Hammer Hunter. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,572 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,565 fps to 2,572 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 34 of the 34 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 175.0 gr projectile in 0.338" calls for a 1:14.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, Hodgdon TrailBoss, Lovex D073.6 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 .338 Marlin Express with the .338 | 175gr | Hammer Hunter 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.