Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .50 BMG with .510 | 540gr | Rhino Solid Shank bullet and 35 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Hodgdon Retumbo, ADI AR 2218 and ReloadSwiss RS 80.
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: 29"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 3100 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,282 psi | 86% | 2779 fps | 100% |
| Accurate MAGPRO | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,182 psi | 90% | 2930 fps | 98.8% |
| ADI AR 2213 | <<locked>> | 82% | 45,600 psi | 85% | 2867 fps | 99.1% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,645 psi | 89% | 2910 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AR 2218 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,398 psi | 88% | 3005 fps | 97.3% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,601 psi | 87% | 2940 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-22 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,311 psi | 86% | 2871 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 84% | 48,080 psi | 90% | 2844 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,906 psi | 89% | 2913 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,150 psi | 84% | 2927 fps | 96.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 98% | 48,196 psi | 90% | 2982 fps | 97% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,688 psi | 87% | 2835 fps | 97.2% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,977 psi | 86% | 2864 fps | 99.7% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,776 psi | 89% | 2927 fps | 99.7% |
| Bofors RP5 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,311 psi | 86% | 2871 fps | 99.8% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,498 psi | 85% | 2867 fps | 99.7% |
| Hodgdon H4831 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,298 psi | 90% | 2864 fps | 99.1% |
| Hodgdon H4831 SC | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,456 psi | 88% | 2848 fps | 99% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,920 psi | 87% | 2995 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,753 psi | 70% | 1886 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7828 SSC | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,500 psi | 89% | 2913 fps | 99.4% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 96% | 45,905 psi | 86% | 2913 fps | 99.5% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 88% | 48,196 psi | 90% | 2815 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 96% | 46,673 psi | 87% | 2936 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Grand | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,993 psi | 89% | 2930 fps | 99.7% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,572 psi | 87% | 2861 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,696 psi | 72% | 1932 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,789 psi | 87% | 2976 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,267 psi | 86% | 2936 fps | 98.8% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,137 psi | 88% | 2805 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,572 psi | 87% | 2881 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,268 psi | 88% | 2943 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,240 psi | 90% | 3005 fps | 97.1% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,934 psi | 87% | 2927 fps | 100% |
| Winchester Supreme 780 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,659 psi | 87% | 2808 fps | 99.8% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 29"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 3100 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,279 psi | 81% | 2726 fps | 100% |
| Accurate MAGPRO | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,846 psi | 84% | 2864 fps | 98.2% |
| ADI AR 2213 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,554 psi | 79% | 2805 fps | 98.6% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,778 psi | 59% | 2543 fps | 95.5% |
| ADI AR 2218 | 264.6 gr | 92% | 41,075 psi | 77% | 2861 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,109 psi | 54% | 2516 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-22 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,337 psi | 81% | 2812 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,076 psi | 78% | 2743 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,376 psi | 68% | 2687 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,872 psi | 78% | 2854 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,510 psi | 77% | 2844 fps | 95% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,220 psi | 77% | 2717 fps | 95.5% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,321 psi | 75% | 2746 fps | 98.9% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,910 psi | 63% | 2621 fps | 96.7% |
| Bofors RP5 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,337 psi | 81% | 2812 fps | 99.5% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,461 psi | 64% | 2618 fps | 97.3% |
| Hodgdon H4831 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,136 psi | 84% | 2802 fps | 98.6% |
| Hodgdon H4831 SC | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,353 psi | 83% | 2789 fps | 98.4% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | 217.2 gr | 80% | 35,563 psi | 66% | 2736 fps | 98.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,355 psi | 53% | 1686 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7828 SSC | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,292 psi | 77% | 2785 fps | 98.4% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 86% | 32,648 psi | 61% | 2612 fps | 96% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,391 psi | 70% | 2608 fps | 99.8% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,760 psi | 50% | 2454 fps | 95.4% |
| Ramshot Grand | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,379 psi | 77% | 2802 fps | 98.8% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,217 psi | 69% | 2677 fps | 99.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,095 psi | 54% | 1729 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,722 psi | 65% | 2710 fps | 99.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | 240.2 gr | 82% | 34,171 psi | 64% | 2664 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,307 psi | 77% | 2694 fps | 99.4% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,971 psi | 71% | 2700 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,491 psi | 66% | 2684 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,756 psi | 78% | 2867 fps | 95.2% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,321 psi | 75% | 2808 fps | 100% |
| Winchester Supreme 780 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,497 psi | 81% | 2749 fps | 99.4% |
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 43 powders for .50 BMG loaded with the .510 | 540gr | Rhino Solid Shank. ADI AR 2218 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,005 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,886 fps to 3,005 fps. Accurate 8700 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 43 of the 43 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (370 MPa), the top charges use 70–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Accurate 8700, Hodgdon TrailBoss, Hodgdon US 869 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 Retumbo, ADI AR 2218, ReloadSwiss RS 80 rank at the top here: for .50 BMG with the .510 | 540gr | Rhino Solid Shank they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Hodgdon US 869, IMR 7977 Enduron, Lovex D100 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.