Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .50 BMG with .510 | 647gr | Barnes TAC-X bullet and 30 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2218, Vihtavuori N570 and Alliant Reloder-33.
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 8700ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,297 psi | 88% | 2700 fps | 98.3% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,254 psi | 90% | 2690 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2218 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,877 psi | 89% | 2805 fps | 99.1% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,514 psi | 89% | 2713 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,399 psi | 90% | 2608 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,411 psi | 85% | 2631 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,876 psi | 85% | 2720 fps | 98.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 94% | 45,469 psi | 85% | 2713 fps | 98% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,673 psi | 87% | 2618 fps | 98.7% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,267 psi | 86% | 2638 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 48,370 psi | 90% | 2703 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,296 psi | 86% | 2654 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H4831 | <<locked>> | 82% | 45,614 psi | 85% | 2589 fps | 99.6% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,834 psi | 89% | 2766 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,898 psi | 71% | 1716 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,558 psi | 89% | 2572 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,775 psi | 87% | 2700 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 86% | 48,269 psi | 90% | 2582 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,805 psi | 89% | 2720 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,080 psi | 90% | 2654 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,928 psi | 73% | 1759 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,674 psi | 89% | 2749 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,920 psi | 87% | 2723 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 98% | 46,079 psi | 86% | 2651 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,181 psi | 88% | 2575 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,064 psi | 86% | 2605 fps | 97.1% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,862 psi | 87% | 2661 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,950 psi | 89% | 2726 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,716 psi | 85% | 2730 fps | 98.2% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,964 psi | 89% | 2687 fps | 100% |
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 8700 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,000 psi | 71% | 2520 fps | 95.8% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,040 psi | 63% | 2411 fps | 98.4% |
| ADI AR 2218 | 236.1 gr | 86% | 35,752 psi | 67% | 2536 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,256 psi | 58% | 2388 fps | 99.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,324 psi | 84% | 2559 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,508 psi | 74% | 2530 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | 234.8 gr | 84% | 36,579 psi | 68% | 2530 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 88% | 36,289 psi | 68% | 2520 fps | 95.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,729 psi | 81% | 2562 fps | 98.1% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,294 psi | 81% | 2582 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,738 psi | 68% | 2484 fps | 99.1% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,969 psi | 65% | 2431 fps | 99.1% |
| Hodgdon H4831 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,685 psi | 80% | 2533 fps | 99.3% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,609 psi | 72% | 2592 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,485 psi | 53% | 1535 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 84% | 44,570 psi | 83% | 2520 fps | 95% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,776 psi | 54% | 2310 fps | 96.4% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,769 psi | 74% | 2438 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,022 psi | 54% | 2333 fps | 98.6% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,527 psi | 83% | 2598 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,254 psi | 55% | 1572 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,840 psi | 71% | 2572 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,592 psi | 64% | 2470 fps | 97.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 92% | 37,434 psi | 70% | 2480 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,150 psi | 82% | 2526 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,161 psi | 75% | 2490 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,814 psi | 76% | 2549 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,911 psi | 67% | 2487 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | 220.5 gr | 82% | 36,680 psi | 68% | 2539 fps | 95.5% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,469 psi | 83% | 2635 fps | 100% |
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 36 powders for .50 BMG loaded with the .510 | 647gr | Barnes TAC-X. ADI AR 2218 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,805 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,716 fps to 2,805 fps. Accurate 8700 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 36 of the 36 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (370 MPa), the top charges use 71–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 647.0 gr projectile in 0.51" calls for a 1:22.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 8700, Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 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. ADI AR 2218, Vihtavuori N570, Alliant Reloder-33 rank at the top here: for .50 BMG with the .510 | 647gr | Barnes TAC-X they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Hodgdon US 869, Lovex D100, Ramshot LRT 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.