Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .50 BMG with .510 | 800gr | Barnes Banded Solid BT Bore Rider bullet and 31 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-50.
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% | 48,211 psi | 90% | 2425 fps | 99.4% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,166 psi | 86% | 2352 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2218 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,469 psi | 85% | 2467 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,513 psi | 85% | 2382 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,731 psi | 87% | 2346 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,079 psi | 88% | 2451 fps | 99.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,760 psi | 87% | 2451 fps | 99.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,558 psi | 89% | 2336 fps | 99.6% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,587 psi | 89% | 2352 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,528 psi | 87% | 2369 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,485 psi | 88% | 2369 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H4831 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,717 psi | 87% | 2306 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,934 psi | 86% | 2425 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,130 psi | 71% | 1486 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,600 psi | 85% | 2251 fps | 96.9% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,022 psi | 89% | 2418 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D100 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,051 psi | 90% | 2346 fps | 96.5% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,891 psi | 87% | 2257 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,992 psi | 86% | 2388 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,175 psi | 73% | 1522 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,368 psi | 85% | 2408 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 88% | 48,211 psi | 90% | 2444 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World 50 BMG | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,051 psi | 90% | 2346 fps | 96.5% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,137 psi | 88% | 2385 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori 20N29ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,729 psi | 81% | 2359 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori 24N41 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,195 psi | 88% | 2385 fps | 95.9% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,399 psi | 90% | 2290 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,210 psi | 88% | 2333 fps | 98.6% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 84% | 48,211 psi | 90% | 2379 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,861 psi | 85% | 2395 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,978 psi | 88% | 2457 fps | 99.5% |
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>> | 88% | 31,821 psi | 59% | 2123 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,259 psi | 66% | 2165 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AR 2218 | 189.6 gr | 82% | 32,082 psi | 60% | 2185 fps | 96% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,532 psi | 61% | 2156 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,814 psi | 76% | 2257 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,750 psi | 61% | 2182 fps | 96.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | 197.2 gr | 84% | 32,677 psi | 61% | 2185 fps | 95.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,599 psi | 83% | 2290 fps | 99.3% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,628 psi | 83% | 2306 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,145 psi | 71% | 2231 fps | 99.9% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,216 psi | 67% | 2185 fps | 99.9% |
| Hodgdon H4831 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,845 psi | 82% | 2260 fps | 99.9% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,958 psi | 74% | 2326 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,645 psi | 53% | 1325 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,176 psi | 75% | 2159 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,182 psi | 56% | 2096 fps | 98.7% |
| Lovex D100 | <<locked>> | 88% | 44,831 psi | 84% | 2293 fps | 95.7% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,336 psi | 77% | 2175 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,530 psi | 57% | 2116 fps | 99.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,515 psi | 55% | 1358 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,131 psi | 73% | 2310 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,984 psi | 67% | 2238 fps | 99.2% |
| Shooters World 50 BMG | <<locked>> | 88% | 44,831 psi | 84% | 2293 fps | 95.7% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 88% | 33,794 psi | 63% | 2146 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori 20N29 | <<locked>> | 96% | 38,101 psi | 71% | 2260 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori 24N41 | <<locked>> | 92% | 44,048 psi | 82% | 2333 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,411 psi | 85% | 2251 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,783 psi | 72% | 2188 fps | 96.7% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,250 psi | 79% | 2287 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,275 psi | 69% | 2247 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | 181.2 gr | 80% | 35,404 psi | 66% | 2244 fps | 97.1% |
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 34 powders for .50 BMG loaded with the .510 | 800gr | Barnes Banded Solid BT Bore Rider. ADI AR 2218 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,467 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,486 fps to 2,467 fps. Accurate 8700 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 (370 MPa), the top charges use 71–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 800.0 gr projectile in 0.51" calls for a 1:14.0 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-50 rank at the top here: for .50 BMG with the .510 | 800gr | Barnes Banded Solid BT Bore Rider they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Hodgdon 50BMG 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.