Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .500 N.E. 3'' with .510 | 535gr | Woodleigh FMJ bullet and 37 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ReloadSwiss RS 60, Accurate 4064 and Vihtavuori N150.
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: 26"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,129 psi | 89% | 2034 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 90% | 36,637 psi | 90% | 2103 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,521 psi | 90% | 2103 fps | 98.6% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,637 psi | 90% | 2126 fps | 99.4% |
| ADI Benchmark 8208 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,099 psi | 86% | 2037 fps | 96.5% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,404 psi | 87% | 2090 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,579 psi | 90% | 2116 fps | 96.8% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 35,737 psi | 88% | 2116 fps | 96.7% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,708 psi | 85% | 2087 fps | 97.2% |
| Hodgdon H4895 | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,375 psi | 87% | 2073 fps | 95.9% |
| Hodgdon LEVERevolution | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,882 psi | 88% | 2123 fps | 96.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,489 psi | 82% | 1352 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon VARGET | <<locked>> | 86% | 36,622 psi | 90% | 2080 fps | 96.1% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,911 psi | 88% | 2123 fps | 99.9% |
| IMR 8208 XBR | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,099 psi | 86% | 2037 fps | 96.5% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 86% | 34,954 psi | 86% | 2087 fps | 98.3% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,853 psi | 86% | 2054 fps | 96.6% |
| Norma 201 | <<locked>> | 86% | 36,709 psi | 90% | 2070 fps | 97.1% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 86% | 36,535 psi | 90% | 2087 fps | 99.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,649 psi | 83% | 1385 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,737 psi | 86% | 2136 fps | 97.5% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,969 psi | 89% | 2041 fps | 98.7% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 86% | 34,838 psi | 86% | 2031 fps | 96.5% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,665 psi | 88% | 2106 fps | 96.3% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 86% | 34,954 psi | 86% | 2087 fps | 98.3% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,853 psi | 86% | 2054 fps | 96.6% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,563 psi | 85% | 1975 fps | 98.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,665 psi | 88% | 2011 fps | 99.5% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,911 psi | 88% | 2018 fps | 99.4% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,896 psi | 86% | 2077 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,579 psi | 90% | 2018 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,186 psi | 87% | 2067 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 86% | 34,563 psi | 85% | 2034 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,563 psi | 88% | 2067 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N530 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,824 psi | 86% | 2031 fps | 96.5% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,317 psi | 87% | 2064 fps | 98.7% |
| Winchester 748 | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,665 psi | 88% | 2103 fps | 97.7% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 26"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,823 psi | 83% | 1995 fps | 99.9% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,339 psi | 65% | 1913 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,850 psi | 78% | 2018 fps | 97.5% |
| Accurate 4064 | 78.3 gr | 80% | 24,976 psi | 62% | 1890 fps | 96.2% |
| ADI Benchmark 8208 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,953 psi | 81% | 1998 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,024 psi | 76% | 2014 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 88% | 32,329 psi | 80% | 2034 fps | 95.3% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 88% | 31,299 psi | 77% | 2031 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,298 psi | 75% | 2001 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H4895 | <<locked>> | 82% | 33,199 psi | 82% | 2031 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon LEVERevolution | <<locked>> | 86% | 33,736 psi | 83% | 2080 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 24,831 psi | 61% | 1207 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon VARGET | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,418 psi | 85% | 2037 fps | 95.3% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,675 psi | 73% | 2001 fps | 99% |
| IMR 8208 XBR | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,953 psi | 81% | 1998 fps | 95.8% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,601 psi | 70% | 1962 fps | 96.4% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 84% | 30,777 psi | 76% | 1972 fps | 95.2% |
| Norma 201 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,545 psi | 75% | 1952 fps | 95% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,211 psi | 74% | 1969 fps | 97.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 24,845 psi | 61% | 1237 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | 92.3 gr | 88% | 30,618 psi | 75% | 2041 fps | 95.7% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,895 psi | 83% | 2001 fps | 98.3% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 82% | 30,908 psi | 76% | 1952 fps | 95.1% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 92% | 33,373 psi | 82% | 2064 fps | 95.5% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,601 psi | 70% | 1962 fps | 96.4% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 84% | 30,777 psi | 76% | 1972 fps | 95.2% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,503 psi | 80% | 1939 fps | 98% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,310 psi | 65% | 1831 fps | 97.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,792 psi | 78% | 1942 fps | 98.6% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,880 psi | 81% | 2037 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,314 psi | 80% | 1946 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,325 psi | 67% | 1916 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,543 psi | 70% | 1916 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | 87.1 gr | 88% | 29,472 psi | 73% | 1949 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N530 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,677 psi | 80% | 1991 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,427 psi | 68% | 1906 fps | 96.4% |
| Winchester 748 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,401 psi | 77% | 2018 fps | 96.3% |
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 37 powders for .500 N.E. 3'' loaded with the .510 | 535gr | Woodleigh FMJ. ReloadSwiss RS 60 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,136 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,352 fps to 2,136 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 37 of the 37 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (280 MPa), the top charges use 82–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. 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. ReloadSwiss RS 60, Accurate 4064, Vihtavuori N150 rank at the top here: for .500 N.E. 3'' with the .510 | 535gr | Woodleigh FMJ 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.