Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .500 N.E. 3'' with .510 | 600gr | A-Square DeadTough bullet and 32 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Reloder-17, Alliant Reloder-16 and Somchem S365.
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 4064 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,708 psi | 85% | 2008 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,882 psi | 86% | 2067 fps | 96.5% |
| ADI AR 2208 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,940 psi | 86% | 1982 fps | 96.8% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,201 psi | 89% | 2037 fps | 98.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-15 | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,680 psi | 90% | 2044 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,158 psi | 89% | 2080 fps | 96.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,708 psi | 88% | 2100 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-23ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,474 psi | 80% | 2037 fps | 97% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 84% | 35,578 psi | 88% | 2041 fps | 98.7% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,983 psi | 86% | 2034 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,780 psi | 86% | 1335 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4064 | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,637 psi | 90% | 2005 fps | 97.5% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 94% | 36,318 psi | 89% | 2073 fps | 96.9% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,289 psi | 89% | 2008 fps | 98.9% |
| Norma 203B | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,042 psi | 89% | 2037 fps | 97.9% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 92% | 35,853 psi | 88% | 2070 fps | 96.5% |
| Ramshot Big Game | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,549 psi | 88% | 2047 fps | 97.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,056 psi | 86% | 1368 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,766 psi | 88% | 2110 fps | 99.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | <<locked>> | 92% | 35,114 psi | 86% | 2083 fps | 96% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,665 psi | 88% | 2034 fps | 98.4% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,289 psi | 89% | 2008 fps | 98.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,737 psi | 86% | 2037 fps | 97.4% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,695 psi | 90% | 1959 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,548 psi | 85% | 2001 fps | 97.9% |
| Somchem S365 | <<locked>> | 96% | 36,114 psi | 89% | 2113 fps | 99.4% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,041 psi | 86% | 1991 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,273 psi | 87% | 2028 fps | 96.1% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,593 psi | 90% | 2011 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,738 psi | 90% | 2073 fps | 96.5% |
| Vihtavuori N555ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,171 psi | 84% | 2093 fps | 96.9% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,839 psi | 88% | 2018 fps | 98.2% |
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 4064 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,590 psi | 80% | 1969 fps | 99.8% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,474 psi | 80% | 2024 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AR 2208 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,822 psi | 81% | 1939 fps | 96.1% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,850 psi | 78% | 1955 fps | 97.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-15 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,490 psi | 85% | 2005 fps | 96.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | 96.6 gr | 88% | 32,097 psi | 79% | 1995 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | 96.9 gr | 82% | 29,414 psi | 72% | 1965 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 96% | 28,906 psi | 71% | 1955 fps | 95.3% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,183 psi | 77% | 1959 fps | 97.6% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 86% | 27,456 psi | 68% | 1877 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,831 psi | 64% | 1191 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4064 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,389 psi | 85% | 1965 fps | 96.9% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,966 psi | 79% | 1991 fps | 95.4% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,098 psi | 84% | 1972 fps | 98.5% |
| Norma 203B | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,852 psi | 83% | 1998 fps | 97.3% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 90% | 33,576 psi | 83% | 2028 fps | 95.7% |
| Ramshot Big Game | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,301 psi | 82% | 2001 fps | 96.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,078 psi | 64% | 1220 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,428 psi | 72% | 1975 fps | 98.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,866 psi | 81% | 2037 fps | 95.1% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,327 psi | 72% | 1913 fps | 96.6% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,098 psi | 84% | 1972 fps | 98.5% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,530 psi | 75% | 1952 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,430 psi | 80% | 1886 fps | 99.9% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,443 psi | 75% | 1923 fps | 96.7% |
| Somchem S365 | 94.2 gr | 84% | 24,961 psi | 61% | 1864 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,834 psi | 71% | 1873 fps | 97.5% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 88% | 33,170 psi | 82% | 1988 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,287 psi | 84% | 1975 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 90% | 34,389 psi | 85% | 2031 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N555 | <<locked>> | 96% | 30,226 psi | 74% | 2011 fps | 95.4% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 82% | 27,804 psi | 68% | 1850 fps | 95.1% |
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 53 powders for .500 N.E. 3'' loaded with the .510 | 600gr | A-Square DeadTough. Alliant Reloder-26 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,139 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,335 fps to 2,139 fps. Accurate 3100 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 53 of the 53 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (280 MPa), the top charges use 71–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Accurate 3100, Alliant Reloder-23, Alliant Reloder-26 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 Reloder-17, Alliant Reloder-16, Somchem S365 rank at the top here: for .500 N.E. 3'' with the .510 | 600gr | A-Square DeadTough they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 3100, Bofors RP7, Hodgdon H414 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.