Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 6 mm ARC with .243 | 55gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing bullet and 18 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2207, Alliant Reloder-10x and IMR 4198.
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: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,251 psi | 85% | 3238 fps | 97.9% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,438 psi | 82% | 3291 fps | 96.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 92% | 46,195 psi | 89% | 3389 fps | 100% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,247 psi | 75% | 3310 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 98% | 45,934 psi | 88% | 3406 fps | 98.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,469 psi | 87% | 3323 fps | 98.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,267 psi | 89% | 3274 fps | 96.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,429 psi | 58% | 2149 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 96% | 45,774 psi | 88% | 3353 fps | 99% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,050 psi | 90% | 3314 fps | 99.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,484 psi | 87% | 3268 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,470 psi | 89% | 3396 fps | 99% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,066 psi | 58% | 2195 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,412 psi | 89% | 3340 fps | 99.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,673 psi | 90% | 3123 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 96% | 44,396 psi | 85% | 3346 fps | 96.1% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 45,411 psi | 87% | 3317 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,050 psi | 88% | 3327 fps | 98.2% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,201 psi | 70% | 3051 fps | 95.8% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 39,668 psi | 76% | 3228 fps | 95.8% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 22.7 gr | 80% | 31,560 psi | 61% | 3038 fps | 98.1% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,692 psi | 63% | 3120 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 25.2 gr | 88% | 33,765 psi | 65% | 3110 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,315 psi | 64% | 3028 fps | 95.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 92% | 43,105 psi | 83% | 3209 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,408 psi | 43% | 1929 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | 22.8 gr | 84% | 32,198 psi | 62% | 3005 fps | 95.3% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,972 psi | 75% | 3136 fps | 98.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,855 psi | 73% | 3104 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 82% | 31,473 psi | 60% | 3028 fps | 95.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,901 psi | 42% | 1965 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,218 psi | 73% | 3159 fps | 98.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,520 psi | 68% | 2910 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,568 psi | 80% | 3281 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,399 psi | 56% | 2933 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,347 psi | 70% | 3104 fps | 95.7% |
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 41 powders for 6 mm ARC loaded with the .243 | 55gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing. Alliant Reloder-10x delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,406 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,149 fps to 3,406 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 41 of the 41 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (359 MPa), the top charges use 58–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 55.0 gr projectile in 0.243" calls for a 1:12.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Accurate 2495, Alliant AR-Comp 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 2207, Alliant Reloder-10x, IMR 4198 rank at the top here: for 6 mm ARC with the .243 | 55gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2460, Accurate 2495, Accurate LT-32 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.