Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 6.5-300 Weatherby Mag. with .264 | 160gr | Sierra SP SemiSp bullet and 34 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2218, Alliant Reloder-50 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: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 8700 | <<locked>> | 98% | 56,826 psi | 87% | 2867 fps | 99.3% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 88% | 55,738 psi | 86% | 2835 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2218 | <<locked>> | 92% | 56,681 psi | 87% | 2972 fps | 99.8% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 90% | 56,188 psi | 86% | 2858 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 82% | 58,305 psi | 90% | 2782 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,898 psi | 86% | 2815 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | <<locked>> | 88% | 54,563 psi | 84% | 2877 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 92% | 55,434 psi | 85% | 2884 fps | 99.1% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 84% | 58,711 psi | 90% | 2861 fps | 99.8% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,622 psi | 86% | 2822 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,883 psi | 86% | 2848 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 86% | 56,855 psi | 88% | 2848 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 84% | 56,318 psi | 87% | 2913 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,319 psi | 59% | 1824 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon US 869 | <<locked>> | 96% | 57,072 psi | 88% | 2867 fps | 96.1% |
| IMR 7828 SSC | <<locked>> | 82% | 58,131 psi | 89% | 2881 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,753 psi | 86% | 2766 fps | 97.3% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 92% | 55,216 psi | 85% | 2851 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D100 | <<locked>> | 90% | 57,595 psi | 89% | 2828 fps | 96.7% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 86% | 57,986 psi | 89% | 2766 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 92% | 56,971 psi | 88% | 2871 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 84% | 58,160 psi | 90% | 2831 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,537 psi | 61% | 1870 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 84% | 56,710 psi | 87% | 2894 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,666 psi | 86% | 2874 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World 50 BMG | <<locked>> | 90% | 57,595 psi | 89% | 2828 fps | 96.7% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 98% | 58,204 psi | 90% | 2871 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori 20N29ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,579 psi | 86% | 2851 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori 24N41 | <<locked>> | 94% | 57,551 psi | 89% | 2877 fps | 96.2% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 82% | 56,144 psi | 86% | 2759 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,811 psi | 86% | 2805 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 84% | 57,276 psi | 88% | 2858 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,999 psi | 86% | 2877 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | <<locked>> | 88% | 57,682 psi | 89% | 2949 fps | 99.4% |
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 8700 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,508 psi | 61% | 2549 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,250 psi | 65% | 2602 fps | 99.5% |
| ADI AR 2218 | 74.2 gr | 82% | 38,986 psi | 60% | 2615 fps | 95.5% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,682 psi | 61% | 2579 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 80% | 54,607 psi | 84% | 2733 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,849 psi | 75% | 2707 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | 73.8 gr | 80% | 40,799 psi | 63% | 2612 fps | 96.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | 77.2 gr | 84% | 41,394 psi | 64% | 2615 fps | 95.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 80% | 51,576 psi | 79% | 2743 fps | 99.1% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 80% | 52,301 psi | 80% | 2769 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,730 psi | 70% | 2674 fps | 99.8% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,064 psi | 71% | 2674 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,907 psi | 75% | 2795 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,892 psi | 44% | 1631 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon US 869 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,272 psi | 82% | 2805 fps | 95.1% |
| IMR 7828 SSC | <<locked>> | 80% | 54,288 psi | 84% | 2822 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,979 psi | 75% | 2651 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,898 psi | 57% | 2500 fps | 98.1% |
| Lovex D100 | <<locked>> | 88% | 53,751 psi | 83% | 2766 fps | 95.9% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,138 psi | 74% | 2618 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,927 psi | 58% | 2530 fps | 99.7% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,502 psi | 78% | 2720 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,863 psi | 46% | 1673 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,878 psi | 75% | 2772 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,686 psi | 69% | 2680 fps | 99% |
| Shooters World 50 BMG | <<locked>> | 88% | 53,751 psi | 83% | 2766 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,510 psi | 64% | 2569 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori 20N29 | <<locked>> | 96% | 48,211 psi | 74% | 2720 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori 24N41 | <<locked>> | 92% | 53,635 psi | 83% | 2808 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 80% | 52,620 psi | 81% | 2707 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,542 psi | 70% | 2625 fps | 96.3% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,125 psi | 77% | 2740 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,281 psi | 70% | 2687 fps | 98.7% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,439 psi | 67% | 2684 fps | 96.6% |
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 6.5-300 Weatherby Mag. loaded with the .264 | 160gr | Sierra SP SemiSp. ADI AR 2218 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,972 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,824 fps to 2,972 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss 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 (448 MPa), the top charges use 59–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 160.0 gr projectile in 0.264" calls for a 1:11.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14, Vihtavuori 20N29 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, Alliant Reloder-50, Alliant Reloder-33 rank at the top here: for 6.5-300 Weatherby Mag. with the .264 | 160gr | Sierra SP SemiSp 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.