Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 6.5 x 54 Mannlich Schoenauer with .257 | 115gr | Federal Trophy Bonded bullet and 71 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Power Pro 2000-MR, ReloadSwiss RS 60 and Alliant Reloder-17.
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: 23.62"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,484 psi | 86% | 2635 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,267 psi | 87% | 2684 fps | 99.8% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,165 psi | 85% | 2684 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,355 psi | 89% | 2740 fps | 99.8% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,237 psi | 85% | 2720 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2206H | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,355 psi | 89% | 2746 fps | 98% |
| ADI AR 2208 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,368 psi | 86% | 2687 fps | 96.9% |
| ADI Benchmark 8208 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,775 psi | 88% | 2707 fps | 98.9% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,832 psi | 87% | 2707 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Power Pro 1200-R | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,572 psi | 90% | 2799 fps | 98.6% |
| Alliant Power Pro 2000-MR | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,180 psi | 87% | 2825 fps | 96.8% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,007 psi | 89% | 2756 fps | 98.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-15 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,165 psi | 85% | 2726 fps | 97.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-16ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,932 psi | 83% | 2749 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,210 psi | 89% | 2848 fps | 98.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 107 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,398 psi | 88% | 2743 fps | 96.7% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,137 psi | 89% | 2772 fps | 98.8% |
| Hodgdon Benchmark | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,166 psi | 87% | 2654 fps | 99.2% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,906 psi | 90% | 2776 fps | 99.4% |
| Hodgdon CFE223 | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,238 psi | 87% | 2802 fps | 97.3% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,152 psi | 89% | 2717 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,718 psi | 90% | 2736 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H4895 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,688 psi | 90% | 2759 fps | 98.6% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100Vᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,958 psi | 75% | 2638 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon LEVERevolution | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,021 psi | 87% | 2779 fps | 98.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,345 psi | 65% | 1709 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon VARGET | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,079 psi | 87% | 2710 fps | 98.2% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,456 psi | 88% | 2756 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4064 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,659 psi | 90% | 2723 fps | 97.6% |
| IMR 4895 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,238 psi | 87% | 2759 fps | 97.9% |
| IMR 8208 XBR | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,775 psi | 88% | 2707 fps | 98.9% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,311 psi | 87% | 2690 fps | 99.4% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,585 psi | 86% | 2723 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S060 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,790 psi | 90% | 2680 fps | 98.1% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,166 psi | 89% | 2726 fps | 99% |
| Norma 201 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,122 psi | 87% | 2697 fps | 98.8% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,340 psi | 88% | 2710 fps | 99.9% |
| Norma 203B | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,297 psi | 89% | 2769 fps | 98.1% |
| Ramshot Big Game | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,007 psi | 89% | 2779 fps | 97.8% |
| Ramshot Wild Boar | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,861 psi | 87% | 2723 fps | 97.7% |
| Ramshot X-Terminator | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,688 psi | 90% | 2700 fps | 97.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,766 psi | 66% | 1752 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,209 psi | 87% | 2694 fps | 99.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 52 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,007 psi | 89% | 2828 fps | 97.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,282 psi | 89% | 2864 fps | 99.9% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,500 psi | 90% | 2697 fps | 99.9% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,615 psi | 88% | 2697 fps | 98.9% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 96% | 46,702 psi | 88% | 2756 fps | 98.5% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,585 psi | 86% | 2723 fps | 99.7% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,166 psi | 89% | 2726 fps | 99% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 94% | 45,745 psi | 86% | 2766 fps | 97.6% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 9 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,629 psi | 86% | 2710 fps | 97.6% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,281 psi | 86% | 2612 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,587 psi | 90% | 2654 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S321 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,268 psi | 89% | 2733 fps | 99.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,355 psi | 89% | 2657 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S341 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,398 psi | 90% | 2726 fps | 97.9% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,688 psi | 90% | 2759 fps | 98.5% |
| Somchem S365ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,885 psi | 73% | 2684 fps | 97.9% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 82% | 45,339 psi | 86% | 2592 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,281 psi | 86% | 2608 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,266 psi | 86% | 2680 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,804 psi | 88% | 2694 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 96% | 45,847 psi | 87% | 2694 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N160ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,137 psi | 87% | 2743 fps | 96.2% |
| Vihtavuori N530 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,094 psi | 89% | 2707 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 90% | 44,933 psi | 85% | 2680 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N550ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,252 psi | 85% | 2749 fps | 95.9% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALLᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,500 psi | 90% | 2736 fps | 98.4% |
| Winchester 748 | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,861 psi | 87% | 2746 fps | 99.4% |
| Winchester StaBALL Match | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,063 psi | 85% | 2717 fps | 98.1% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 23.62"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,885 psi | 75% | 2536 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,410 psi | 82% | 2635 fps | 99.6% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,387 psi | 61% | 2438 fps | 99.7% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,493 psi | 73% | 2579 fps | 98.8% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,661 psi | 58% | 2415 fps | 97.7% |
| ADI AR 2206H | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,651 psi | 69% | 2530 fps | 95.2% |
| ADI AR 2208 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,277 psi | 76% | 2589 fps | 95.5% |
| ADI Benchmark 8208 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,653 psi | 73% | 2549 fps | 97.2% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,420 psi | 71% | 2562 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Power Pro 1200-R | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,512 psi | 84% | 2743 fps | 98.1% |
| Alliant Power Pro 2000-MR | 37 gr | 88% | 43,033 psi | 81% | 2759 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 84% | 34,447 psi | 65% | 2503 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-15 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,697 psi | 75% | 2618 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,292 psi | 78% | 2694 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | 37.3 gr | 90% | 36,332 psi | 69% | 2612 fps | 95.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 107 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,582 psi | 77% | 2631 fps | 95.1% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 84% | 33,765 psi | 64% | 2500 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon Benchmark | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,727 psi | 77% | 2549 fps | 98.2% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,680 psi | 69% | 2559 fps | 97.3% |
| Hodgdon CFE223 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,306 psi | 76% | 2684 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,106 psi | 83% | 2664 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,788 psi | 85% | 2684 fps | 99.8% |
| Hodgdon H4895 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,898 psi | 70% | 2539 fps | 96% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 96% | 35,389 psi | 67% | 2533 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon LEVERevolution | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,360 psi | 67% | 2556 fps | 95.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,672 psi | 48% | 1532 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon VARGET | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,592 psi | 67% | 2497 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,795 psi | 68% | 2556 fps | 99.7% |
| IMR 4064 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,610 psi | 75% | 2569 fps | 95.6% |
| IMR 4895 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,621 psi | 67% | 2539 fps | 95% |
| IMR 8208 XBR | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,653 psi | 73% | 2549 fps | 97.2% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,076 psi | 81% | 2635 fps | 99% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,925 psi | 66% | 2510 fps | 97.9% |
| Lovex S060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,753 psi | 71% | 2487 fps | 95.6% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,561 psi | 62% | 2425 fps | 95.4% |
| Norma 201 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,940 psi | 68% | 2490 fps | 96.5% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,969 psi | 68% | 2510 fps | 98.7% |
| Norma 203B | <<locked>> | 84% | 36,521 psi | 69% | 2549 fps | 95.2% |
| Ramshot Big Game | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,580 psi | 73% | 2615 fps | 95.6% |
| Ramshot Wild Boar | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,623 psi | 71% | 2559 fps | 95.5% |
| Ramshot X-Terminator | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,829 psi | 79% | 2592 fps | 96.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,831 psi | 49% | 1568 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,323 psi | 82% | 2638 fps | 99.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 52 | <<locked>> | 84% | 38,493 psi | 73% | 2654 fps | 95.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | 34.8 gr | 84% | 31,879 psi | 60% | 2507 fps | 96% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,581 psi | 75% | 2549 fps | 99.1% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,287 psi | 65% | 2444 fps | 96% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 86% | 33,663 psi | 64% | 2490 fps | 95% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,925 psi | 66% | 2510 fps | 97.9% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,561 psi | 62% | 2425 fps | 95.4% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 88% | 37,550 psi | 71% | 2595 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 9 | <<locked>> | 82% | 37,739 psi | 71% | 2552 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,753 psi | 71% | 2467 fps | 99% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,850 psi | 58% | 2329 fps | 98.3% |
| Somchem S321 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,292 psi | 78% | 2625 fps | 98.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,101 psi | 70% | 2470 fps | 99.4% |
| Somchem S341 | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,812 psi | 73% | 2566 fps | 95.8% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,070 psi | 66% | 2507 fps | 95.3% |
| Somchem S365 | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,358 psi | 61% | 2523 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,815 psi | 81% | 2552 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,768 psi | 71% | 2474 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,996 psi | 62% | 2444 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,069 psi | 64% | 2448 fps | 98.6% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 84% | 31,038 psi | 59% | 2388 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 98% | 43,221 psi | 82% | 2690 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N530 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,653 psi | 73% | 2546 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,648 psi | 62% | 2428 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,409 psi | 80% | 2694 fps | 95.1% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,521 psi | 69% | 2516 fps | 95.4% |
| Winchester 748 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,347 psi | 71% | 2579 fps | 97.8% |
| Winchester StaBALL Match | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,229 psi | 65% | 2493 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 71 powders for 6.5 x 54 Mannlich Schoenauer loaded with the .257 | 115gr | Federal Trophy Bonded. ReloadSwiss RS 60 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,864 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,709 fps to 2,864 fps. Alliant Reloder-16 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 71 of the 71 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (365 MPa), the top charges use 65–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 115.0 gr projectile in 0.264" calls for a 1:7.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Alliant Reloder-16, Hodgdon Hybrid 100V, Hodgdon TrailBoss 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 Power Pro 2000-MR, ReloadSwiss RS 60, Alliant Reloder-17 rank at the top here: for 6.5 x 54 Mannlich Schoenauer with the .257 | 115gr | Federal Trophy Bonded 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.