Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 6.5 x 57 R with .264 | 120gr | Barnes Solid bullet and 28 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Reloder-26, ReloadSwiss RS 70 and Alliant Reloder-16.
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 3100 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,683 psi | 85% | 2687 fps | 96.1% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,844 psi | 90% | 2749 fps | 98.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,611 psi | 87% | 2756 fps | 98.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,466 psi | 87% | 2776 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,249 psi | 86% | 2769 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-26 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,178 psi | 90% | 2877 fps | 98.3% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,263 psi | 86% | 2697 fps | 99.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,984 psi | 75% | 1798 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,800 psi | 87% | 2713 fps | 98.2% |
| Lovex S065 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,046 psi | 86% | 2638 fps | 96.6% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,453 psi | 89% | 2743 fps | 98.1% |
| Ramshot Hunter | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,278 psi | 86% | 2726 fps | 96.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,477 psi | 76% | 1841 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,336 psi | 86% | 2782 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,482 psi | 89% | 2766 fps | 98% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 70 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,901 psi | 88% | 2782 fps | 97.4% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,843 psi | 87% | 2684 fps | 99.4% |
| Shooters World Long Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,046 psi | 86% | 2638 fps | 96.6% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,960 psi | 90% | 2733 fps | 99.1% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,525 psi | 89% | 2687 fps | 99.4% |
| Somchem S365 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,756 psi | 85% | 2749 fps | 99.9% |
| Unknown powder | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,178 psi | 90% | 2746 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,002 psi | 86% | 2631 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,350 psi | 84% | 2661 fps | 97.6% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,017 psi | 86% | 2707 fps | 97.6% |
| Vihtavuori N555 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,815 psi | 89% | 2792 fps | 98.8% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,089 psi | 86% | 2664 fps | 99.4% |
| Winchester StaBALL HDᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,479 psi | 82% | 2851 fps | 99.9% |
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 3100 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,029 psi | 79% | 2628 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,474 psi | 68% | 2516 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | 39 gr | 80% | 32,343 psi | 68% | 2523 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,158 psi | 76% | 2654 fps | 98.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 88% | 30,153 psi | 63% | 2490 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-26 | 48.5 gr | 90% | 34,969 psi | 73% | 2677 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,921 psi | 63% | 2428 fps | 96.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,789 psi | 56% | 1608 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 84% | 32,460 psi | 68% | 2500 fps | 95.2% |
| Lovex S065 | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,522 psi | 80% | 2585 fps | 95.8% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,780 psi | 73% | 2569 fps | 95.9% |
| Ramshot Hunter | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,711 psi | 81% | 2671 fps | 95.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,296 psi | 57% | 1647 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,464 psi | 80% | 2720 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,330 psi | 72% | 2585 fps | 95.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 70 | 44.8 gr | 84% | 36,419 psi | 76% | 2651 fps | 95.5% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,146 psi | 82% | 2628 fps | 99% |
| Shooters World Long Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,522 psi | 80% | 2585 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,263 psi | 84% | 2680 fps | 98.7% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,827 psi | 83% | 2631 fps | 99% |
| Somchem S365 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,356 psi | 61% | 2470 fps | 97.3% |
| Unknown powder | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,360 psi | 74% | 2575 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,069 psi | 71% | 2480 fps | 98.8% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,346 psi | 74% | 2549 fps | 96% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,795 psi | 75% | 2589 fps | 96% |
| Vihtavuori N555 | <<locked>> | 86% | 30,690 psi | 64% | 2510 fps | 95% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,489 psi | 70% | 2493 fps | 97.7% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 90% | 28,601 psi | 60% | 2520 fps | 95.6% |
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 59 powders for 6.5 x 57 R loaded with the .264 | 120gr | Barnes Solid. Alliant Reloder-26 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,877 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,798 fps to 2,877 fps. Alliant Reloder-25 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 59 of the 59 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (330 MPa), the top charges use 75–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 120.0 gr projectile in 0.264" calls for a 1:9.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Alliant Reloder-25, Bofors RP15, 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 Reloder-26, ReloadSwiss RS 70, Alliant Reloder-16 rank at the top here: for 6.5 x 57 R with the .264 | 120gr | Barnes Solid they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2700, ADI AR 2209, Alliant Reloder-19 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.