Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 6.5 x 57 R with .264 | 120gr | Barnes TAC-X bullet and 27 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 ReloadSwiss RS 62.
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>> | 98% | 42,540 psi | 89% | 2733 fps | 96.7% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,959 psi | 88% | 2743 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,075 psi | 86% | 2753 fps | 98.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,901 psi | 85% | 2772 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-23ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,221 psi | 90% | 2818 fps | 99.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-26 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,554 psi | 89% | 2871 fps | 98.2% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,654 psi | 85% | 2694 fps | 99.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,853 psi | 75% | 1804 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,062 psi | 90% | 2749 fps | 98.5% |
| Lovex S065 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,801 psi | 89% | 2687 fps | 97.1% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,843 psi | 87% | 2740 fps | 98.1% |
| Ramshot Hunter | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,625 psi | 85% | 2723 fps | 96.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,289 psi | 76% | 1844 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,799 psi | 85% | 2779 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,742 psi | 87% | 2762 fps | 97.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 70 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,278 psi | 86% | 2776 fps | 97.4% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,075 psi | 86% | 2677 fps | 99.4% |
| Shooters World Long Rifle | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,801 psi | 89% | 2687 fps | 97.1% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,424 psi | 89% | 2733 fps | 99.1% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,582 psi | 87% | 2677 fps | 99.3% |
| Somchem S365 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,917 psi | 90% | 2799 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,569 psi | 89% | 2667 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,930 psi | 86% | 2687 fps | 97.8% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,815 psi | 89% | 2740 fps | 98.1% |
| Vihtavuori N555 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,221 psi | 88% | 2789 fps | 98.8% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,495 psi | 85% | 2661 fps | 99.4% |
| Winchester StaBALL HDᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,856 psi | 81% | 2844 fps | 99.8% |
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% | 37,028 psi | 77% | 2615 fps | 95% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 82% | 33,721 psi | 70% | 2556 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | <<locked>> | 82% | 33,765 psi | 71% | 2575 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,592 psi | 74% | 2648 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 88% | 29,443 psi | 62% | 2477 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-26 | 49 gr | 90% | 34,098 psi | 71% | 2661 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,124 psi | 61% | 2418 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,716 psi | 56% | 1614 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 82% | 32,880 psi | 69% | 2520 fps | 95.5% |
| Lovex S065 | <<locked>> | 82% | 37,652 psi | 79% | 2575 fps | 95.6% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,171 psi | 71% | 2566 fps | 95.7% |
| Ramshot Hunter | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,101 psi | 80% | 2664 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,919 psi | 56% | 1647 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,913 psi | 79% | 2713 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | 43.5 gr | 82% | 33,605 psi | 70% | 2575 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 70 | 45.3 gr | 84% | 35,810 psi | 75% | 2644 fps | 95.3% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,377 psi | 80% | 2621 fps | 98.9% |
| Shooters World Long Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 37,652 psi | 79% | 2575 fps | 95.6% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,494 psi | 83% | 2671 fps | 98.5% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,943 psi | 81% | 2625 fps | 98.9% |
| Somchem S365 | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,471 psi | 59% | 2454 fps | 97% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,260 psi | 78% | 2559 fps | 99.4% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,214 psi | 69% | 2510 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,983 psi | 73% | 2566 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N555 | <<locked>> | 88% | 32,039 psi | 67% | 2556 fps | 95.8% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,880 psi | 69% | 2487 fps | 97.5% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 90% | 27,746 psi | 58% | 2497 fps | 95% |
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 54 powders for 6.5 x 57 R loaded with the .264 | 120gr | Barnes TAC-X. Alliant Reloder-26 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,871 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,804 fps to 2,871 fps. Alliant Reloder-23 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 54 of the 54 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 1:9.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Alliant Reloder-23, Alliant Reloder-25, Bofors RP15 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, ReloadSwiss RS 62 rank at the top here: for 6.5 x 57 R with the .264 | 120gr | Barnes TAC-X they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, ADI AR 2209, Alliant Reloder-19, Alliant Reloder-22 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.