Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 6.5 x 65 R with .257 | 115gr | Federal Trophy Bonded bullet and 61 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Reloder-26, Alliant Reloder-16 and Somchem S365.
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 2700 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,573 psi | 88% | 2818 fps | 96.2% |
| Accurate 3100ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 48,327 psi | 88% | 2904 fps | 98% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,558 psi | 86% | 2835 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,268 psi | 86% | 2910 fps | 99% |
| ADI AR 2208 | <<locked>> | 84% | 48,240 psi | 88% | 2858 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Power Pro 2000-MR | <<locked>> | 82% | 49,792 psi | 90% | 3018 fps | 99.7% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 84% | 48,573 psi | 88% | 2884 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-15 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,617 psi | 88% | 2897 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,588 psi | 88% | 2976 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,066 psi | 89% | 2999 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-23ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,295 psi | 82% | 2923 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-25ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,856 psi | 72% | 2822 fps | 96.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-26 | <<locked>> | 98% | 48,037 psi | 87% | 3048 fps | 99.2% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 84% | 48,921 psi | 89% | 2894 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP7 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,052 psi | 89% | 2867 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H380 | <<locked>> | 84% | 49,559 psi | 90% | 2907 fps | 99% |
| Hodgdon H414 | <<locked>> | 90% | 49,603 psi | 90% | 2956 fps | 97.4% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,559 psi | 88% | 2904 fps | 99.9% |
| Hodgdon Superformance | <<locked>> | 90% | 49,632 psi | 90% | 2989 fps | 97% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,143 psi | 66% | 1867 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4064 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,761 psi | 87% | 2838 fps | 99.5% |
| IMR 4350 | <<locked>> | 92% | 49,603 psi | 90% | 2897 fps | 96.8% |
| IMR 4451 Enduron | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,500 psi | 86% | 2841 fps | 96.7% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,964 psi | 87% | 2907 fps | 99.2% |
| IMR 4895 | <<locked>> | 82% | 49,864 psi | 90% | 2927 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,906 psi | 87% | 2841 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S065 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,384 psi | 86% | 2841 fps | 98% |
| Lovex S070 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,385 psi | 88% | 2877 fps | 97.3% |
| Lovex S071ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,016 psi | 73% | 2740 fps | 95.9% |
| Norma 203B | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,979 psi | 87% | 2881 fps | 99.7% |
| Norma MRP | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,703 psi | 87% | 3002 fps | 96.9% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 92% | 49,719 psi | 90% | 2956 fps | 99.3% |
| Ramshot Big Game | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,370 psi | 88% | 2907 fps | 99.7% |
| Ramshot Hunter | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,472 psi | 88% | 2946 fps | 97.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,608 psi | 66% | 1909 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 50 | <<locked>> | 84% | 49,647 psi | 90% | 2884 fps | 97.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 86% | 48,805 psi | 89% | 2999 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,108 psi | 85% | 2930 fps | 98.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 70 | <<locked>> | 92% | 49,284 psi | 89% | 3009 fps | 99% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 82% | 49,763 psi | 90% | 2854 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 86% | 49,095 psi | 89% | 2890 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 907 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,052 psi | 89% | 2867 fps | 96.6% |
| Shooters World Long Rifle | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,384 psi | 86% | 2841 fps | 98% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,906 psi | 87% | 2841 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World SW4350 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,385 psi | 88% | 2877 fps | 97.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,297 psi | 86% | 2894 fps | 99.6% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,718 psi | 87% | 2749 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 7000 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,920 psi | 85% | 2785 fps | 96.7% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 8000 | <<locked>> | 98% | 49,632 psi | 90% | 2963 fps | 95.8% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 86% | 49,356 psi | 90% | 2890 fps | 99.9% |
| Somchem S365 | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,196 psi | 87% | 2959 fps | 100% |
| Somchem S385 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,688 psi | 87% | 2890 fps | 96.3% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 82% | 49,734 psi | 90% | 2825 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,369 psi | 86% | 2818 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,617 psi | 88% | 2897 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,443 psi | 88% | 2828 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,776 psi | 87% | 2897 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N555 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,442 psi | 86% | 2953 fps | 99.5% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,182 psi | 87% | 2867 fps | 100% |
| Winchester 760 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,673 psi | 85% | 2904 fps | 96.7% |
| Winchester StaBALL HDᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,843 psi | 74% | 2956 fps | 100% |
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 2700 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,469 psi | 83% | 2759 fps | 95.4% |
| Accurate 3100 | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,262 psi | 71% | 2723 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,730 psi | 81% | 2785 fps | 100% |
| Accurate 4350 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,417 psi | 61% | 2605 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI AR 2208 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,482 psi | 77% | 2743 fps | 98.6% |
| Alliant Power Pro 2000-MR | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,180 psi | 84% | 2949 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,743 psi | 78% | 2772 fps | 99.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-15 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,745 psi | 83% | 2841 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-16 | 41.3 gr | 80% | 33,185 psi | 60% | 2618 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-17 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,318 psi | 68% | 2753 fps | 98.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 86% | 29,167 psi | 53% | 2523 fps | 95.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,333 psi | 68% | 2756 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-26 | 51.3 gr | 90% | 36,129 psi | 66% | 2776 fps | 95.9% |
| Bofors RP3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,641 psi | 77% | 2779 fps | 99.6% |
| Bofors RP7 | <<locked>> | 84% | 43,221 psi | 78% | 2753 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H380 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,337 psi | 79% | 2785 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H414 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,308 psi | 79% | 2835 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon Hybrid 100V | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,589 psi | 56% | 2513 fps | 96.3% |
| Hodgdon Superformance | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,815 psi | 78% | 2851 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,905 psi | 49% | 1667 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4064 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,657 psi | 81% | 2779 fps | 99.1% |
| IMR 4350 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,729 psi | 79% | 2785 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4451 Enduron | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,959 psi | 76% | 2726 fps | 95.1% |
| IMR 4831 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,271 psi | 59% | 2562 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4895 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,920 psi | 85% | 2874 fps | 99.6% |
| Lovex S062 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,802 psi | 81% | 2782 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S065 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,072 psi | 67% | 2621 fps | 95.2% |
| Lovex S070 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,656 psi | 77% | 2766 fps | 95.8% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,521 psi | 68% | 2687 fps | 95% |
| Norma 203B | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,121 psi | 82% | 2828 fps | 99.4% |
| Norma MRP | <<locked>> | 96% | 44,541 psi | 81% | 2940 fps | 96% |
| Norma URP | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,446 psi | 61% | 2605 fps | 95.2% |
| Ramshot Big Game | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,962 psi | 82% | 2844 fps | 99.3% |
| Ramshot Hunter | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,668 psi | 72% | 2762 fps | 95.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,383 psi | 50% | 1709 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 50 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,569 psi | 79% | 2766 fps | 96.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 60 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,668 psi | 72% | 2822 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 62 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,462 psi | 64% | 2680 fps | 95.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 70 | <<locked>> | 84% | 37,463 psi | 68% | 2749 fps | 95.9% |
| Rottweil R 902 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,833 psi | 85% | 2802 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 903 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,190 psi | 73% | 2720 fps | 99.1% |
| Rottweil R 907 | <<locked>> | 84% | 43,221 psi | 78% | 2753 fps | 95% |
| Shooters World Long Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,072 psi | 67% | 2621 fps | 95.2% |
| Shooters World Precision | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,802 psi | 81% | 2782 fps | 99.9% |
| Shooters World SW4350 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,656 psi | 77% | 2766 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 11 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,365 psi | 75% | 2776 fps | 98.8% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,119 psi | 76% | 2654 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 7000 | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,234 psi | 75% | 2671 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 8000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 46,572 psi | 85% | 2907 fps | 95% |
| Somchem S355 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,857 psi | 74% | 2726 fps | 99.1% |
| Somchem S365 | 42.2 gr | 80% | 30,168 psi | 55% | 2559 fps | 97.6% |
| Somchem S385 | <<locked>> | 94% | 44,541 psi | 81% | 2831 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,702 psi | 85% | 2776 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N150 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,827 psi | 70% | 2654 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N160 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,896 psi | 63% | 2612 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,382 psi | 82% | 2772 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N550 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,389 psi | 62% | 2608 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N555 | <<locked>> | 86% | 31,865 psi | 58% | 2605 fps | 95.5% |
| Winchester 6.5 StaBALL | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,330 psi | 62% | 2582 fps | 97.9% |
| Winchester 760 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,584 psi | 79% | 2838 fps | 95.8% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 90% | 29,269 psi | 53% | 2608 fps | 96% |
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 61 powders for 6.5 x 65 R loaded with the .257 | 115gr | Federal Trophy Bonded. Alliant Reloder-26 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,048 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,867 fps to 3,048 fps. Accurate 3100 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 61 of the 61 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (380 MPa), the top charges use 66–90 %, 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. Accurate 3100, Alliant Reloder-23, Alliant Reloder-25 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, Alliant Reloder-16, Somchem S365 rank at the top here: for 6.5 x 65 R 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.