Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing bullet and 13 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Lovex S053, Vihtavuori N110 and ADI AR 2205.
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: 16"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,571 psi | 89% | 2310 fps | 98% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 88% | 44,701 psi | 87% | 2231 fps | 99.2% |
| ADI AR 2207ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,754 psi | 75% | 2293 fps | 96.3% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 82% | 45,571 psi | 89% | 2362 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 27,427 psi | 53% | 1447 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 96% | 45,194 psi | 88% | 2306 fps | 96.4% |
| Lovex S040 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,209 psi | 90% | 2260 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 98% | 45,266 psi | 88% | 2323 fps | 99.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 26,847 psi | 52% | 1480 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 98% | 46,267 psi | 90% | 2359 fps | 96.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,208 psi | 86% | 2215 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,368 psi | 88% | 2287 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,218 psi | 76% | 2270 fps | 97.6% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 16"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,144 psi | 72% | 2172 fps | 95.9% |
| ADI AR 2205 | 20.1 gr | 80% | 35,201 psi | 68% | 2073 fps | 97.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 98% | 36,477 psi | 71% | 2247 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,772 psi | 83% | 2323 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 19,870 psi | 39% | 1289 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,480 psi | 79% | 2231 fps | 95.1% |
| Lovex S040 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,323 psi | 84% | 2221 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S053 | 19.9 gr | 84% | 30,371 psi | 59% | 2054 fps | 95.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 19,595 psi | 38% | 1322 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,046 psi | 80% | 2277 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,657 psi | 50% | 1890 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | 18.1 gr | 80% | 31,966 psi | 62% | 2070 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,822 psi | 64% | 2149 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 22 powders for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian loaded with the .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing. Hodgdon LilGun delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,362 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,447 fps to 2,362 fps. ADI AR 2207 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 22 of the 22 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (355 MPa), the top charges use 52–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 115.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:14.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. ADI AR 2207, Alliant Reloder-7, 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. Lovex S053, Vihtavuori N110, ADI AR 2205 rank at the top here: for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with the .308 | 115gr | Sierra VarmintKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 1680, Accurate 5744, Alliant Reloder-7 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.