Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with .308 | 165gr | Swift A-Frame bullet and 19 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2207, ReloadSwiss RS 36 and Vihtavuori N120.
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 1680 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,745 psi | 89% | 1919 fps | 97.4% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 44,266 psi | 86% | 1834 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 98% | 45,745 psi | 89% | 1991 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,059 psi | 78% | 1932 fps | 96.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 96% | 45,643 psi | 89% | 1959 fps | 98.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,515 psi | 57% | 1188 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,918 psi | 85% | 1939 fps | 98.1% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,701 psi | 89% | 1919 fps | 99.4% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 44,005 psi | 85% | 1906 fps | 98% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 92% | 46,311 psi | 90% | 1923 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,339 psi | 88% | 1995 fps | 98.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,240 psi | 57% | 1217 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 44,744 psi | 87% | 1939 fps | 99.2% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 44,005 psi | 85% | 1906 fps | 98% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 44,077 psi | 86% | 1890 fps | 98.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 45,658 psi | 89% | 1814 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,398 psi | 90% | 1870 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 45,992 psi | 89% | 1965 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,015 psi | 76% | 1867 fps | 95.7% |
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 1680 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,608 psi | 73% | 1811 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,437 psi | 80% | 1798 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 18 gr | 80% | 26,542 psi | 52% | 1683 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 96% | 35,462 psi | 69% | 1860 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 33,837 psi | 66% | 1781 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,683 psi | 42% | 1060 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,940 psi | 68% | 1801 fps | 95.6% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,895 psi | 66% | 1749 fps | 97.2% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,800 psi | 81% | 1873 fps | 97.5% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,257 psi | 65% | 1739 fps | 99.4% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 33,417 psi | 65% | 1821 fps | 95.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,190 psi | 41% | 1083 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 18.7 gr | 80% | 32,619 psi | 63% | 1759 fps | 96.6% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,800 psi | 81% | 1873 fps | 97.5% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,321 psi | 80% | 1854 fps | 98% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,357 psi | 61% | 1634 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,160 psi | 76% | 1785 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 18 gr | 80% | 26,934 psi | 52% | 1670 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,028 psi | 72% | 1837 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 30 powders for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian loaded with the .308 | 165gr | Swift A-Frame. Norma 200 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,995 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,188 fps to 1,995 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 30 of the 30 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (355 MPa), the top charges use 57–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 165.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:14.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, ADI AR 2219, Alliant AR-Comp 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. ADI AR 2207, ReloadSwiss RS 36, Vihtavuori N120 rank at the top here: for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with the .308 | 165gr | Swift A-Frame they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2015, Accurate LT-30, Accurate LT-32 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 stay subsonic at start load. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.