Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with .308 | 180gr | Norma VULKAN bullet and 21 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Norma 200, ADI AR 2207 and ReloadSwiss RS 36.
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>> | 90% | 46,035 psi | 89% | 1847 fps | 98.4% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 96% | 46,325 psi | 90% | 1837 fps | 95.9% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,325 psi | 90% | 1775 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 44,034 psi | 86% | 1883 fps | 100% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,838 psi | 68% | 1804 fps | 97% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,729 psi | 85% | 1903 fps | 98.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,224 psi | 90% | 1883 fps | 98.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 98% | 46,586 psi | 90% | 1864 fps | 96.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,226 psi | 59% | 1138 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,572 psi | 90% | 1893 fps | 99.3% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,687 psi | 89% | 1837 fps | 99.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 88% | 44,759 psi | 87% | 1818 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 98% | 46,441 psi | 90% | 1926 fps | 99.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,501 psi | 57% | 1161 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,165 psi | 88% | 1860 fps | 99.7% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,543 psi | 90% | 1841 fps | 99.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,614 psi | 89% | 1726 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,107 psi | 88% | 1900 fps | 96.5% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 82% | 44,353 psi | 86% | 1759 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 44,222 psi | 86% | 1857 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,351 psi | 82% | 1834 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 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,909 psi | 64% | 1663 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,410 psi | 84% | 1801 fps | 95.2% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,976 psi | 85% | 1749 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 18 gr | 80% | 28,819 psi | 56% | 1657 fps | 97.9% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 96% | 31,038 psi | 60% | 1736 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 90% | 32,126 psi | 62% | 1729 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,458 psi | 59% | 1647 fps | 95% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,801 psi | 85% | 1827 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,234 psi | 43% | 1017 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 30,023 psi | 58% | 1640 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,274 psi | 70% | 1709 fps | 98.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,201 psi | 68% | 1690 fps | 99.9% |
| Norma 200 | 19.7 gr | 84% | 29,994 psi | 58% | 1683 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,785 psi | 42% | 1040 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 18.7 gr | 80% | 35,157 psi | 68% | 1722 fps | 98.3% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,540 psi | 85% | 1804 fps | 99.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,533 psi | 65% | 1585 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,089 psi | 78% | 1831 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,930 psi | 81% | 1732 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,138 psi | 57% | 1640 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 92% | 33,446 psi | 65% | 1706 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 38 powders for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian loaded with the .308 | 180gr | Norma VULKAN. Norma 200 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,926 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,138 fps to 1,926 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 38 of the 38 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 180.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:15.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Accurate 2460, 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. Norma 200, ADI AR 2207, ReloadSwiss RS 36 rank at the top here: for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with the .308 | 180gr | Norma VULKAN they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2460, Accurate LT-32, Hodgdon H322 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.