Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with .308 | 188gr | Discreet Ballistics Selous Machined Expander bullet and 18 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ReloadSwiss RS 36, ADI AR 2207 and Alliant Reloder-7.
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>> | 94% | 46,586 psi | 90% | 1749 fps | 97.7% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,411 psi | 88% | 1667 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 98% | 43,787 psi | 85% | 1785 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,652 psi | 73% | 1722 fps | 96.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 98% | 46,296 psi | 90% | 1778 fps | 98.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,196 psi | 57% | 1053 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,206 psi | 82% | 1732 fps | 97.9% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 44,193 psi | 86% | 1716 fps | 99.3% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,426 psi | 88% | 1739 fps | 98.4% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 92% | 44,686 psi | 87% | 1719 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,670 psi | 83% | 1781 fps | 98.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,471 psi | 55% | 1076 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 92% | 44,962 psi | 87% | 1759 fps | 99.3% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,426 psi | 88% | 1739 fps | 98.4% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 84% | 45,440 psi | 88% | 1722 fps | 98.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 96% | 45,730 psi | 89% | 1637 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,788 psi | 87% | 1670 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 44,048 psi | 86% | 1759 fps | 100% |
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% | 36,042 psi | 70% | 1617 fps | 95.2% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,161 psi | 78% | 1608 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 15.3 gr | 80% | 25,251 psi | 49% | 1503 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 98% | 35,389 psi | 69% | 1690 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | 17.1 gr | 86% | 32,605 psi | 63% | 1594 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,263 psi | 41% | 938 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 33,736 psi | 66% | 1611 fps | 95.5% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,677 psi | 63% | 1558 fps | 97.1% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,248 psi | 78% | 1670 fps | 97.4% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,821 psi | 62% | 1552 fps | 99.4% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,372 psi | 61% | 1621 fps | 95% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,813 psi | 40% | 958 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 15.9 gr | 80% | 31,096 psi | 60% | 1568 fps | 96.4% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,248 psi | 78% | 1670 fps | 97.4% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,595 psi | 77% | 1654 fps | 97.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,472 psi | 59% | 1460 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,347 psi | 73% | 1588 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,672 psi | 50% | 1490 fps | 97.2% |
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 32 powders for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian loaded with the .308 | 188gr | Discreet Ballistics Selous Machined Expander. Lovex D073.4 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 1,804 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,053 fps to 1,804 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 32 of the 32 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (355 MPa), the top charges use 55–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 188.0 gr projectile in 0.308" calls for a 1:12.0 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. ReloadSwiss RS 36, ADI AR 2207, Alliant Reloder-7 rank at the top here: for 7.62 x 39 (.308) Russian with the .308 | 188gr | Discreet Ballistics Selous Machined Expander 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.