Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .223 Ackley Improved with .224 | 50gr | MEN SP bullet and 24 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2219, Norma 200 and ADI AR 2207.
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: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,356 psi | 90% | 3166 fps | 99.3% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,976 psi | 82% | 3169 fps | 98% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 94% | 49,864 psi | 90% | 3166 fps | 97.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,588 psi | 88% | 3245 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,978 psi | 85% | 3248 fps | 96.7% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,785 psi | 76% | 3199 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 98% | 48,776 psi | 89% | 3278 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,355 psi | 86% | 3186 fps | 99.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,530 psi | 88% | 3143 fps | 97.6% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 98% | 48,240 psi | 88% | 3271 fps | 97% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,501 psi | 88% | 3163 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,748 psi | 56% | 2047 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,834 psi | 87% | 3215 fps | 99.7% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 86% | 49,037 psi | 89% | 3176 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,543 psi | 86% | 3127 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 94% | 49,211 psi | 89% | 3264 fps | 99.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,632 psi | 56% | 2096 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 86% | 48,341 psi | 88% | 3199 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,066 psi | 87% | 2972 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 98% | 49,559 psi | 90% | 3271 fps | 98.1% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,907 psi | 89% | 3077 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,718 psi | 88% | 3196 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,792 psi | 90% | 3215 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,120 psi | 78% | 3091 fps | 97.4% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,623 psi | 68% | 2930 fps | 97.2% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,780 psi | 63% | 2949 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,684 psi | 76% | 3005 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 18.7 gr | 80% | 33,185 psi | 60% | 2927 fps | 99.2% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 23.2 gr | 90% | 41,162 psi | 75% | 3127 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 88% | 28,543 psi | 52% | 2841 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 84% | 31,285 psi | 57% | 2884 fps | 95.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,606 psi | 63% | 2907 fps | 96.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,494 psi | 72% | 2966 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,221 psi | 77% | 3150 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,163 psi | 78% | 3058 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,423 psi | 41% | 1834 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,834 psi | 54% | 2785 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,582 psi | 74% | 3012 fps | 99.5% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,508 psi | 72% | 2976 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 19.5 gr | 80% | 30,951 psi | 56% | 2858 fps | 95.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,481 psi | 41% | 1883 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,726 psi | 72% | 3031 fps | 99.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,912 psi | 67% | 2782 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,015 psi | 71% | 3058 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,267 psi | 84% | 3035 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,388 psi | 61% | 2894 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 86% | 32,314 psi | 59% | 2841 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,955 psi | 65% | 2933 fps | 95.3% |
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 24 powders for .223 Ackley Improved loaded with the .224 | 50gr | MEN SP. Alliant Reloder-10x delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,278 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,047 fps to 3,278 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 24 of the 24 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (380 MPa), the top charges use 56–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 50.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:7.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Alliant AR-Comp, 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. ADI AR 2219, Norma 200, ADI AR 2207 rank at the top here: for .223 Ackley Improved with the .224 | 50gr | MEN SP 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.