Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .223 Ackley Improved with .224 | 53gr | Hornady V-MAX bullet and 40 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant Reloder-10x, ADI AR 2219 and Hodgdon H322.
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>> | 84% | 47,601 psi | 86% | 3094 fps | 99.7% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 48,066 psi | 87% | 3182 fps | 99.3% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,862 psi | 85% | 3169 fps | 96.7% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,450 psi | 72% | 3081 fps | 98.3% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 98% | 46,760 psi | 85% | 3205 fps | 96.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,675 psi | 88% | 3110 fps | 98.3% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 90% | 49,168 psi | 89% | 3114 fps | 96.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,805 psi | 87% | 3173 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 92% | 49,632 psi | 90% | 3258 fps | 98.4% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,485 psi | 86% | 3268 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,356 psi | 88% | 3219 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,992 psi | 85% | 3130 fps | 99.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,224 psi | 86% | 3084 fps | 98.4% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,805 psi | 87% | 3225 fps | 98.1% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 49,501 psi | 90% | 3248 fps | 97.5% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,616 psi | 86% | 3110 fps | 97.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,821 psi | 58% | 2037 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,628 psi | 81% | 3228 fps | 98.3% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,282 psi | 86% | 3159 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,384 psi | 86% | 3097 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.4 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,166 psi | 86% | 3186 fps | 96% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 84% | 49,211 psi | 89% | 3097 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,950 psi | 89% | 3209 fps | 100% |
| Norma 202ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,832 psi | 83% | 3179 fps | 96.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,270 psi | 57% | 2077 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,456 psi | 86% | 3130 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,471 psi | 86% | 3186 fps | 95.9% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,123 psi | 86% | 3173 fps | 96.8% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,166 psi | 86% | 3186 fps | 96% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,748 psi | 90% | 2940 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,862 psi | 85% | 3196 fps | 96.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 49,603 psi | 90% | 3228 fps | 99% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,748 psi | 90% | 3150 fps | 97.4% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,740 psi | 72% | 2963 fps | 96.2% |
| Somchem S335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 48,167 psi | 87% | 3143 fps | 98% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,906 psi | 87% | 3123 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 96% | 49,501 psi | 90% | 3166 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 48,660 psi | 88% | 3153 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,509 psi | 74% | 3091 fps | 98.3% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,236 psi | 78% | 3094 fps | 96.5% |
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% | 41,684 psi | 76% | 2982 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 86% | 32,503 psi | 59% | 2844 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,857 psi | 74% | 3048 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 92% | 29,747 psi | 54% | 2841 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,859 psi | 80% | 3150 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,578 psi | 65% | 2831 fps | 95% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,598 psi | 79% | 3005 fps | 95.2% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,057 psi | 67% | 2966 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 23.1 gr | 84% | 37,695 psi | 68% | 3009 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 82% | 26,324 psi | 48% | 2733 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 20.1 gr | 80% | 31,067 psi | 56% | 2828 fps | 96.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,653 psi | 70% | 2959 fps | 98.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,318 psi | 66% | 2858 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 22.9 gr | 86% | 36,796 psi | 67% | 2986 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,784 psi | 72% | 3051 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,189 psi | 71% | 2933 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,351 psi | 42% | 1827 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,737 psi | 63% | 2995 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,982 psi | 60% | 2841 fps | 97.9% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,498 psi | 81% | 3045 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.4 | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,280 psi | 80% | 3130 fps | 95.2% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,511 psi | 79% | 2999 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,041 psi | 64% | 2920 fps | 98.3% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,495 psi | 73% | 3071 fps | 95.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,003 psi | 42% | 1867 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,092 psi | 80% | 3068 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 92% | 44,686 psi | 81% | 3130 fps | 95.2% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,814 psi | 76% | 3064 fps | 95.4% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,280 psi | 80% | 3130 fps | 95.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,292 psi | 73% | 2789 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,075 psi | 75% | 3074 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 82% | 33,939 psi | 62% | 2890 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,176 psi | 75% | 2986 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,405 psi | 68% | 2910 fps | 95.4% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 37,492 psi | 68% | 2927 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,231 psi | 68% | 2927 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,226 psi | 55% | 2743 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 86% | 31,575 psi | 57% | 2782 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 92% | 31,473 psi | 57% | 2867 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 96% | 38,247 psi | 69% | 2986 fps | 95% |
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 40 powders for .223 Ackley Improved loaded with the .224 | 53gr | Hornady V-MAX. Alliant AR-Comp delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,268 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,037 fps to 3,268 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 40 of the 40 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (380 MPa), the top charges use 57–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 53.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:10.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, 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. Alliant Reloder-10x, ADI AR 2219, Hodgdon H322 rank at the top here: for .223 Ackley Improved with the .224 | 53gr | Hornady V-MAX 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.