Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .223 Ackley Improved with .224 | 55gr | Sierra SBT GameKing bullet and 47 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above.
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>> | 82% | 47,921 psi | 87% | 3074 fps | 99.9% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 96% | 49,284 psi | 89% | 3173 fps | 99.7% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,877 psi | 87% | 3163 fps | 97.7% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,671 psi | 79% | 3133 fps | 99.4% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 96% | 48,414 psi | 88% | 3209 fps | 97.5% |
| Accurate 4064ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,524 psi | 74% | 3084 fps | 96.9% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,008 psi | 89% | 3094 fps | 99% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,429 psi | 90% | 3100 fps | 97.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 86% | 48,863 psi | 89% | 3156 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,065 psi | 85% | 3189 fps | 98.6% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 98% | 48,602 psi | 88% | 3255 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 92% | 49,139 psi | 89% | 3202 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,210 psi | 86% | 3104 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,805 psi | 87% | 3071 fps | 99.1% |
| Hodgdon Benchmark | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,573 psi | 88% | 3130 fps | 96.2% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 98% | 49,487 psi | 90% | 3248 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,805 psi | 89% | 3219 fps | 98.9% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,847 psi | 85% | 3176 fps | 97.8% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,572 psi | 86% | 3091 fps | 98.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,184 psi | 58% | 2028 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,197 psi | 89% | 3291 fps | 99.5% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,471 psi | 86% | 3133 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.4 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,819 psi | 87% | 3176 fps | 97% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,051 psi | 87% | 3163 fps | 96.5% |
| Lovex D073.6ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,197 psi | 89% | 3235 fps | 97.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 82% | 49,052 psi | 89% | 3061 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,835 psi | 90% | 3189 fps | 100% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 98% | 46,818 psi | 85% | 3173 fps | 97.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,184 psi | 58% | 2077 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,370 psi | 88% | 3179 fps | 97% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 96% | 48,269 psi | 88% | 3169 fps | 97.7% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,819 psi | 87% | 3176 fps | 97% |
| Shooters World Match Rifleᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,197 psi | 89% | 3235 fps | 97.6% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,790 psi | 87% | 2874 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,848 psi | 87% | 3189 fps | 97.8% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,413 psi | 86% | 3163 fps | 99.2% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,529 psi | 86% | 3087 fps | 97.7% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,989 psi | 78% | 3012 fps | 97.8% |
| Somchem S321 | <<locked>> | 94% | 49,661 psi | 90% | 3215 fps | 96.2% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 48,979 psi | 89% | 3133 fps | 98.8% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 86% | 48,892 psi | 89% | 3104 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 92% | 47,123 psi | 86% | 3094 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 98% | 49,632 psi | 90% | 3143 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,556 psi | 81% | 3140 fps | 99.5% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,268 psi | 86% | 3146 fps | 98.2% |
| Vihtavuori N540ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,832 psi | 83% | 3133 fps | 97.4% |
| Winchester 748 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,036 psi | 85% | 3209 fps | 96.2% |
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,715 psi | 81% | 3015 fps | 99.7% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,370 psi | 53% | 2730 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 86% | 38,667 psi | 70% | 2976 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 88% | 29,080 psi | 53% | 2789 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,756 psi | 76% | 3081 fps | 95.8% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 96% | 35,476 psi | 64% | 2966 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,000 psi | 69% | 2867 fps | 96.7% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,133 psi | 75% | 2933 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,248 psi | 73% | 2999 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,766 psi | 65% | 2940 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 80% | 26,832 psi | 49% | 2733 fps | 96.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,823 psi | 61% | 2877 fps | 98% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,539 psi | 75% | 2995 fps | 99.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,811 psi | 67% | 2848 fps | 96.8% |
| Hodgdon Benchmark | <<locked>> | 92% | 45,440 psi | 82% | 3068 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon BL-C2 | <<locked>> | 96% | 46,064 psi | 84% | 3182 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 82% | 34,925 psi | 63% | 2917 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 84% | 38,014 psi | 69% | 2986 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,872 psi | 76% | 2976 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,583 psi | 43% | 1818 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 88% | 33,417 psi | 61% | 2936 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,172 psi | 64% | 2874 fps | 99% |
| Lovex D073.4 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,858 psi | 76% | 3054 fps | 95.5% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 90% | 44,730 psi | 81% | 3097 fps | 95.6% |
| Lovex D073.6 | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,900 psi | 72% | 3051 fps | 95.3% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,267 psi | 84% | 3015 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,464 psi | 70% | 2972 fps | 99.4% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,754 psi | 70% | 3005 fps | 95.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,714 psi | 43% | 1867 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,598 psi | 77% | 3064 fps | 95.5% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 88% | 37,985 psi | 69% | 2953 fps | 95% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,858 psi | 76% | 3054 fps | 95.5% |
| Shooters World Match Rifle | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,900 psi | 72% | 3051 fps | 95.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,496 psi | 77% | 2792 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 82% | 38,870 psi | 71% | 3002 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,113 psi | 62% | 2871 fps | 96.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,247 psi | 71% | 2923 fps | 95.6% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,534 psi | 64% | 2848 fps | 95.8% |
| Somchem S321 | <<locked>> | 92% | 46,369 psi | 84% | 3153 fps | 95.4% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 36,013 psi | 65% | 2867 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,379 psi | 73% | 2956 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,300 psi | 59% | 2776 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 82% | 30,153 psi | 55% | 2720 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 88% | 30,052 psi | 55% | 2805 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,492 psi | 66% | 2923 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 94% | 37,623 psi | 68% | 2959 fps | 95.1% |
| Winchester 748 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,888 psi | 80% | 3140 fps | 95.3% |
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 47 powders for .223 Ackley Improved loaded with the .224 | 55gr | Sierra SBT GameKing. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,291 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,028 fps to 3,291 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 47 of the 47 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (380 MPa), the top charges use 58–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 55.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:12.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, Accurate 4064, 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. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.