Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .204 | 50gr | Barnes Varminator HP FB bullet and 31 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 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: 20"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 90% | 53,925 psi | 86% | 3130 fps | 99.3% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,788 psi | 73% | 3064 fps | 97.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,838 psi | 86% | 3123 fps | 97.3% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 82% | 56,246 psi | 90% | 2497 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,347 psi | 89% | 3064 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,767 psi | 89% | 3248 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,695 psi | 89% | 3281 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,467 psi | 68% | 3091 fps | 98.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,997 psi | 85% | 3228 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 54,723 psi | 88% | 3196 fps | 99.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,985 psi | 90% | 3153 fps | 98% |
| Hodgdon H322ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,823 psi | 85% | 3235 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon H335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,897 psi | 88% | 3251 fps | 96.3% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,898 psi | 90% | 3179 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,096 psi | 50% | 2001 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,520 psi | 87% | 3215 fps | 99.8% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 56,260 psi | 90% | 3186 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,854 psi | 90% | 3228 fps | 99.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 53,722 psi | 86% | 3123 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,432 psi | 86% | 3219 fps | 99.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,472 psi | 49% | 2037 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 55,985 psi | 90% | 3212 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,854 psi | 90% | 3228 fps | 99.8% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 54,027 psi | 87% | 3136 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 54,273 psi | 87% | 2969 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,608 psi | 89% | 3264 fps | 96.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,505 psi | 87% | 3241 fps | 98.1% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,840 psi | 90% | 3081 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,811 psi | 89% | 3196 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 51,184 psi | 82% | 3127 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,353 psi | 71% | 2999 fps | 96.7% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 20"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,334 psi | 61% | 2835 fps | 96.3% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,582 psi | 65% | 2959 fps | 95.8% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,179 psi | 72% | 2966 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 80% | 54,027 psi | 87% | 2464 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,414 psi | 79% | 2972 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,605 psi | 54% | 2818 fps | 98.4% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 24.2 gr | 92% | 45,179 psi | 72% | 3087 fps | 95% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 92% | 32,692 psi | 52% | 2844 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 88% | 36,158 psi | 58% | 2887 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | 19.7 gr | 80% | 35,433 psi | 57% | 2812 fps | 95.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,018 psi | 69% | 2927 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 96% | 46,383 psi | 74% | 3110 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 50,850 psi | 82% | 3186 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,876 psi | 75% | 3022 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,858 psi | 37% | 1795 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 32,256 psi | 52% | 2743 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,002 psi | 66% | 2913 fps | 99% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,240 psi | 79% | 3110 fps | 99.2% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,495 psi | 65% | 2890 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 20.4 gr | 82% | 33,910 psi | 54% | 2818 fps | 95.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,466 psi | 36% | 1831 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,683 psi | 65% | 2936 fps | 98.8% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,240 psi | 79% | 3110 fps | 99.2% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,053 psi | 80% | 3071 fps | 99.6% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,405 psi | 60% | 2700 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 96% | 52,243 psi | 84% | 3209 fps | 95.6% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,916 psi | 67% | 3002 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,833 psi | 75% | 2946 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,808 psi | 54% | 2792 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,273 psi | 57% | 2799 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 96% | 38,957 psi | 62% | 2887 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 31 powders for 5.56 x 45 NATO loaded with the .204 | 50gr | Barnes Varminator HP FB. ADI AR 2219 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,281 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,001 fps to 3,281 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 31 of the 31 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (430 MPa), the top charges use 49–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 50.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:11.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Alliant AR-Comp, Alliant Reloder-10x 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, Alliant Reloder-7 rank at the top here: for 5.56 x 45 NATO with the .204 | 50gr | Barnes Varminator HP FB 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.