Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .223 | 55gr | SUS-TAC Penmax (HPT) bullet and 32 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: 20"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 90% | 54,433 psi | 87% | 3002 fps | 99.6% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,152 psi | 76% | 2963 fps | 98% |
| Accurate 2460ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,576 psi | 84% | 3054 fps | 96.1% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,955 psi | 88% | 3005 fps | 98% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,448 psi | 89% | 3012 fps | 96.2% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 84% | 56,043 psi | 90% | 2930 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,809 psi | 86% | 3071 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 98% | 56,217 psi | 90% | 3153 fps | 98.1% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,178 psi | 69% | 2979 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 53,592 psi | 86% | 3097 fps | 99.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,767 psi | 89% | 3071 fps | 99.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,345 psi | 86% | 2982 fps | 98.1% |
| Hodgdon H322ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 53,969 psi | 87% | 3117 fps | 97.7% |
| Hodgdon H335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,941 psi | 90% | 3140 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 53,925 psi | 86% | 3012 fps | 97.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,430 psi | 50% | 1893 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,463 psi | 89% | 3087 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 53,563 psi | 86% | 2999 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 84% | 56,405 psi | 90% | 3087 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 54,592 psi | 88% | 2989 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,070 psi | 87% | 3087 fps | 99.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,864 psi | 49% | 1929 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 88% | 53,113 psi | 85% | 3025 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 56,405 psi | 90% | 3087 fps | 99.9% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 54,549 psi | 87% | 3002 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,463 psi | 89% | 2841 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 96% | 52,779 psi | 85% | 3084 fps | 96.4% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,259 psi | 89% | 3114 fps | 98.7% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 53,780 psi | 86% | 2904 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,824 psi | 86% | 3022 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 51,808 psi | 83% | 2999 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,875 psi | 72% | 2884 fps | 97.4% |
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% | 39,117 psi | 63% | 2726 fps | 97.2% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,230 psi | 58% | 2740 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 98% | 49,008 psi | 79% | 2999 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,801 psi | 69% | 2792 fps | 95.4% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 94% | 51,938 psi | 83% | 2953 fps | 95.5% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,748 psi | 80% | 2838 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 18.1 gr | 80% | 34,490 psi | 55% | 2710 fps | 99.1% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 22.5 gr | 90% | 42,830 psi | 69% | 2910 fps | 95% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,589 psi | 51% | 2697 fps | 96% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 84% | 32,721 psi | 52% | 2677 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,911 psi | 58% | 2700 fps | 96.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,988 psi | 66% | 2766 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,976 psi | 71% | 2936 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 48,269 psi | 77% | 3009 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,831 psi | 72% | 2851 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,742 psi | 36% | 1690 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,140 psi | 50% | 2592 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,742 psi | 67% | 2795 fps | 99.5% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,096 psi | 80% | 2982 fps | 99.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,205 psi | 66% | 2769 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 19 gr | 80% | 32,793 psi | 53% | 2664 fps | 96.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,887 psi | 37% | 1736 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,220 psi | 66% | 2815 fps | 99.3% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,096 psi | 80% | 2982 fps | 99.6% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 51,039 psi | 82% | 2946 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,159 psi | 61% | 2579 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 94% | 49,429 psi | 79% | 3028 fps | 95.6% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,292 psi | 65% | 2841 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,008 psi | 77% | 2818 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,693 psi | 56% | 2680 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 86% | 33,721 psi | 54% | 2641 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 94% | 37,217 psi | 60% | 2726 fps | 95.2% |
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 5.56 x 45 NATO loaded with the .223 | 55gr | SUS-TAC Penmax (HPT). ADI AR 2219 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,153 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,893 fps to 3,153 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 (430 MPa), the top charges use 49–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 55.0 gr projectile in 0.223" calls for a 1:9.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Accurate 2460, 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. ADI AR 2219, Norma 200, ADI AR 2207 rank at the top here: for 5.56 x 45 NATO with the .223 | 55gr | SUS-TAC Penmax (HPT) 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.