Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .224 | 50gr | Barnes X S 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, ADI AR 2207 and Norma 200.
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% | 55,883 psi | 90% | 3140 fps | 99.4% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,168 psi | 79% | 3104 fps | 97.7% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 96% | 56,173 psi | 90% | 3136 fps | 97.6% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 82% | 56,304 psi | 90% | 2484 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 53,882 psi | 86% | 3022 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,027 psi | 88% | 3215 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,679 psi | 86% | 3225 fps | 96.9% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,773 psi | 72% | 3114 fps | 99% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,463 psi | 89% | 3245 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 54,331 psi | 87% | 3166 fps | 99.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,737 psi | 88% | 3114 fps | 97.7% |
| Hodgdon H322ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 50,328 psi | 81% | 3166 fps | 96.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 54,027 psi | 87% | 3127 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,749 psi | 51% | 1991 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 98% | 53,461 psi | 86% | 3179 fps | 99.7% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 54,737 psi | 88% | 3143 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 54,099 psi | 87% | 3176 fps | 99.6% |
| Lovex D063 | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,448 psi | 89% | 3136 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 56,173 psi | 90% | 3136 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,272 psi | 85% | 3189 fps | 99.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,836 psi | 51% | 2041 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 88% | 55,042 psi | 88% | 3176 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 54,099 psi | 87% | 3176 fps | 99.6% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,448 psi | 89% | 3136 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 56,405 psi | 90% | 2979 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,520 psi | 87% | 3225 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 98% | 53,026 psi | 85% | 3196 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,347 psi | 89% | 3051 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,042 psi | 88% | 3163 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 53,505 psi | 86% | 3140 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,499 psi | 75% | 3018 fps | 97% |
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% | 40,799 psi | 65% | 2864 fps | 96.8% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,798 psi | 62% | 2894 fps | 95% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 46,905 psi | 75% | 2976 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 80% | 54,810 psi | 88% | 2464 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 51,285 psi | 82% | 2982 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 18.7 gr | 80% | 36,245 psi | 58% | 2854 fps | 98.9% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 23.8 gr | 92% | 47,311 psi | 76% | 3107 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 90% | 33,359 psi | 53% | 2835 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 86% | 36,709 psi | 59% | 2874 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,232 psi | 61% | 2848 fps | 96.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,484 psi | 73% | 2953 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,311 psi | 76% | 3107 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,428 psi | 78% | 3028 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,946 psi | 38% | 1795 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,677 psi | 52% | 2726 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,569 psi | 70% | 2940 fps | 99.3% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,836 psi | 82% | 3117 fps | 99.3% |
| Lovex D063 | <<locked>> | 80% | 52,156 psi | 84% | 3084 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,815 psi | 69% | 2910 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 19.6 gr | 80% | 35,317 psi | 57% | 2818 fps | 96% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,699 psi | 38% | 1834 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,062 psi | 69% | 2959 fps | 99.1% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,836 psi | 82% | 3117 fps | 99.3% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 52,156 psi | 84% | 3084 fps | 99.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,929 psi | 64% | 2720 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 94% | 51,372 psi | 82% | 3169 fps | 95.2% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 44,483 psi | 71% | 3031 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,864 psi | 80% | 2969 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,303 psi | 58% | 2822 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,694 psi | 57% | 2782 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,597 psi | 67% | 2920 fps | 95.7% |
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 .224 | 50gr | Barnes X S. Alliant Reloder-10x delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,245 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,991 fps to 3,245 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 51–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 50.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:11.0 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, ADI AR 2207, Norma 200 rank at the top here: for 5.56 x 45 NATO with the .224 | 50gr | Barnes X S 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.