Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .224 | 52gr | Berger Varmint bullet and 33 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% | 55,100 psi | 88% | 3097 fps | 99.6% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,587 psi | 76% | 3051 fps | 97.9% |
| Accurate 2460ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 53,229 psi | 85% | 3150 fps | 96% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,955 psi | 88% | 3091 fps | 97.9% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,448 psi | 89% | 3097 fps | 96% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,985 psi | 90% | 2448 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 53,403 psi | 86% | 2982 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 54,172 psi | 87% | 3166 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 96% | 52,765 psi | 85% | 3186 fps | 97.3% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,569 psi | 70% | 3068 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,288 psi | 87% | 3199 fps | 99.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 53,142 psi | 85% | 3120 fps | 99.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,940 psi | 86% | 3074 fps | 98% |
| Hodgdon H322ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,143 psi | 87% | 3209 fps | 97.6% |
| Hodgdon H335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 56,362 psi | 90% | 3232 fps | 97% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 54,186 psi | 87% | 3104 fps | 97.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,980 psi | 50% | 1955 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,724 psi | 89% | 3182 fps | 99.9% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 53,708 psi | 86% | 3094 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 53,229 psi | 85% | 3130 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 55,390 psi | 89% | 3091 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,781 psi | 88% | 3186 fps | 99.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,893 psi | 50% | 2005 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 88% | 53,635 psi | 86% | 3123 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 53,229 psi | 85% | 3130 fps | 99.7% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,056 psi | 88% | 3100 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,883 psi | 90% | 2936 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,592 psi | 86% | 3182 fps | 96.3% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,840 psi | 90% | 3209 fps | 98.6% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 53,780 psi | 86% | 2995 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 54,186 psi | 87% | 3117 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,359 psi | 84% | 3094 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,397 psi | 73% | 2976 fps | 97.3% |
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% | 39,624 psi | 64% | 2818 fps | 97.1% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,015 psi | 63% | 2881 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 98% | 49,806 psi | 80% | 3091 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,207 psi | 69% | 2881 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 94% | 52,721 psi | 85% | 3051 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 80% | 54,505 psi | 87% | 2425 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,125 psi | 80% | 2933 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 19 gr | 80% | 34,867 psi | 56% | 2799 fps | 99% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 24.1 gr | 92% | 46,296 psi | 74% | 3064 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,865 psi | 51% | 2776 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 86% | 35,157 psi | 56% | 2818 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,216 psi | 58% | 2785 fps | 96.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,423 psi | 66% | 2848 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 44,483 psi | 71% | 3028 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 48,921 psi | 78% | 3104 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,802 psi | 72% | 2933 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,713 psi | 36% | 1752 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,169 psi | 50% | 2667 fps | 95.1% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,308 psi | 68% | 2890 fps | 99.4% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,589 psi | 81% | 3081 fps | 99.5% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,249 psi | 66% | 2854 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 19.8 gr | 80% | 32,590 psi | 52% | 2736 fps | 95.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,800 psi | 37% | 1801 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,481 psi | 67% | 2904 fps | 99.2% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,589 psi | 81% | 3081 fps | 99.5% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 51,634 psi | 83% | 3048 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,000 psi | 61% | 2661 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 94% | 50,241 psi | 81% | 3127 fps | 95.6% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,756 psi | 65% | 2930 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,312 psi | 77% | 2913 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,056 psi | 56% | 2772 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 88% | 36,056 psi | 58% | 2776 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 94% | 37,478 psi | 60% | 2808 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 33 powders for 5.56 x 45 NATO loaded with the .224 | 52gr | Berger Varmint. Hodgdon H335 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,232 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,955 fps to 3,232 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 33 of the 33 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (430 MPa), the top charges use 50–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 52.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:11.5 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 .224 | 52gr | Berger Varmint 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.