Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .224 | 55gr | Barnes TTSX BT 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 2207, ADI AR 2219 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>> | 92% | 56,434 psi | 90% | 3025 fps | 99.7% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,324 psi | 71% | 2907 fps | 97.3% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 98% | 56,289 psi | 90% | 3018 fps | 98.1% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 82% | 56,434 psi | 90% | 2356 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 84% | 54,911 psi | 88% | 2910 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,549 psi | 87% | 3081 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 98% | 53,693 psi | 86% | 3107 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,379 psi | 66% | 2936 fps | 98.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 51,474 psi | 83% | 3064 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,679 psi | 86% | 3038 fps | 99.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 98% | 54,607 psi | 88% | 2995 fps | 98.2% |
| Hodgdon H322ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 51,445 psi | 82% | 3071 fps | 97.1% |
| Hodgdon H335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 53,476 psi | 86% | 3094 fps | 96.4% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,100 psi | 88% | 3025 fps | 97.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,661 psi | 49% | 1877 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 53,635 psi | 86% | 3058 fps | 99.9% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 54,578 psi | 88% | 3012 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 84% | 54,578 psi | 88% | 3051 fps | 99.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 92% | 56,130 psi | 90% | 3009 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,347 psi | 89% | 3104 fps | 99.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,501 psi | 49% | 1923 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 54,723 psi | 88% | 3045 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 54,578 psi | 88% | 3051 fps | 99.8% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 52,765 psi | 85% | 2969 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 96% | 56,391 psi | 90% | 2851 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 98% | 54,636 psi | 88% | 3110 fps | 96.6% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,504 psi | 84% | 3064 fps | 98.1% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,143 psi | 88% | 2920 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,679 psi | 88% | 3031 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,211 psi | 79% | 2953 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,569 psi | 68% | 2838 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% | 37,376 psi | 60% | 2687 fps | 96.5% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 94% | 36,216 psi | 58% | 2743 fps | 95% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 44,034 psi | 71% | 2812 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 80% | 54,070 psi | 87% | 2323 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,544 psi | 78% | 2815 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 17.7 gr | 80% | 32,372 psi | 52% | 2661 fps | 98.5% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 22.5 gr | 92% | 43,410 psi | 70% | 2920 fps | 95% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 92% | 31,604 psi | 51% | 2694 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 86% | 32,982 psi | 53% | 2687 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,389 psi | 55% | 2664 fps | 96.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,163 psi | 68% | 2782 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 96% | 45,324 psi | 73% | 2959 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 49,893 psi | 80% | 3035 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,513 psi | 73% | 2858 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,321 psi | 36% | 1680 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 31,618 psi | 51% | 2605 fps | 95.5% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,393 psi | 65% | 2766 fps | 99.2% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,254 psi | 77% | 2943 fps | 99.3% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,117 psi | 63% | 2726 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 18.6 gr | 80% | 30,458 psi | 49% | 2608 fps | 95% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,901 psi | 35% | 1713 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,769 psi | 64% | 2785 fps | 99% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,254 psi | 77% | 2943 fps | 99.3% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,269 psi | 79% | 2913 fps | 99.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,651 psi | 59% | 2552 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 96% | 50,328 psi | 81% | 3041 fps | 95.7% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,683 psi | 65% | 2844 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,282 psi | 74% | 2792 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,619 psi | 52% | 2635 fps | 99.4% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,171 psi | 55% | 2654 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,579 psi | 60% | 2733 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 31 powders for 5.56 x 45 NATO loaded with the .224 | 55gr | Barnes TTSX BT. SNPE Vectan SP 10 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,110 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,877 fps to 3,110 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 55.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:9.0 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 2207, ADI AR 2219, Norma 200 rank at the top here: for 5.56 x 45 NATO with the .224 | 55gr | Barnes TTSX BT 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.