Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .224 | 55gr | CutEdge MTH 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% | 53,490 psi | 86% | 2992 fps | 99.5% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,150 psi | 72% | 2933 fps | 97.7% |
| Accurate 2460ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 51,184 psi | 82% | 3038 fps | 95.9% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,085 psi | 87% | 2995 fps | 97.9% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 96% | 54,592 psi | 88% | 3002 fps | 96% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,187 psi | 88% | 2923 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,666 psi | 89% | 3104 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,216 psi | 89% | 3140 fps | 97.9% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,090 psi | 67% | 2963 fps | 99.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,431 psi | 84% | 3084 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 54,607 psi | 88% | 3058 fps | 99.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,854 psi | 90% | 3022 fps | 98.5% |
| Hodgdon H322ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,910 psi | 85% | 3107 fps | 97.6% |
| Hodgdon H335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,810 psi | 88% | 3127 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,999 psi | 90% | 3048 fps | 97.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,053 psi | 50% | 1893 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,592 psi | 88% | 3081 fps | 99.9% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 55,695 psi | 89% | 3035 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,651 psi | 89% | 3081 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 53,592 psi | 86% | 2979 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 98% | 56,289 psi | 90% | 3127 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,356 psi | 49% | 1926 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 55,709 psi | 89% | 3068 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,651 psi | 89% | 3081 fps | 99.9% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 53,722 psi | 86% | 2992 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 54,607 psi | 88% | 2835 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,303 psi | 89% | 3130 fps | 96.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 54,201 psi | 87% | 3100 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 55,753 psi | 89% | 2936 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,767 psi | 89% | 3054 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 50,676 psi | 81% | 2986 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,903 psi | 70% | 2871 fps | 97.2% |
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% | 38,145 psi | 61% | 2713 fps | 96.9% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 94% | 37,550 psi | 60% | 2779 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,645 psi | 76% | 2979 fps | 95% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,945 psi | 67% | 2779 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 94% | 51,082 psi | 82% | 2943 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,921 psi | 78% | 2831 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 18.1 gr | 80% | 33,388 psi | 54% | 2690 fps | 98.9% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 23 gr | 92% | 44,788 psi | 72% | 2959 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 90% | 30,516 psi | 49% | 2671 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 86% | 33,373 psi | 54% | 2703 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,780 psi | 56% | 2680 fps | 96.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,132 psi | 64% | 2753 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,931 psi | 69% | 2923 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 47,152 psi | 76% | 2992 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,412 psi | 74% | 2887 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,336 psi | 36% | 1686 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,269 psi | 49% | 2575 fps | 95% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,886 psi | 66% | 2782 fps | 99.4% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,371 psi | 79% | 2972 fps | 99.5% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,176 psi | 64% | 2756 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 18.9 gr | 80% | 30,951 psi | 50% | 2628 fps | 95.3% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,915 psi | 35% | 1719 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,219 psi | 64% | 2802 fps | 99.2% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,371 psi | 79% | 2972 fps | 99.5% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 50,183 psi | 80% | 2936 fps | 99.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,231 psi | 60% | 2569 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,341 psi | 78% | 3015 fps | 95.4% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,305 psi | 63% | 2825 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 46,934 psi | 75% | 2808 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,591 psi | 54% | 2664 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,534 psi | 55% | 2671 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 96% | 38,827 psi | 62% | 2769 fps | 95.8% |
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 .224 | 55gr | CutEdge MTH. ADI AR 2219 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,140 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,893 fps to 3,140 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 0.224" 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 .224 | 55gr | CutEdge MTH 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.