Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .224 | 55gr | MEN SP 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, Norma 200 and ReloadSwiss RS 36.
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% | 55,535 psi | 89% | 2989 fps | 99.4% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,584 psi | 70% | 2871 fps | 96.8% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,158 psi | 88% | 2976 fps | 97.6% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 98% | 55,680 psi | 89% | 2979 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,579 psi | 89% | 2320 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 84% | 53,824 psi | 86% | 2871 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,113 psi | 85% | 3038 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 56,101 psi | 90% | 3117 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,089 psi | 64% | 2884 fps | 98.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 50,372 psi | 81% | 3022 fps | 99% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,521 psi | 89% | 3041 fps | 99.7% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 98% | 53,432 psi | 86% | 2953 fps | 97.6% |
| Hodgdon H322ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,908 psi | 80% | 3018 fps | 96.3% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,780 psi | 86% | 2976 fps | 96.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,908 psi | 50% | 1857 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 52,185 psi | 84% | 3012 fps | 99.7% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 54,273 psi | 87% | 2982 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 84% | 54,114 psi | 87% | 3022 fps | 99.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 92% | 55,172 psi | 88% | 2972 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 98% | 53,708 psi | 86% | 3058 fps | 99.7% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,298 psi | 49% | 1893 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 53,229 psi | 85% | 2999 fps | 100% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 84% | 54,114 psi | 87% | 3022 fps | 99.7% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 84% | 55,782 psi | 89% | 2989 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,230 psi | 89% | 2815 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 56,347 psi | 90% | 3114 fps | 96.5% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 51,256 psi | 82% | 3018 fps | 97.6% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 54,505 psi | 87% | 2890 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 96% | 53,214 psi | 85% | 2992 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 48,283 psi | 77% | 2917 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,756 psi | 67% | 2795 fps | 96.1% |
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% | 36,941 psi | 59% | 2654 fps | 96% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 96% | 38,218 psi | 61% | 2762 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 92% | 46,006 psi | 74% | 2822 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 96% | 52,736 psi | 85% | 2933 fps | 95% |
| ADI APS 450 | <<locked>> | 80% | 53,940 psi | 86% | 2297 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 47,471 psi | 76% | 2776 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 17 gr | 80% | 32,111 psi | 51% | 2631 fps | 98.2% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 94% | 45,788 psi | 73% | 2943 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 92% | 31,444 psi | 50% | 2664 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 88% | 34,519 psi | 55% | 2703 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,852 psi | 54% | 2625 fps | 95.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 92% | 43,772 psi | 70% | 2792 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,079 psi | 75% | 2966 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,471 psi | 76% | 2871 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,321 psi | 36% | 1657 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 33,185 psi | 53% | 2621 fps | 95.7% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,900 psi | 64% | 2730 fps | 98.9% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 47,703 psi | 76% | 2907 fps | 99% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,682 psi | 62% | 2697 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 18.3 gr | 82% | 32,532 psi | 52% | 2638 fps | 95.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,452 psi | 36% | 1703 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 17.7 gr | 80% | 38,957 psi | 62% | 2743 fps | 98.7% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 47,703 psi | 76% | 2907 fps | 99% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 48,443 psi | 78% | 2877 fps | 99.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,998 psi | 58% | 2520 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 96% | 49,690 psi | 80% | 3005 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,525 psi | 68% | 2861 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,484 psi | 73% | 2759 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,343 psi | 52% | 2608 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,766 psi | 57% | 2667 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 98% | 39,479 psi | 63% | 2749 fps | 95.4% |
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 | MEN SP. ADI AR 2219 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,117 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,857 fps to 3,117 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 1:7.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, ADI AR 2219, 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 2207, Norma 200, ReloadSwiss RS 36 rank at the top here: for 5.56 x 45 NATO with the .224 | 55gr | MEN SP 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.