Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.56 x 45 NATO with .224 | 62gr | Barnes TAC-X bullet and 42 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Shooters World AR Plus, Lovex D073.4 and ADI AR 2219.
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.
A valid access license is required to use the Personalized Load Calculator.
You can find more information in our FAQ: How can I use the Personalized Load Calculator?
Max Load - Barrel Length: 20"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 88% | 52,721 psi | 85% | 2822 fps | 99.8% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,269 psi | 79% | 2848 fps | 99.1% |
| Accurate 2460ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,477 psi | 89% | 2953 fps | 97.8% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,811 psi | 59% | 2684 fps | 97.1% |
| Accurate 2520ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 48,269 psi | 77% | 2877 fps | 96% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,156 psi | 85% | 2828 fps | 98.6% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 94% | 53,722 psi | 86% | 2838 fps | 97% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 54,752 psi | 88% | 2749 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,767 psi | 89% | 2930 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,187 psi | 88% | 2982 fps | 98.8% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,281 psi | 73% | 2871 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 56,014 psi | 90% | 2972 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 54,679 psi | 88% | 2897 fps | 100% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,840 psi | 90% | 2874 fps | 99.2% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 98% | 52,866 psi | 85% | 2949 fps | 98.5% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 98% | 54,491 psi | 87% | 2966 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 92% | 55,753 psi | 89% | 2887 fps | 98.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,154 psi | 50% | 1772 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,076 psi | 69% | 2838 fps | 97.4% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 98% | 54,505 psi | 87% | 2913 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 55,651 psi | 89% | 2864 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,259 psi | 89% | 2904 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.4 | <<locked>> | 92% | 52,127 psi | 84% | 2917 fps | 96.5% |
| Lovex D073.5ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,666 psi | 89% | 2953 fps | 96.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 88% | 53,592 psi | 86% | 2808 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 56,202 psi | 90% | 2956 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,140 psi | 50% | 1814 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 88% | 55,492 psi | 89% | 2894 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 55,782 psi | 89% | 2963 fps | 97.1% |
| Rottweil R 901ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,703 psi | 76% | 2831 fps | 96.3% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | <<locked>> | 92% | 52,127 psi | 84% | 2917 fps | 96.5% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 55,259 psi | 89% | 2904 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 54,273 psi | 87% | 2661 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 96% | 55,637 psi | 89% | 2979 fps | 98% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 98% | 53,925 psi | 86% | 2936 fps | 99.2% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,892 psi | 77% | 2766 fps | 96.4% |
| Somchem S335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,151 psi | 74% | 2762 fps | 97.1% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 56,028 psi | 90% | 2759 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 55,854 psi | 90% | 2881 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 53,969 psi | 87% | 2877 fps | 99.9% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,891 psi | 75% | 2776 fps | 98.7% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,682 psi | 62% | 2707 fps | 97.4% |
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% | 40,596 psi | 65% | 2618 fps | 98.5% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 88% | 32,866 psi | 53% | 2526 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 94% | 44,701 psi | 72% | 2782 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 96% | 31,502 psi | 51% | 2559 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 98% | 44,860 psi | 72% | 2818 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 84% | 39,363 psi | 63% | 2582 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 88% | 45,005 psi | 72% | 2690 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 51,155 psi | 82% | 2700 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,650 psi | 57% | 2592 fps | 99.8% |
| ADI AR 2219 | 20.9 gr | 86% | 38,682 psi | 62% | 2687 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 84% | 27,035 psi | 43% | 2434 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,704 psi | 48% | 2464 fps | 95.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,028 psi | 59% | 2585 fps | 98.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 84% | 37,391 psi | 60% | 2556 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,393 psi | 65% | 2723 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 44,179 psi | 71% | 2792 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,596 psi | 65% | 2625 fps | 95.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,177 psi | 37% | 1591 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 96% | 37,869 psi | 61% | 2726 fps | 95.9% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,937 psi | 51% | 2480 fps | 97.1% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,671 psi | 70% | 2677 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 51,576 psi | 83% | 2844 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.4 | 22.7 gr | 90% | 48,457 psi | 78% | 2854 fps | 95.7% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 98% | 51,735 psi | 83% | 2894 fps | 95.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,293 psi | 68% | 2635 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,736 psi | 54% | 2552 fps | 97.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,814 psi | 37% | 1627 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 42,670 psi | 68% | 2694 fps | 99.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 96% | 49,168 psi | 79% | 2858 fps | 95.7% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 98% | 45,208 psi | 72% | 2785 fps | 95.7% |
| Shooters World AR Plus | 22.7 gr | 90% | 48,457 psi | 78% | 2854 fps | 95.7% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 51,576 psi | 83% | 2844 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,392 psi | 63% | 2451 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,250 psi | 68% | 2749 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 86% | 37,130 psi | 60% | 2631 fps | 95.8% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 98% | 44,541 psi | 71% | 2710 fps | 95.6% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,277 psi | 65% | 2654 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 49,864 psi | 80% | 2680 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,882 psi | 58% | 2562 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 82% | 30,792 psi | 49% | 2438 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 90% | 34,418 psi | 55% | 2530 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,024 psi | 51% | 2552 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 68 powders for 5.56 x 45 NATO loaded with the .224 | 62gr | Barnes TAC-X. Alliant Power Pro 1200-R delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,058 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,772 fps to 3,058 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 68 of the 68 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 62.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:9.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Accurate 2460, Accurate 2495 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. Shooters World AR Plus, Lovex D073.4, ADI AR 2219 rank at the top here: for 5.56 x 45 NATO with the .224 | 62gr | Barnes TAC-X they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2200, Accurate 2230, Accurate 4064 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.