Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .223 Rem. with .224 | 55gr | Hornady Varmint bullet and 38 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Hodgdon H322, Alliant Reloder-10x and SNPE Vectan SP 10.
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: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 84% | 47,021 psi | 85% | 3012 fps | 99.6% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 47,108 psi | 86% | 3094 fps | 99.2% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 96% | 49,197 psi | 89% | 3143 fps | 97.2% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,087 psi | 69% | 2989 fps | 98% |
| Accurate 2520ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,443 psi | 90% | 3182 fps | 96.8% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,066 psi | 87% | 3025 fps | 98.2% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,544 psi | 88% | 3031 fps | 96.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,485 psi | 86% | 3097 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 92% | 48,660 psi | 88% | 3173 fps | 98.2% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,572 psi | 85% | 3182 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,659 psi | 87% | 3136 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,153 psi | 89% | 3097 fps | 99.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 92% | 49,400 psi | 90% | 3051 fps | 98.7% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,818 psi | 85% | 3136 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,240 psi | 88% | 3156 fps | 97.3% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 46,833 psi | 85% | 3025 fps | 97.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,502 psi | 57% | 1975 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,830 psi | 80% | 3140 fps | 98.1% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 49,472 psi | 90% | 3123 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,717 psi | 85% | 3012 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 96% | 49,676 psi | 90% | 3143 fps | 95.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 84% | 48,588 psi | 88% | 3015 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,645 psi | 87% | 3117 fps | 99.9% |
| Norma 202ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 45,063 psi | 82% | 3097 fps | 96.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 31,459 psi | 57% | 2021 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 84% | 49,458 psi | 90% | 3094 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 49,095 psi | 89% | 3140 fps | 97.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 88% | 49,559 psi | 90% | 2867 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 92% | 49,603 psi | 90% | 3176 fps | 97.4% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 48,950 psi | 89% | 3146 fps | 98.9% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 48,820 psi | 89% | 3061 fps | 97.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,001 psi | 71% | 2881 fps | 95.9% |
| Somchem S335ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,876 psi | 85% | 3051 fps | 97.8% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,587 psi | 87% | 3048 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 96% | 48,370 psi | 88% | 3074 fps | 99.7% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 47,790 psi | 87% | 3068 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,668 psi | 72% | 3005 fps | 98.2% |
| Vihtavuori N140ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,569 psi | 77% | 3012 fps | 96.3% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 1680 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,481 psi | 75% | 2910 fps | 99% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 86% | 32,242 psi | 59% | 2776 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,641 psi | 78% | 3018 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 94% | 30,908 psi | 56% | 2812 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,714 psi | 78% | 3058 fps | 95.2% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 82% | 37,420 psi | 68% | 2808 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate LT-32 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,873 psi | 78% | 2923 fps | 95% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,448 psi | 66% | 2884 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 84% | 37,130 psi | 68% | 2930 fps | 95.2% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 82% | 26,005 psi | 47% | 2661 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 19.3 gr | 80% | 30,560 psi | 56% | 2753 fps | 96.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,130 psi | 69% | 2884 fps | 98.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 82% | 35,853 psi | 65% | 2782 fps | 95.6% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 22.5 gr | 88% | 38,624 psi | 70% | 2966 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 90% | 42,047 psi | 76% | 3031 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,725 psi | 70% | 2858 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,221 psi | 42% | 1772 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,287 psi | 62% | 2917 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,808 psi | 60% | 2769 fps | 97.8% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,787 psi | 80% | 2959 fps | 100% |
| Lovex D073.5 | <<locked>> | 94% | 45,919 psi | 83% | 3074 fps | 95% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,308 psi | 79% | 2927 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,563 psi | 63% | 2844 fps | 98.2% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,653 psi | 72% | 2986 fps | 95.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 22,902 psi | 42% | 1808 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,598 psi | 79% | 2989 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,263 psi | 75% | 2986 fps | 95.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,827 psi | 72% | 2713 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | 23.5 gr | 86% | 40,147 psi | 73% | 2989 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 82% | 33,489 psi | 61% | 2815 fps | 95% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,698 psi | 74% | 2907 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 98% | 36,637 psi | 67% | 2828 fps | 95.1% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,608 psi | 67% | 2841 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,637 psi | 67% | 2848 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,733 psi | 54% | 2667 fps | 95.5% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 88% | 32,967 psi | 60% | 2756 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 92% | 30,937 psi | 56% | 2789 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,001 psi | 73% | 2959 fps | 95.5% |
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 38 powders for .223 Rem. loaded with the .224 | 55gr | Hornady Varmint. Accurate 2520 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,182 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,975 fps to 3,182 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 38 of the 38 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (379 MPa), the top charges use 57–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Accurate 2495, Accurate 2520, 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. Hodgdon H322, Alliant Reloder-10x, SNPE Vectan SP 10 rank at the top here: for .223 Rem. with the .224 | 55gr | Hornady 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.