Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.6 x 50 R Mag. with .224 | 53gr | Barnes X S bullet and 30 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, Hodgdon H322 and IMR 3031.
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: 23.62"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,091 psi | 87% | 3071 fps | 98.7% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 88% | 44,034 psi | 89% | 3100 fps | 96.2% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 98% | 44,353 psi | 90% | 3156 fps | 99.2% |
| Accurate 4064ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,121 psi | 89% | 3169 fps | 97.1% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 84% | 44,570 psi | 90% | 3025 fps | 97.8% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,946 psi | 87% | 3120 fps | 97.2% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 94% | 44,280 psi | 90% | 3199 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,221 psi | 88% | 3107 fps | 99.4% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 84% | 43,424 psi | 88% | 3005 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,453 psi | 88% | 3130 fps | 97.4% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,003 psi | 85% | 3091 fps | 95.9% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 43,337 psi | 88% | 3018 fps | 96.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,909 psi | 67% | 2060 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 98% | 43,352 psi | 88% | 3192 fps | 98.2% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,048 psi | 89% | 3087 fps | 99.8% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 82% | 43,700 psi | 89% | 3091 fps | 99.7% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,497 psi | 88% | 3123 fps | 96.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,011 psi | 67% | 2110 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,134 psi | 87% | 3074 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 84% | 43,526 psi | 88% | 3117 fps | 96.2% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,105 psi | 87% | 3097 fps | 98.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 92% | 43,482 psi | 88% | 3025 fps | 96.2% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 44,527 psi | 90% | 3054 fps | 97.6% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 92% | 42,931 psi | 87% | 3031 fps | 97.1% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,829 psi | 85% | 2999 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,772 psi | 87% | 3031 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,366 psi | 86% | 3031 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 98% | 43,874 psi | 89% | 3143 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,801 psi | 87% | 3081 fps | 96.6% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,670 psi | 87% | 3100 fps | 96.1% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 23.62"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,923 psi | 65% | 2802 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,727 psi | 85% | 3051 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 86% | 30,371 psi | 62% | 2825 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 96% | 38,914 psi | 79% | 3054 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,494 psi | 80% | 2917 fps | 96.5% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,536 psi | 76% | 2992 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 21.6 gr | 80% | 28,921 psi | 59% | 2802 fps | 97% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,114 psi | 73% | 2943 fps | 98.1% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,377 psi | 78% | 2897 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 22.8 gr | 84% | 36,318 psi | 74% | 2963 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 82% | 39,465 psi | 80% | 3031 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,988 psi | 83% | 2969 fps | 96.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 24,381 psi | 49% | 1847 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | 23.5 gr | 90% | 34,287 psi | 70% | 2966 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,159 psi | 75% | 2936 fps | 99% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,321 psi | 84% | 3041 fps | 99.5% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,712 psi | 83% | 3061 fps | 95.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 24,642 psi | 50% | 1900 fps | 100% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,988 psi | 83% | 3025 fps | 95.2% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,785 psi | 83% | 3054 fps | 95.4% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,303 psi | 74% | 2940 fps | 96.2% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,147 psi | 83% | 2972 fps | 95.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 37,695 psi | 76% | 2910 fps | 95.8% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 38,203 psi | 77% | 2927 fps | 95.8% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,523 psi | 80% | 2953 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,939 psi | 69% | 2825 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 84% | 31,778 psi | 64% | 2776 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 86% | 30,589 psi | 62% | 2822 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 92% | 37,956 psi | 77% | 2969 fps | 95.1% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,437 psi | 82% | 3051 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 65 powders for 5.6 x 50 R Mag. loaded with the .224 | 53gr | Barnes X S. Alliant Power Pro 1200-R delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,202 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,060 fps to 3,202 fps. Accurate 4064 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 65 of the 65 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (340 MPa), the top charges use 67–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 53.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:11.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 4064, Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5, Bofors RP3 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. Alliant AR-Comp, Hodgdon H322, IMR 3031 rank at the top here: for 5.6 x 50 R Mag. with the .224 | 53gr | Barnes X S they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, ADI Benchmark 8208, Alliant Power Pro 1200-R, Alliant Reloder- TS 15.5 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.