Load Specifications
Load data in caliber 5.6 x 50 R Mag. with .224 | 55gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing bullet and 34 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Alliant AR-Comp, IMR 3031 and Hodgdon H322.
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>> | 92% | 42,322 psi | 86% | 3031 fps | 98.8% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,729 psi | 89% | 3068 fps | 96.5% |
| Accurate 2495ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,757 psi | 87% | 3100 fps | 99.2% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 94% | 44,164 psi | 90% | 3114 fps | 96.2% |
| Accurate 4064ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,682 psi | 80% | 3051 fps | 96.4% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,366 psi | 86% | 2949 fps | 97.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,322 psi | 86% | 3028 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 86% | 42,975 psi | 87% | 3091 fps | 97.6% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,611 psi | 84% | 3114 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,685 psi | 87% | 3068 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 82% | 43,598 psi | 88% | 3025 fps | 99.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 86% | 44,092 psi | 89% | 2989 fps | 98.3% |
| Hodgdon H322 | <<locked>> | 90% | 44,585 psi | 90% | 3123 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 42,931 psi | 87% | 3081 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 82% | 44,077 psi | 89% | 3005 fps | 97.4% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,111 psi | 65% | 2018 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | <<locked>> | 96% | 42,206 psi | 86% | 3136 fps | 98.3% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 44,338 psi | 90% | 3061 fps | 99.9% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 84% | 42,902 psi | 87% | 3051 fps | 99.8% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 96% | 43,294 psi | 88% | 3091 fps | 96.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 32,097 psi | 65% | 2067 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 90% | 44,338 psi | 90% | 3084 fps | 95.7% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,727 psi | 85% | 3025 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 86% | 43,874 psi | 89% | 3097 fps | 96.7% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 88% | 43,700 psi | 89% | 3077 fps | 98.5% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,976 psi | 89% | 3005 fps | 96.7% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 42,221 psi | 86% | 2979 fps | 97.4% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 94% | 42,438 psi | 86% | 2995 fps | 97.3% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 82% | 42,453 psi | 86% | 2982 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 90% | 43,627 psi | 88% | 3015 fps | 99.5% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 94% | 43,294 psi | 88% | 3015 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N135ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 43,627 psi | 88% | 3110 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 98% | 43,801 psi | 89% | 3068 fps | 97.2% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 98% | 42,511 psi | 86% | 3051 fps | 96.3% |
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>> | 82% | 30,850 psi | 63% | 2759 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate 2460 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,727 psi | 83% | 3005 fps | 95.7% |
| Accurate 2495 | <<locked>> | 88% | 28,369 psi | 58% | 2753 fps | 95.1% |
| Accurate 2520 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,944 psi | 83% | 3048 fps | 95.3% |
| Accurate 4064 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,275 psi | 76% | 2999 fps | 95.6% |
| Accurate LT-30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,710 psi | 76% | 2844 fps | 96.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,784 psi | 81% | 2976 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2219 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,012 psi | 71% | 2904 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | 21.4 gr | 80% | 26,527 psi | 54% | 2703 fps | 96.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,431 psi | 68% | 2854 fps | 97.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,147 psi | 83% | 2972 fps | 99.5% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,100 psi | 73% | 2815 fps | 96.3% |
| Hodgdon H322 | 23.2 gr | 84% | 36,738 psi | 75% | 2946 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon H335 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,987 psi | 81% | 3018 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon H4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 41,510 psi | 84% | 2949 fps | 96.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,438 psi | 48% | 1804 fps | 100% |
| IMR 3031 | 23.5 gr | 88% | 32,721 psi | 66% | 2900 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,809 psi | 71% | 2848 fps | 98.8% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,594 psi | 76% | 2936 fps | 99.2% |
| Norma 202 | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,000 psi | 77% | 2972 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,569 psi | 48% | 1854 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 40 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,800 psi | 85% | 3031 fps | 95% |
| Rottweil R 901 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,378 psi | 80% | 2969 fps | 95.2% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 10 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,915 psi | 83% | 3031 fps | 95.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,736 psi | 68% | 2848 fps | 95.7% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 3000 | <<locked>> | 90% | 38,493 psi | 78% | 2890 fps | 95.1% |
| SNPE Vectan Tubal 5000 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,288 psi | 72% | 2825 fps | 95.3% |
| Somchem S335 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,317 psi | 72% | 2835 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,914 psi | 81% | 2933 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,952 psi | 65% | 2753 fps | 96.9% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 84% | 31,343 psi | 64% | 2740 fps | 95.6% |
| Vihtavuori N135 | <<locked>> | 88% | 29,747 psi | 60% | 2779 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N140 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,421 psi | 78% | 2953 fps | 95.7% |
| Vihtavuori N540 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,639 psi | 80% | 2989 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 34 powders for 5.6 x 50 R Mag. loaded with the .224 | 55gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing. IMR 3031 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,136 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,018 fps to 3,136 fps. Accurate 2495 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 34 of the 34 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (340 MPa), the top charges use 65–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 55.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:8.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2495, Accurate 4064, Hodgdon TrailBoss 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, IMR 3031, Hodgdon H322 rank at the top here: for 5.6 x 50 R Mag. with the .224 | 55gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing 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.