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221 Fireball

These things are fun. It's a favorite. Have two, like the same loads......40's and 33Vmax work real nice. Targets aren't always far away. The 33's have a terrible BC but are very accurate with 2200 powder and fine out to about 200 if it isn't too windy. Don't know how fast they're going. Or 2230 with 40BT's @ 3450 do a good number on furry targets

*****This one has 14" twist Hart barrel that came with a Vais brake and was chambered for some weird benchrest cartridge. Now on a Sako 461, shortened to 22-1/2" and chambered .221 / .250"NK / 0 freebore. Works beautifully.

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Ackman said:
These things are fun. It's a favorite. Have two, like the same loads......40's and 33Vmax work real nice. Targets aren't always far away. The 33's have a terrible BC but are very accurate with 2200 powder and fine out to about 200 if it isn't too windy. Don't know how fast they're going. Or 2230 with 40BT's @ 3450 do a good number on furry targets

*****This one has 14" twist Hart barrel that came with a Vais brake and was chambered for some weird benchrest cartridge. Now on a Sako 461, shortened to 22-1/2" and chambered .221 / .250"NK / 0 freebore. Works beautifully.
Awesome rifle

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What's not to love about the .221 Fireball!! Best 5 shot group I've ever shot was with my .221 Fireball, from the bench @ 100 yards. Measured .110. Still got the target somewhere. ;) That was after the XP got converted into a rifle. Shoulder issues kept me from doing the "reach needed" to sight the LER scope.
Best experience I ever had with the .221 Fireball was when I was shooting my XP 100 pistol.
Grandpa showed up at the range with his Grandson maybe 12 or 13? The kid was watching me shoot.
I asked Grandpa if his Grandson could shoot my XP. Grandpa said SURE.
Set the kid up and showed him how to sight thru the LER pistol scope.
Only one shot, TING on the 400 yard gong. My bet? The Kid probably still has a BIG GRIN on his face and I'll bet NOW he probably owns a Remington XP 100 in .221 Fireball of his own. ;):D:D
 
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221 fire ball pistol 15 3/4 mgm barrel was surposed to be 1/12 twist its a 1/9 will it shoot bullets lighter then 60 grs say 50 or 55grs or should i send it back
 
I would keep it and order a 1-12 also, of course a little negotiation involved
 
When I was a boy Dad had a Ruger No. 3 in 22 Hornet that never shot to his liking. After a Douglas barrel and Fajen stock he had a very nice 221 Fireball topped with a Redfield 1 3/4-5x. That rifle went everywhere with us shooting groundhogs and crows out of his Jeep. Even accounted for some "bigger game" now and again. IMR 4227 with a Hornady 45gr Hornet bullet and a CCI 400 was his load, dont remember how many grains. Mom left when I was 10 and he sold that rifle as things got lean. Wish I had that one, lots of good memories...

Aaron
 
I fell in love with the Fireball when I bought an XP 100. It is such an efficient and accurate round. This is a Cooper M38. Every powder and bullet I've tried is just as accurate as the other. This rifle has a 22" barrel. This rifle shoots 15.5 gr. 4227 w/a 40 gr. Vmax at 3200 fps. The rifle weighs 6 1/4 pounds with a 6.5-20 Leupold. It is the perfect calling rifle, light and quick handling. The coyote in the picture was an experiment. I shot it at 150 yds. to see how the rifle would perform. Dropped it in it's tracks with not a quiver.

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One of my absolute favorite cases, no matter what the bullet diameter used. I often think if things ever get back to a somewhat "normal" condition perhaps Lapua would make a run of these cases again. Starline wouldn't be making a mistake if they made the Fireball either, gotta think they would sell em.
 
After many years of burning 25+grs of powder to smite ground squirrels and rock chucks with my varmint rifles, I've found nirvana with both the 20VT and 221 'Furball".

My Cooper M38 Phoenix in 221FB has proven perfect for navigating the unforgiving lava rock here when out for rock chucks, and not endangering my others with the nice factory Claro walnut stocks. And as far as accuracy is concerned, it seems that small FB case is easy to get some decent varmint level accuracy with my favorite varmint weight bullets used in other calibers:





And with the current price of powder, being able to burn only 18~grs of powder for work under 350 yards is not a bad idea either.
 
For those of you with a 17/221 fireball, did they start life as one or did you make it that ? I ask based of R700 action. I wanted to build eather one last year but did not know that the bolts are slightly different from the factory. I went a different route instead. I wanted a repeater.
 
JB10 said:
For those of you with a 17/221 fireball, did they start life as one or did you make it that ? I ask based of R700 action. I wanted to build eather one last year but did not know that the bolts are slightly different from the factory. I went a different route instead. I wanted a repeater.
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``Around '90 or so an article in Precision Shooting was about doing a 17Mach4 on 700 action. And then making it shoot well. It involved re-doing the mag box .223 spacer, or making a new thicker one. And shortening the spring. I did one like that and it worked as a repeater, but to feed well it had to be done not real fast. I did shoot that one a lot. A in the next 221 I went to a 461 Sako action which works perfectly, like it was intended for a .221 case. My 17MIV's are both on a small Sako action now. This one is a junkyard dog... gunshow Sako action, gunshow barrel, and stock too ugly not to paint (also ugly). Chambered for .221 back in late 80's but could just as easily have been a 17 on that case. My 17's are Mach IV's, but a.factory 17/221 would work equally well. If you do your 17/221 or 17MachIV on Remningtion action, the .223 bolt will work fine, at least it did for me. I shortened the ejector spring to where the the case ejects just enough to flop beside the gun. Worked for me. But, I like the small Sako sized action much more.
 

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jwv2001 said:
I fell in love with the Fireball when I bought an XP 100. It is such an efficient and accurate round. This is a Cooper M38. Every powder and bullet I've tried is just as accurate as the other. This rifle has a 22" barrel. This rifle shoots 15.5 gr. 4227 w/a 40 gr. Vmax at 3200 fps. The rifle weighs 6 1/4 pounds with a 6.5-20 Leupold. It is the perfect calling rifle, light and quick handling. The coyote in the picture was an experiment. I shot it at 150 yds. to see how the rifle would perform. Dropped it in it's tracks with not a quiver.

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JW

That bobcat looks alive, like you paid it to pose for the picture. :). It has lots of spots.

That's a great looking Cooper.

Hal
 
I was fortunate enough to grab a CZ 527 221 fireball.when they came out and a few mags..its probably one of my favorite rifles. Its all factory unmolested .and its alot of fun to shoot, clean, and reload for. i always get a little smile when i get that rifle out..
Its like "oh yeah!" I kind of forgot about this little gem
Its a gun that just feels right to me..
Very well done, thank you CZ
 
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