.221Fireball or .222 Remington ???????

[th82457]

On the small end, my vote is for the 221. It uses less powder and does not give up too much pop to a .222 or .223 when used with a 40 gr bullet & Lil Gun powder. Barrel life should never be an issue with the Fireball. My current Fireball is on a Model 7 AAC action with a 12 twist Shilen. It shoots bug holes with a 40 V-Max & Lil Gun. I also have a .223 & 22 BR for longer shooting and a 20 Vartarg that is my favorite to shoot. Just get the extractor and feed right on the Fireball and you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[V509]

I doubt anything on the receiving end will notice the 221 being only 150 fps slower
I love both and have a XP-100 and 700 Classic in Fireball, both are everything I had hoped for them. My 222 s are the first caliber I grab, prolly as it was my first center fire caliber
I still find 222 ammo on the shelf, It has been years since I have found factory 221 ammo which makes little difference for me.
You will get more loads from a pound of powder when loading the 221

 

[JamesinAsheville]

Here is a eastern WNC groundhog my 15 yr old shot with my 221. 40 gr vmax hit him square in the back of the

 

[colder]

I don't think a Dr. could fix that blowout!
Todd

 

[Phil]

I don't think a Dr. could fix that blowout!
Todd

Are you kidding me.......That will buff right out......LOL.....


Phil.

 

[222 rem]

40 gr. bullets only, varmint gun, what would you build and WHY ?????????????????????



Phil.

Deuce is still a favorite you cannot go wro,g

 

[SS427]

How do you "Re-chamber" a .221 FireBall, to a 20 calibre Vartag??

(... and not considering that it would take 4 life times to "toast" a .221 FireBall).

Inquiring minds want to know.

Let me see if I can explain it in terms you can understand. I would build a .221 Fireball on a Remington action with .221 Fireball bolt. Then when I decided I didn't like it, or as I said the barrel was gone, I would buy a 20 caliber barrel and with a 20 VarTarg reamer chamber it as such. Would really like to have a 20 VarTarg repeater as all I have now are single shots. Now that I know Phil is using a BAT action I would probably go with 222 Rem though.

 

[XBBR Shooter]

Let me see if I can explain it in terms you can understand. I would build a .221 Fireball on a Remington action with .221 Fireball bolt. Then when I decided I didn't like it, or as I said the barrel was gone, I would buy a 20 caliber barrel and with a 20 VarTarg reamer chamber it as such. Would really like to have a 20 VarTarg repeater as all I have now are single shots. Now that I know Phil is using a BAT action I would probably go with 222 Rem though.

Is buying a new barrel, what you call "RE"-chambering?

If that is the current terminology, then when a 35 Whelen gets shot out, you can "RE"-chamber it to 22-250...

I wonder what a gunsmith would think of a request like that?

 

[Cold Bore]

Is buying a new barrel, what you call "RE"-chambering?

If that is the current terminology, then when my 22-250 gets shot out, I can "RE"-chamber it to 35 Whelen...

I wonder what a gunsmith would think of a request like that?

You can pick at individual words, but I'm betting most everybody here knew what he meant by that, even if the terminology wasn't perfect.

Sometimes you just need to grasp the idea and move on.

 

[snert]

Is buying a new barrel, what you call "RE"-chambering?

If that is the current terminology, then when a 35 Whelen gets shot out, you can "RE"-chamber it to 22-250...

I wonder what a gunsmith would think of a request like that?

I followed what he meant. nitpick

 

[grovey]

Is buying a new barrel, what you call "RE"-chambering?

If that is the current terminology, then when a 35 Whelen gets shot out, you can "RE"-chamber it to 22-250...

I wonder what a gunsmith would think of a request like that?

I can do that... my dad has an awesome set of tools

 

[Dooger]

221 FB
AA 1680
Lapua Brass
Rem 7 1/2
40 gr NBT
CZ 527 American
Done!

 

[Phil]

221 FB
AA 1680
Lapua Brass
Rem 7 1/2
40 gr NBT
CZ 527 American
Done!

Velocity?????

 

[Dooger]

Velocity?????

3500+. I've hit 3600 and stopped.

 

[Dooger]

 

[greg8012]

40 gr. bullets only, varmint gun, what would you build and WHY ?????????????????????



Phil.

phil, Why not get a 20-223 practical? I have 2. Brass is cheap.. shoots great.. Greg

 

[Phil]

Greg,

Just looking at options that burn less powder is all, i`m pretty covered in the 20-223 area.

Phil.

 

[Phil]

Dooger,

I have seen that before, i was just curious as to your results, the 221 definitely has it`s place as does the reputation of the .222.

Makes it kind of difficult to decide, i`m sure i`ll be happy with either one i choose.

Thanks for the info.....


Phil.

 

[Dooger]

No problem...

 

[Shaggy357]

I have both and they are great calibers. I will respond from a different perspective. .223 brass is CHEAP. You can make .222 and .221FB from .223 brass. The .222 is easier to make. Less time reloading is more time shooting.

Steve