Advise re .221 fireball (see Advise re .222 Remington rifle)

[mefizto]

Greetings all,

in the thread in parenthesis, I had summarized my desire for the Remington .222 and I received a lot of good advises and educational responses.

I was today offered a Remington LVSF in .221 Fireball. As I need to make a decision fairly quickly, I am doing my research, but would again appreciate advise, inter alia, the rifle itself, availability of brass, and any other information and/or comparison with the .222.

Kindest regard,

M

 

[pwdrbrn]

If all ur doing is local varmints and pd hunt, that would be a great choice. Correct bolt face for your next bbl in 222 or even have this bbl rechambered if it shoots. You may lose a few yards of effective range, but not much in my experience. A 40 gr in 221 is as good as a 50 in a 222. Of course wind plays havoc on both . Just my 2 cents, Tom.

 

[mefizto]

Hi Tom,

are you saying that the bolt face is different for the .221 and .222?

Kindest regards,

M

 

[DogBuster]

Priced right ? Buy it !

No flies on the 221 FB....Get some Lapua brass......Rem 7.5's

Your 40 - 50 gr bullet choice......

Only thing better on the same case....20 Vartarg !

 

[pwdrbrn]

No, same as 221, 222, 223, 17 fireball, 17 Remington, 222 Remington mag, 204 ruger, all. 378 diameter. 221 fireball brass might be a little hard to find, but it is available . Worse case scenario is that you can form it from 222 or 223 brass. (Now we're into advanced stuff, but it is a learning experience, right? )

 

[pwdrbrn]

+1 with DogBuster!!

 

[mefizto]

Hi pwdrbrn, DogBuster,

I am seriously considering it based on what I read so far. I found specifications for the barrel:
22" fluted barrel
14" twist

Do you think that that would stabilize 52gr bullet? I am asking, because I have a lot of them.

Could you post some load data?

Kindest regards,

M

 

[DogBuster]

ohhhh

14 twist.......maybe start shopping for some 40's.....

look at Shooters Pro Shop......Nosler 2nds

click link......20 Vartarg.....get ideas on powders/loads for the Fireball

ideas only........you'll need to work up your own load

https://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/20caliber/#20VARTARG

 

[Bill K]

Get it and shoot it as is (221 fireball) then you will either go with another fireball or could then rebarrel to 222r. Or better yet, re-chamber or re-barrel to a 20 VT..

 

[TAJ45]

OK, your desires have morphed out of the "only 222". Not unusual in the least. Now that you are a bit more open to something "other than" . . . Wait for it . . . Revisit the 22PPC, or 22 BR. A PPC bolt is easily altered to work with the "std" .473 bolt face AND the PPC simultaneously . . . equaling versatility for later, possible changes in chambering.
They will give you way more legs than the step back to 221 case, especially the BR to accommodate your stated end use(s). Cases are NOT even a slight problem annnnd the ACCURACY POTENTIAL is WITHOUT REPROACH.
A FBall case has its place, not unduly inaccurate, but is on the low end of HP should you ever want to step on the gas a bit. Nice to have the hosses in the stable..trust me and prolly 90% of the guys here.

 

[mefizto]

Hi DogBuster,

thank you for the links, all 40 gr Out of stock. I will keep checking, but if you know of any other source, let me know.

Hi Bill K,

ha, ha, why another fireball? Are you trying to ruin me financially?

Kindest regards,

M

 

[swd]

The 221 is a great little cartridge. Very accurate and performs closer to the 222 than you might think. You'll have just as much fun with it as you would a 222. 52's out of a 14" are a maybe. The only way to tell is to try them.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Midway had some 40 gr tipped boat tails yesterday, check them. Tip was black and they were $0.14 each IIRC.

 

[TAJ45]

There was a post here not too long ago for some Nosler 40 gr Btips. Do the search shuffle....

 

[Evan]

221 is very very accurate in a match barrel and will give you excellent accuracy out to 300yards or more. No additional horsepower needed for putting holes very close together in targets. I'd take one over a 222 everyday of the week.

 

[Evan]

Hi pwdrbrn, DogBuster,

I am seriously considering it based on what I read so far. I found specifications for the barrel:
22" fluted barrel
14" twist

Do you think that that would stabilize 52gr bullet? I am asking, because I have a lot of them.

Could you post some load data?

Kindest regards,

M

It will stabilize the flat base match bullets, but probably not the boat tails. Really need a 1:12 for the boat tails.

Oh, and any of the 4198 powders will work well, or RL-7, or ramshot xterminator.

 

[mefizto]

Hi TAJ45,

I do agree with you that I have shifted my position. However, I would argue that I am still following my goals - low, in fact even lower recoil and noise, about the same range. Your suggestion appears to suggest just the opposite. Furthermore, the entire rifle is available and has about 120 rounds through the barrel.

I am not in a position to dispute your statement "trust me and prolly 90% of the guys here", but it seems to me that many of the posters here suggest that the .221, .222 are acceptable accuracy wise.

Saying the above, I do appreciate your suggestions, and who knows - maybe I will eventually "step on the gas a bit." ;-)

Thank you for the reference re Nosler, I wil do a search.

Hi swd,

thank you for the reply. I am not tied to the 52 gr bullets, I jsut asked because I have gotten them from a friend.

Smoking Joe,

thank you for the reference; I will check them.

Hi Evan,

thank you for the confirmation re accuracy. Regarding the bullets, see my reply to swd.

Kindest regards,

M

 

[Tim s]

When I shot a .221 I had great luck with Calhoon 37gr double hollowpoints, still shoot them in an R2 Lovell.

 

[nockhunter]

If you get the .221 check out LIL'Gun powder. A pound goes a loooong way.

Mike

 

[Evan]

If you get the .221 check out LIL'Gun powder. A pound goes a loooong way.

Mike

18gns per shot of regular rifle powder isn't bad either - almost 400 rounds per pound!

Hi Evan,

thank you for the confirmation re accuracy. Regarding the bullets, see my reply to swd.

Kindest regards,

M

My favorite part of fireball sized cases is just how long you can shoot without the barrel getting hot. Run 50 rounds down range at a steady continuous pace and you can grab the barrel after without burning yourself. It really does a lot with a little! Lapua brass is awesome. Cheaper formed Lake City can be had for volume reloading: https://sleepinggiantbrass.com/221-fireball-brass It's just a real sweet spot when you consider that stepping down to the 22 Hornet loses 400fps to save 6gns of powder, and stepping up to a 222 only gains another 200fps for 6gns more powder.