I just purchased a T/C Encore from Virgin Valley Guns in 221 remington fireball 20" 1-14 twist .Wanted to know if someone had a good load for this gun I will be hunting Chuck.Thanks For your help

Scott W,
Years ago I had an XP100 and with the 10.5" barrel it liked rem 50gr sp, R-P cases, Fed 205 primers and 17.5gr IMR 4198. Nosler lists 17.0gr of IMR 4198 as max for their 50gr but this load was safe in my gun (bolt action pistol). Start a couple grains lighter and work up.

AA-1680 and AA-2200 are both superb in the 221, and Hodgdon's new LilGun is outright amazing. Data for all three is available from the respective companies. RL7 also is a good choice.
I have used 18.5gr of AA1680, topped by 40 gr VMax's, for an honest 3400fps. Primer is a Rem 7 1/2.
Early tests with LilGun indicate similar accuracy (sub-MOA), with velocities 3500+ fps (40gr).
I have not tried this powder (yet) with the 45-50gr pills.
Good luck!

Scott W.,
When I first bought my 221 Fireball barrel, I asked guys for their favorite powder for it. The most commonly rec'd powders at the time were (in no particular order): RL 7, AA 1680, and 4227. In my 12" Contender barrel from VVCG, using 40 gr V-Max bullets, I tried H 110 and IMR 4227. At 100 yds, H 110 wouldn't hardly stay on a notebook-sized sheet of paper so I didn't pursue it any further. On the other hand, my work w/ H4227 was VERY satisfying. 17.0 gr (2940 fps) and 17.5 gr (3020 fps) of 4227 both shoot 1/2-3/4 MOA at 100 yds (3 shot groups) using a 3-12 Burris LER scope. I used Rem 7 1/2 primers in virgin Rem brass; OAL was 1.935", 0.02" off the lands. I settled on the 17.0 gr load as I figured 2940 fps was plenty velocity w/o having to "hot rod" the barrel any. Afterall, if I want more velocity, I'll bring out my 223 Rem barrel or my 22 Rem BR XP-100 or 22-250 AI Encore. I've not tried any other powders or bullets in my barrel. Actually, I lucked up on "the load" in the FIRST 12-15 shots. I like my barrel so far! Gary T.

Wanted to thsnk everyone for the help with my 221 Fireball This is my first time on this web-site and I printed out each response and will try them all. Thanks again and BEWARE CHUCKS!!