My 221 Fireball-Remy 700 Classic-will be here this week. I have a few questions about glass and ammo. As far as optics I am considering Tasco TG104050DS 10-40x50. Is this too much scope? Secondly I do not have any reloading stuff for this ctg yet. Are there any reputable factory loads available?

Thanks

Andy

221 is i believe only available from remmington. its basically a 300 yd round at best. nice low recoil low noise round. i think something in the 4-16x range would better suit the round. get to loading quick - you can pay off the dies etc. in a couple boxes of factory ammo. brass is available through many normal channels. mine is a rechamber browning lowall 22 hornet. i find the 40 gr vmax or noslers work really well. can't remember the load but its a case full of 4198

Unless you will be shooting at really small targets, I concur that a 10-40x scope is too much, considering the effective range of the fantastic 221.
When you do start reloading, various 40gr pills over AA1680 have been great in my Fireballs, and RL7 and LilGun also work well.

Greg

Scope 4x16 range, mine is a 4.5x14 and it suits the round very well. I started off with a 3x9 Leupold EFR and it scope just didn't match the capability of the rifle.

Ammo- I think the 221 and 40 gr bullets are a perfect match. I use 40 gr VMax's and Lil'Gun. 3400+ fps and great accuracy.

I'd think a 4-14 or 4.5-14 would be plenty.

My Fireball's in an old, original XP-100. I'm using a 30mm tube 6X and it does a fabulous job. But with a rifle, I imagine you will have a bit more workable range to use.

I load 50-52gr. bullets over a nice charge of 4198. It makes for an M.O.A. shooter at 100 yards. I've never really messed with the lighter bullets. But I imagine I should get around to trying it one day.

I have a 6X20X40 Weaver Grand Slam on mine. I shoot gophers (Richardson Ground Squirrels) a lot and seeing an eyeball and part of a head in the alfalfa at 200+ yards takes some magnification. I'm very fond of that particular Weaver scope and in fact have it on a number of my varmint rifles including .22 Hornets and my .17 Ackley Hornet. Great value IMO.
Can't hit em if ya can't see em.
Great round by the way, if your a reloader might I suggest trying AA1680 under a 40 grain V-Max .

This is the first gopher I shot with mine at about 175 yards using that combo, I had to walk about 10 feet to get the tail section for the photo op as well .



Your gonna love it!

The ammo is available from more than Remington- try a search, Cabelas, Midway, etc.

I have one, enjoy it thoroughly, longest shot at 300 yards with it on a crow.

I've read that .223-like velocities can be had with reloads.

This came from an older AA reload manual as memory serves.
The reason it duplicates the venerable old .222 is that the Triple Duce has a maximum SAMMI recommendation of 42,000 PSI and the .221 max is 52,000 PSI.
My working load is 20.2 grains of 1680 under a 40 V-Max for a repeatedly chrono'd 3,560ish FPS out of my CZ 527. Accuracy is outstanding!



Some of us waited a lotta years for a rifle in .221. It was worth the wait .

Thank you for all the replies so far guys. I had an original fireball at one time and sold it. I too always figured it would be a scorcher and a hot sales item in a rifle with a 20-22inch barrel. Now if only these little calibers came supplied with a useful size stock. Ever notice so many small caliber rifles are supplied with less than "normal-sized" stocks?

Fantastic kill on that gopher by the way!

I plan on using it as a calling rifle. I might also use it for head shooting whitetails. My 222 works great for whiteys, but it weighs 11 pounds.

I have my eyes on a 6-24x50 as I write this. I also had a 10-40x50 available but I am thinking of getting rid of it.......

Andy

I got my 221 Classic in 2002 when they came out and immediately had trigger issues. The firing pin fell when the bolt closed and when you pushed the safewty off the pin dropped too! Luckily, being an LEO Firearms instructor I had free access to a good gunsmith familiar with 700s. H e was up on the 700 Trigger issues-see CNBC Special on that-but also see Rems rebuttal). In my case he told me to flush all the "30 wtoli" that Rem puts in them for protection until sale out with GunkOut or Gun Scrubber. I did, got a significate amout of residue out for that small a part, and re-lubed with Rem-Oil, a light Teflon infused "Factory" product just in case. Never a problem of any kind since. I have original 221 50gr ammo and Rem 221 50gr current production ammo. They both shoot at or just under an inch @ 100yds with a 4X scope. You definitely will be over glassed with your initial choice. My latest bragging shot was a feral dog harrasing my chickens w/a Rem 788 .222 (50gr Nosler Moly, WW748 load from Pet Loads(which has a great 221 chapter). DRT across an 18 acre pasture when the dumb thing stopped and looked back, lasered @ 355 yds a few minutes later. Scope was T/C Hawken 3X9X40 set on 6X. Enjoy your Classic it is a great caliber.

My 221 Fireball is a Remington 700 LS . I dident care for the small forarm stock so I got a thumbhole varmint stock for it. The trigger pull has ben adjusted down to three pounds pull. My rifle likes Re 7 powder ,40 Gr bullets, and Fed M primers in Rem cases. The Burris 4-16 w AO scope gives me a good view of prairie dogs at the ranges I shoot them which is out to about 275 yards. Since getting getting the 221 Fireball my 22 Hornet stays at home. The 221 is an eazy round to reload .

First, get a higher quality scope in a lower power.

Second, if your uses don't include high volume shooting like prairie dogs, then the factory stuff with its 50 grain bullets is just fine.

If you want the little Fireball to shine, then reload with a 40 grain polycarbonate-tipped bullet which you can launch at around 3400 fps. I personally like Accurate 2200 for this round in my custom Mini Mark X.

I have an original XP100 221 fireball with Leupold 2x scope. It is still a deadly accurate little gun. It likes 40 grainers too at about 2800 fps.

I have 4.5x14 on a K-Hornet and 218 Bee that work quite well. Save your money and look at something other than Tasco. Nikon Buckmasters come to mind, I have a couple, nice scopes, reasonably priced.

I own two of these beauties, I have a Millett 4-14 on one and it is very heavy.... terrific combo for windy days though. I stick to light loads with light bullets for smaller predators and varmints

I also have 2 221's one has been fully accurized by Speedy Gonzalaz(sp) has a Hart barrel and the best so far has been .187 the other is a factory LS Remington 700(this rifle is out of the box other than being floated and the trigger being tuned by yours truly) that shoots consistant groups you can cover with a dime.
I'm using 14.5gr of Lil'Gun, 40gr Sierra(1440C)and Remington 7 1/2 primers. And what's not to like about near 500 loads out of a pound of powder? Both rifles are 700 Remingtons.
I'm using the same load in both rifles and no doubt could tweak the LS load a bit, but why?
This is an EXCELLENT cartridge, to say the least.
Stepchild

Doug,
I like them graphics, & re: "I had to walk about 10 feet to get the tail section for the photo op as well".

Maybe we should start a caption contest:
1) "Anybody bring a wide-angle lens?"
2) "Parts is parts"
3) "The lil' bugger went to pieces over me"
4) "I'd walk 10ft to smoke a gophy"

quote:

Originally posted by stepchild 2:
I also have 2 221's one has been fully accurized by Speedy Gonzalaz(sp) has a Hart barrel and the best so far has been .187 the other is a factory LS Remington 700(this rifle is out of the box other than being floated and the trigger being tuned by yours truly) that shoots consistant groups you can cover with a dime.
I'm using 14.5gr of Lil'Gun, 40gr Sierra(1440C)and Remington 7 1/2 primers. And what's not to like about near 500 loads out of a pound of powder? Both rifles are 700 Remingtons.
I'm using the same load in both rifles and no doubt could tweak the LS load a bit, but why?
This is an EXCELLENT cartridge, to say the least.
Stepchild

That's good testimony, the best I've read on the 221. You're right on about shooting the same load in both with above average accuracy in each rifle.
The 221 is about the only 22 chambering I don't have and I've been keeping my eye open on GB and GunsAmerica for a 700 Classic in 221. That rifle you have with the Hart barrel tuned by Speedy has got to be a svreamer for accuracy. .187 is nothing to sneeze about, that's competetive Centerfire Benchrest accuracy.

quote:

Originally posted by b0400879:
Doug,
I like them graphics, & re: "I had to walk about 10 feet to get the tail section for the photo op as well".

Maybe we should start a caption contest:
1) "Anybody bring a wide-angle lens?"
2) "Parts is parts"
3) "The lil' bugger went to pieces over me"
4) "I'd walk 10ft to smoke a gophy"

"Bet he don't have the guts to do that again"!!

I love that .221!

Don,
When I got the Speedy gun it was in a tupperware stock and sprayed shots, I put it in a Boyd's laminated stock and groups tightened right up using the same load. I'm well pleased to say the least. I've owned 40X's that didn't shoot as well, if you're interested you're welcome to shoot either or both.
Stonecreek has an impressive Mini Mauser in .221, maybe he'll post some pics of the groups he's shot with his.



Stepchild

A .221 rifle will be coming home to live with me soon. I am interested in varmints, paper punching and reduced loads for edible game- fox & grey squirrels. Anyone using reduced loads for squirrels? Check this out for reduced load ideas.
http://www.accuratereloading.com/221rfb.html
Thanks!

My experience with the .221 Fireball began with the original XP-100 pistol in 1964. I mounted a 3x Leupold on it and used it for ground squirrels. A 50 grain Sierra Blitz and H-4198 powder sparked by the Remington 7-1/2 primer shot just a little under an inch at 100 yards. H-4198 seems to be the ideal powder to this day, as noted in the Nosler manual with 50 grain bullets. I would also try some of the Barnes 36 grain Varmint Grenades, as these will give a bit more velocity and are one of the most accurate bullets I have used in the .224" bore. They are simply devastating.

As to scopes, I have many Bushnell Elite 4200's, some Nikon Monarch's, Leupold's, Burris, a Weaver or two, a couple of Unertl's and the new Clearidge. On my 6-24X scopes I rarely turn the magnification up beyond 14X when hunting, and for years used nothing more than Leupold 3-9X variables. Right now The Optic Zone has a deal on the Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42, Ballistic Plex, Matte for $289.00, a good choice, ( http://theopticzone.com/defaul...pro&opt=detail&id=32 ) or the Clearidge Ultra XP 6-20x40, Duplex, Matte for $359.00 ( http://theopticzone.com/defaul...o&opt=detail&id=2925 ). The Clearidge product is made in the same factory as the Bushnell Elite 4200 series and uses the same glass. Also a Redfield Evolution 4-12x40, 4-Plex, Matte for $210.00 may be a good choice, as it is backed up by Leupold's guaranty ( http://theopticzone.com/defaul...o&opt=detail&id=3064 ). I'd also avoid any 1" scope tube with side focus, IMO side focus requires a 30mm tube. If I were you I'd wait to purchase a name brand scope and forgo the Tasco, my original Leupold scopes purchased in the 1970's are still on working rifles. Then look at Burris Signature Rings with the plastic bushings. Too many choices - it gets confusing.

I have two .221FB CZ 527 rifles both with VX III 4.5-14x Leupold scopes. They replaced the two Rem 700 PSS in .223 I was using before for the same critters. They do pretty much the same thing only 50 yards shorter. However they do it with 1/3 less powder burnt and less heat generated during extended strings. If I need more power/distance than I step up to a 6BR. My loads are AA1680, Sierra 40BK, and CCI BR4 primers. The chamber on my CZ allows me to seat them way out there and increase the powder capacity. I worked up some loads on QuickLOAD and cross checked with the AA data. They are consistent 1/2" @ 100 yard loads and come off my Dillon 450 using Forster Ultra dies. Other powders and bullet combos that also worked really well were Rel 7 and Speer TNT bullets, but the 1680 flows more accurately in my progressive press. Like everyone else has pointed out, it's a great round. I am sure you will be very happy.

I love the fireball I have the remington 700 light varmint stainless with the fluted barrel and a 6-18 nikon buckmaster crosshair with a dot i had the 700 classic but this was a bit lighter.It is one of my favorite guns.My friend has the cz 527 in it.It seems like no matter what gun you have this caliber in it shoots great,I use 40 v-max or 50 v-max. I use 16 grains of lil gun with the 40 and im shooting a tattered hole at 100 yards at close to 3600 fps and I also like rl-7 the 50 v-max shoots just as good at about 3200 fps.I like it better than 222s or 223s and it will out shoot them.Great cal you won't be sorry

Capt Finlander: What powder are you using?

I have an XP-100 and am experimenting w/ 40 gr. pills and 4227, H110, and L'il Gun powders. Am shooting for 3000fps and also have a box of 35gr Varmint Grenades.

I plan on getting a Cooper in .221 next year and will glass it w/ a 4.5x14 scope, which is fine out to 200 yards on PDs. My local Cooper dealer says the cartridge is popular and he can't keep them in-stock.

Jack Belk was a 221 fan and his guns accounted or thousands of Rockchucks, foxes and coyotes in the Snake River Canyon behind his house..

Local Rock Chuck fanatics around here like the caliber, its cheap to load and they shoot a lot. most have 3 to 4 rifles on a chuck shoot or P dog hunt as the barrels get hot..Nice caliber in a rifle.

Best of all the are perfect for those lovely little Petete Sakos L-461, L-61 and the A-1,