I haven't heard much talk about the 221 fireball, and have had it in the back of my mind to try one in a 10" contender. My thought is, it should match a 22 hornet rifle. What have your experiences been?

Paul H,

Your thoughs are right on the money. I have one of the "old" XP-100 in 221 with a 10 3/4" pipe and with its favorite load, a 40 gr V-Max @ 2975 fps it is almost a perfect match with my Ruger M77/22H that drives a 37 gr Calhoon to 3000 fps. If the Ruger would handle the longer Hornady bullet it would be loaded with it as well. Both will put five rounds into less then an inch at 100 yards and varmint targets react identical when hit by either round.

Only thing different is that the little 221 is named a fireball for a reason, its much louder then a Hornet rifle but not enough to cause problems.

Good Shooting!!

50

Paul,

My 10" octagon Fireball will shoot 1/2 moa with Sierra's 40 grain Blitzking and AA1680. I really like the cartridge and it is REALLY cheap to shoot!! I also like the fact that i can shoot several rounds before the barrel even gets warm. I would like to get a 10-12" full bull barrel just for the weight when shootin offhand. That octagon barrel is a little light for that kinda shootin.....

You will ove the fireball!! I have one from Bullberry ..it is a SST 12" long......They are great!
Almost No loss in FPS compared to my .223s and it does it with less powder!
Fireball

Paul, I've been VERY impressed thus far w/ my 221 FB, although I don't have a Hornet to compare it to. Components (including brass) are high quality and easily obtained. My 12" VVCG bull barrel shoots 3/4 MOA. Load easily gets 2975 fps w/ H110/Hornady 40 gr VMax and could be pushed further, but I see no need to. I found this load in the first 9 rounds I shot! In my barrel, it's a very quiet and pleasant round. Haven't shot any game w/ it yet, but expect it to do just fine. Admittedly, the FB's velocity is not normally going to equal the 223 Rem's, but I think the FB's especially useful if you're looking for a shorter barrel or a more pleasant varmint round (not that the 223 is highly UNpleasant, at least not in a 14"). I highly recommend the FB. Gary T.

[ 07-17-2002, 07:43: Message edited by: Gary T ]