Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 40gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing bullet and 27 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Vihtavuori N110, Lovex S053 and ADI AR 2205.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 80% and propellant combustion ≥ 95%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,930 psi | 90% | 3136 fps | 96.9% |
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,655 psi | 90% | 3120 fps | 96.7% |
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,901 psi | 90% | 3130 fps | 96.8% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,943 psi | 86% | 3012 fps | 98.1% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,785 psi | 90% | 3041 fps | 98.4% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,247 psi | 85% | 2989 fps | 97.9% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,974 psi | 90% | 3238 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,770 psi | 88% | 3209 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,118 psi | 89% | 3219 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 26,368 psi | 57% | 2044 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 26,208 psi | 56% | 2031 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 26,020 psi | 56% | 2031 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,465 psi | 85% | 3114 fps | 98.1% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,336 psi | 89% | 3143 fps | 98.3% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,597 psi | 90% | 3153 fps | 98.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 25,440 psi | 55% | 2083 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 25,280 psi | 54% | 2073 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 25,701 psi | 55% | 2087 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,959 psi | 88% | 3035 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,611 psi | 88% | 3022 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,930 psi | 88% | 3031 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,989 psi | 90% | 3140 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,539 psi | 90% | 3123 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,916 psi | 90% | 3133 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 36,303 psi | 78% | 3084 fps | 96.5% |
| Vihtavuori N120ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,520 psi | 77% | 3054 fps | 96.1% |
| Vihtavuori N120ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 35,737 psi | 77% | 3064 fps | 96.2% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 82% | 37,057 psi | 80% | 3028 fps | 95.5% |
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,129 psi | 78% | 2995 fps | 95% |
| Accurate No. 11 FS | <<locked>> | 82% | 36,390 psi | 78% | 3005 fps | 95.2% |
| ADI AR 2205 | 13.9 gr | 80% | 32,982 psi | 71% | 2844 fps | 96.2% |
| ADI AR 2205 | 13.9 gr | 80% | 32,634 psi | 70% | 2825 fps | 95.9% |
| ADI AR 2205 | 13.9 gr | 80% | 32,924 psi | 71% | 2838 fps | 96.1% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,928 psi | 84% | 3179 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,551 psi | 83% | 3163 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon LilGun | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,130 psi | 82% | 3159 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 19,305 psi | 42% | 1841 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 19,087 psi | 41% | 1827 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 18,971 psi | 41% | 1824 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S053 | 14.1 gr | 86% | 29,718 psi | 64% | 2861 fps | 95% |
| Lovex S053 | 14.4 gr | 88% | 31,009 psi | 67% | 2890 fps | 95.3% |
| Lovex S053 | 14.4 gr | 88% | 31,299 psi | 67% | 2904 fps | 95.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 18,753 psi | 40% | 1880 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 18,521 psi | 40% | 1867 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 18,405 psi | 40% | 1864 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,830 psi | 51% | 2615 fps | 99% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,409 psi | 50% | 2592 fps | 98.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,656 psi | 51% | 2605 fps | 98.9% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | 12.5 gr | 80% | 29,254 psi | 63% | 2844 fps | 99.2% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | 12.5 gr | 80% | 28,790 psi | 62% | 2825 fps | 99% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | 12.5 gr | 80% | 29,066 psi | 63% | 2835 fps | 99.1% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 34,490 psi | 74% | 3038 fps | 95.9% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 33,736 psi | 73% | 3009 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 33,924 psi | 73% | 3018 fps | 95.5% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 27 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 40gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing. Hodgdon LilGun delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 3,238 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 2,031 fps to 3,238 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 27 of the 27 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 54–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. Hodgdon TrailBoss, Hodgdon TrailBoss, Hodgdon TrailBoss reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. Vihtavuori N110, Lovex S053, ADI AR 2205 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 40gr | Sierra Tipped VarmintKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.