Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 50gr | Hornady CX bullet and 12 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Lovex S053, Vihtavuori N110 and Vihtavuori N120.
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>> | 82% | 39,189 psi | 84% | 2772 fps | 98% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,510 psi | 89% | 2736 fps | 99.5% |
| ADI AR 2207ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,174 psi | 82% | 2871 fps | 97.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 26,643 psi | 57% | 1798 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 92% | 39,508 psi | 85% | 2779 fps | 96.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,379 psi | 87% | 2815 fps | 99.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 26,440 psi | 57% | 1850 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,756 psi | 88% | 2851 fps | 96.8% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,626 psi | 90% | 2802 fps | 96% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,437 psi | 89% | 2717 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,537 psi | 85% | 2759 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,696 psi | 83% | 2838 fps | 98.8% |
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>> | 80% | 36,970 psi | 80% | 2726 fps | 97.4% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,954 psi | 75% | 2602 fps | 98.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 32,039 psi | 69% | 2723 fps | 95.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 19,464 psi | 42% | 1614 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 35,114 psi | 76% | 2684 fps | 95.2% |
| Lovex S053 | 12.2 gr | 80% | 26,237 psi | 57% | 2474 fps | 95.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 18,913 psi | 41% | 1650 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,607 psi | 77% | 2743 fps | 95.3% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 84% | 38,580 psi | 83% | 2740 fps | 95.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 25,237 psi | 54% | 2375 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | 11.7 gr | 80% | 31,401 psi | 68% | 2592 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 14.3 gr | 90% | 28,500 psi | 61% | 2592 fps | 95.7% |
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 12 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 50gr | Hornady CX. ADI AR 2207 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,871 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,798 fps to 2,871 fps. ADI AR 2207 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 12 of the 12 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 57–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 50.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:10.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. ADI AR 2207, Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 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. Lovex S053, Vihtavuori N110, Vihtavuori N120 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 50gr | Hornady CX 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.