Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 55gr | Nosler Varmageddon bullet and 33 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2207, ReloadSwiss RS 36 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 1680 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,626 psi | 90% | 2697 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 39,900 psi | 86% | 2579 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,712 psi | 88% | 2605 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,001 psi | 86% | 2779 fps | 98.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,510 psi | 89% | 2818 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,075 psi | 89% | 2733 fps | 96.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,756 psi | 90% | 2759 fps | 96.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,123 psi | 61% | 1726 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,166 psi | 61% | 1736 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,276 psi | 85% | 2694 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,914 psi | 86% | 2720 fps | 96.2% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,307 psi | 89% | 2694 fps | 98% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,813 psi | 86% | 2677 fps | 97.8% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,234 psi | 87% | 2680 fps | 96% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,133 psi | 89% | 2713 fps | 96.4% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,727 psi | 90% | 2707 fps | 99.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,350 psi | 87% | 2694 fps | 99.8% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,668 psi | 85% | 2769 fps | 96.2% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,408 psi | 87% | 2795 fps | 96.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 27,427 psi | 59% | 1762 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 27,456 psi | 59% | 1772 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,987 psi | 86% | 2713 fps | 97.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,683 psi | 88% | 2736 fps | 97.9% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,234 psi | 87% | 2680 fps | 96% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,133 psi | 89% | 2713 fps | 96.4% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 39,552 psi | 85% | 2641 fps | 96.6% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,234 psi | 87% | 2667 fps | 97% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,915 psi | 88% | 2569 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,901 psi | 90% | 2595 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,568 psi | 90% | 2651 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,219 psi | 87% | 2638 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,335 psi | 87% | 2743 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,901 psi | 90% | 2782 fps | 99.8% |
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 1680 | <<locked>> | 90% | 39,392 psi | 85% | 2654 fps | 95% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,710 psi | 81% | 2539 fps | 99.5% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,508 psi | 83% | 2566 fps | 99.7% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 13.9 gr | 86% | 27,775 psi | 60% | 2487 fps | 95.3% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 13.6 gr | 84% | 26,919 psi | 58% | 2474 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 38,087 psi | 82% | 2674 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 36,738 psi | 79% | 2657 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,740 psi | 45% | 1549 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,885 psi | 45% | 1562 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,188 psi | 80% | 2648 fps | 95.1% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,840 psi | 82% | 2677 fps | 95.6% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 82% | 32,097 psi | 69% | 2493 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,038 psi | 67% | 2477 fps | 95.2% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,101 psi | 82% | 2635 fps | 95.3% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,928 psi | 84% | 2667 fps | 95.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,573 psi | 64% | 2444 fps | 97.9% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,892 psi | 64% | 2464 fps | 98.2% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 98% | 37,434 psi | 81% | 2723 fps | 95.6% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 36,114 psi | 78% | 2707 fps | 95.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,334 psi | 44% | 1588 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,494 psi | 44% | 1598 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 14.2 gr | 84% | 33,083 psi | 71% | 2562 fps | 95.6% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 13.8 gr | 82% | 31,430 psi | 68% | 2533 fps | 95.2% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,101 psi | 82% | 2635 fps | 95.3% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,928 psi | 84% | 2667 fps | 95.8% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,347 psi | 80% | 2595 fps | 96% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,058 psi | 82% | 2625 fps | 96.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,775 psi | 60% | 2313 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,689 psi | 62% | 2343 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,563 psi | 74% | 2523 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,665 psi | 77% | 2556 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 13.3 gr | 82% | 25,193 psi | 54% | 2375 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 13 gr | 80% | 24,468 psi | 53% | 2362 fps | 95.2% |
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 33 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 55gr | Nosler Varmageddon. ADI AR 2207 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,818 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,726 fps to 2,818 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 33 of the 33 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 59–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 55.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:10.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Hodgdon TrailBoss, Hodgdon TrailBoss, IMR 4198 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. ADI AR 2207, ReloadSwiss RS 36, Vihtavuori N120 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 55gr | Nosler Varmageddon 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.