
Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 55gr | Remington PSP bullet and 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,988 psi | 88% | 2621 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,756 psi | 90% | 2831 fps | 99.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,682 psi | 86% | 2726 fps | 96.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,297 psi | 61% | 1745 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,756 psi | 88% | 2749 fps | 96.6% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,161 psi | 87% | 2694 fps | 98% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,452 psi | 89% | 2730 fps | 96.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,625 psi | 88% | 2707 fps | 99.9% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,292 psi | 89% | 2822 fps | 97% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,297 psi | 61% | 1798 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,930 psi | 88% | 2753 fps | 98.1% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,452 psi | 89% | 2730 fps | 96.7% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,162 psi | 89% | 2697 fps | 97.4% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,001 psi | 86% | 2572 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,712 psi | 88% | 2654 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,784 psi | 86% | 2753 fps | 99.7% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 24"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,812 psi | 84% | 2582 fps | 99.8% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 13.8 gr | 84% | 27,238 psi | 59% | 2490 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 37,623 psi | 81% | 2687 fps | 95.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,103 psi | 45% | 1575 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 96% | 36,666 psi | 79% | 2661 fps | 95.4% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,401 psi | 68% | 2497 fps | 95.5% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,204 psi | 84% | 2684 fps | 96.1% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,240 psi | 65% | 2480 fps | 98.4% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,374 psi | 74% | 2677 fps | 95% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,131 psi | 43% | 1594 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 14.1 gr | 82% | 32,314 psi | 70% | 2562 fps | 95.7% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,204 psi | 84% | 2684 fps | 96.1% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,290 psi | 83% | 2638 fps | 96.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,124 psi | 63% | 2359 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,216 psi | 78% | 2572 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 13.2 gr | 80% | 24,801 psi | 53% | 2382 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 16 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 55gr | Remington PSP. ADI AR 2207 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,831 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,745 fps to 2,831 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 16 of the 16 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 61–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 55.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:12.5 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Hodgdon TrailBoss, IMR 4198, Norma 200 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 | Remington PSP 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.