Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 60gr | Sierra Tipped MatchKing bullet and 17 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2207, Vihtavuori N120 and ReloadSwiss RS 36.
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>> | 90% | 39,479 psi | 85% | 2533 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,205 psi | 89% | 2484 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,189 psi | 84% | 2638 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 39,508 psi | 85% | 2585 fps | 96.5% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,369 psi | 61% | 1637 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,466 psi | 87% | 2602 fps | 97% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,842 psi | 86% | 2546 fps | 98.3% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,553 psi | 90% | 2589 fps | 97.1% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,118 psi | 89% | 2572 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,756 psi | 90% | 2687 fps | 97.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 27,746 psi | 60% | 1673 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,278 psi | 89% | 2615 fps | 98.5% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,553 psi | 90% | 2589 fps | 97.1% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,350 psi | 89% | 2559 fps | 97.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,045 psi | 86% | 2431 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,422 psi | 87% | 2503 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,508 psi | 85% | 2605 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>> | 88% | 37,333 psi | 80% | 2490 fps | 95% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,928 psi | 84% | 2444 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 12.6 gr | 82% | 25,860 psi | 56% | 2323 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 90% | 35,157 psi | 76% | 2497 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,682 psi | 45% | 1463 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,824 psi | 75% | 2484 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,285 psi | 67% | 2362 fps | 95.9% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,247 psi | 85% | 2543 fps | 96.5% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,632 psi | 66% | 2359 fps | 98.8% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 94% | 34,258 psi | 74% | 2539 fps | 95.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,363 psi | 44% | 1499 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 12.8 gr | 80% | 30,197 psi | 65% | 2379 fps | 95.4% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,247 psi | 85% | 2543 fps | 96.5% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,218 psi | 82% | 2500 fps | 97.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,095 psi | 63% | 2228 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,419 psi | 78% | 2434 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 12.3 gr | 80% | 24,787 psi | 53% | 2257 fps | 96.1% |
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 17 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 60gr | Sierra Tipped MatchKing. Norma 200 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,687 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,637 fps to 2,687 fps. Hodgdon TrailBoss gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 17 of the 17 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 60–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 60.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:10.0 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, Vihtavuori N120, ReloadSwiss RS 36 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 60gr | Sierra Tipped MatchKing 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.