Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 60gr | Sierra VarmintKing 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, Alliant Reloder-7 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>> | 90% | 40,306 psi | 87% | 2556 fps | 96% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,205 psi | 87% | 2667 fps | 99.5% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,405 psi | 81% | 2625 fps | 95.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,466 psi | 87% | 2612 fps | 96.9% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,500 psi | 61% | 1647 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 41,365 psi | 89% | 2631 fps | 97.4% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,930 psi | 88% | 2575 fps | 98.6% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,872 psi | 90% | 2605 fps | 97.3% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,437 psi | 89% | 2585 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 98% | 39,508 psi | 85% | 2654 fps | 97.1% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 27,876 psi | 60% | 1683 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 88% | 39,146 psi | 84% | 2585 fps | 98.2% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,872 psi | 90% | 2605 fps | 97.3% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,495 psi | 89% | 2572 fps | 98% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,466 psi | 87% | 2444 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,930 psi | 88% | 2520 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,582 psi | 87% | 2631 fps | 99.9% |
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% | 38,101 psi | 82% | 2513 fps | 95.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 12.8 gr | 82% | 26,165 psi | 56% | 2339 fps | 95.6% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 98% | 35,288 psi | 76% | 2579 fps | 95% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | 14.6 gr | 90% | 36,100 psi | 78% | 2526 fps | 95.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,943 psi | 45% | 1476 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 94% | 35,056 psi | 76% | 2500 fps | 95.5% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,300 psi | 70% | 2395 fps | 96.5% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,523 psi | 85% | 2559 fps | 96.8% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,038 psi | 67% | 2375 fps | 99% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 92% | 33,243 psi | 72% | 2526 fps | 95.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,581 psi | 44% | 1512 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,501 psi | 66% | 2395 fps | 95.7% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,523 psi | 85% | 2559 fps | 96.8% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,233 psi | 85% | 2530 fps | 97.5% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,559 psi | 64% | 2244 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,941 psi | 80% | 2451 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 12.5 gr | 80% | 25,077 psi | 54% | 2277 fps | 96.4% |
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 VarmintKing. ADI AR 2207 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,667 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,647 fps to 2,667 fps. Alliant Reloder-10x 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 1:11.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Alliant Reloder-10x, 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, Alliant Reloder-7, Vihtavuori N120 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 60gr | Sierra 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.