Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 62gr | Barnes TAC-X 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, ReloadSwiss RS 36 and Lovex S053.
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% | 40,263 psi | 87% | 2487 fps | 95.8% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 82% | 39,697 psi | 86% | 2402 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 98% | 39,508 psi | 85% | 2589 fps | 99.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,856 psi | 86% | 2536 fps | 96.6% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,195 psi | 61% | 1591 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,740 psi | 83% | 2510 fps | 96.4% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,901 psi | 88% | 2503 fps | 98.5% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,059 psi | 86% | 2500 fps | 96.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,147 psi | 89% | 2516 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,769 psi | 84% | 2579 fps | 96.8% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 27,456 psi | 59% | 1627 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,684 psi | 90% | 2566 fps | 98.5% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 82% | 40,059 psi | 86% | 2500 fps | 96.7% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 84% | 41,901 psi | 90% | 2510 fps | 97.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,727 psi | 88% | 2385 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,770 psi | 88% | 2454 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 98% | 39,900 psi | 86% | 2556 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% | 37,869 psi | 82% | 2444 fps | 95.1% |
| ADI AR 2205 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,304 psi | 80% | 2359 fps | 99.8% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 12.3 gr | 84% | 25,831 psi | 56% | 2277 fps | 95.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 35,201 psi | 76% | 2444 fps | 95.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 20,117 psi | 43% | 1417 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 96% | 35,056 psi | 76% | 2431 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,617 psi | 64% | 2267 fps | 95.3% |
| Lovex D060 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,666 psi | 81% | 2448 fps | 96% |
| Lovex S053 | 11.2 gr | 80% | 28,732 psi | 62% | 2264 fps | 98.3% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,040 psi | 73% | 2487 fps | 95.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 19,696 psi | 42% | 1450 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | 12.5 gr | 82% | 30,458 psi | 66% | 2336 fps | 95.5% |
| Shooters World Buffalo Rifle | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,666 psi | 81% | 2448 fps | 96% |
| Shooters World SOCOM | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,985 psi | 80% | 2418 fps | 96.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 27,673 psi | 60% | 2149 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,040 psi | 73% | 2339 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 23,192 psi | 50% | 2165 fps | 95.3% |
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 24 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 62gr | Barnes TAC-X. ADI AR 2207 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,589 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,591 fps to 2,589 fps. ADI AR 2219 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 24 of the 24 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 62.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:9.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. ADI AR 2219, Alliant Reloder-10x, Baschieri & Pellagri 106 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, Lovex S053 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 62gr | Barnes TAC-X they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate LT-30, ADI AR 2219, Alliant Reloder-10x burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.