Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 63gr | Sierra VarmintKing bullet and 15 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Norma 200, ADI AR 2207 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>> | 88% | 40,379 psi | 87% | 2516 fps | 96.9% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,683 psi | 88% | 2625 fps | 99.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,103 psi | 86% | 2628 fps | 97.2% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,698 psi | 88% | 2572 fps | 97.7% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,993 psi | 62% | 1621 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,423 psi | 89% | 2589 fps | 98.1% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,277 psi | 87% | 2516 fps | 99% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,698 psi | 90% | 2539 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,103 psi | 86% | 2618 fps | 97.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,138 psi | 63% | 1670 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 88% | 41,771 psi | 90% | 2585 fps | 99.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,712 psi | 88% | 2392 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,249 psi | 89% | 2467 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,959 psi | 88% | 2585 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,044 psi | 84% | 2536 fps | 96.5% |
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>> | 84% | 35,505 psi | 77% | 2421 fps | 95.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 12.8 gr | 80% | 26,585 psi | 57% | 2306 fps | 96.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 94% | 33,083 psi | 71% | 2484 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 84% | 31,981 psi | 69% | 2388 fps | 95.1% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,466 psi | 46% | 1453 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 88% | 31,502 psi | 68% | 2375 fps | 95.1% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,794 psi | 73% | 2385 fps | 97.7% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,634 psi | 70% | 2362 fps | 99.6% |
| Norma 200 | 14.7 gr | 88% | 31,343 psi | 68% | 2434 fps | 95.4% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,132 psi | 46% | 1490 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,721 psi | 71% | 2405 fps | 97.2% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,111 psi | 67% | 2224 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,841 psi | 84% | 2428 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 12.8 gr | 80% | 26,905 psi | 58% | 2287 fps | 97.9% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 96% | 34,867 psi | 75% | 2454 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 15 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 63gr | Sierra VarmintKing. Alliant Reloder-10x delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,628 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,621 fps to 2,628 fps. Alliant Reloder-10x gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 15 of the 15 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 62–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 63.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:12.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Alliant Reloder-10x, Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 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. Norma 200, ADI AR 2207, Vihtavuori N120 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 63gr | 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.