Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 69gr | Sierra MatchKing bullet and 16 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% | 40,886 psi | 88% | 2392 fps | 97.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,944 psi | 88% | 2487 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 33,228 psi | 72% | 2385 fps | 96.7% |
| Alliant Reloder-10xᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 40,930 psi | 88% | 2507 fps | 97.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,104 psi | 89% | 2444 fps | 98.2% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,370 psi | 63% | 1526 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 98% | 41,611 psi | 90% | 2457 fps | 98.6% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,408 psi | 89% | 2398 fps | 99.5% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 86% | 39,697 psi | 86% | 2365 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 96% | 40,828 psi | 88% | 2493 fps | 98.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 28,863 psi | 62% | 1562 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 86% | 40,176 psi | 87% | 2421 fps | 99.3% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 90% | 41,437 psi | 89% | 2267 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 82% | 41,771 psi | 90% | 2333 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,278 psi | 89% | 2451 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 39,740 psi | 86% | 2418 fps | 97.2% |
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>> | 82% | 33,649 psi | 73% | 2257 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 12 gr | 80% | 26,643 psi | 57% | 2188 fps | 97.4% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 98% | 31,357 psi | 68% | 2343 fps | 95.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 92% | 32,097 psi | 69% | 2336 fps | 95.4% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 82% | 30,632 psi | 66% | 2234 fps | 95.3% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,350 psi | 46% | 1362 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 86% | 29,979 psi | 65% | 2215 fps | 95.2% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,403 psi | 74% | 2270 fps | 98.3% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,083 psi | 71% | 2241 fps | 99.8% |
| Norma 200 | 13.5 gr | 86% | 29,718 psi | 64% | 2270 fps | 95.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,103 psi | 45% | 1394 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,924 psi | 71% | 2280 fps | 97.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,836 psi | 69% | 2110 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N110 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,233 psi | 85% | 2293 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | 12 gr | 80% | 27,021 psi | 58% | 2165 fps | 98.5% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 94% | 33,330 psi | 72% | 2297 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 32 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 69gr | Sierra MatchKing. Alliant Reloder-10x delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,507 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,526 fps to 2,507 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 32 of the 32 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 69.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:10.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Accurate 2460, Alliant AR-Comp 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 | 69gr | Sierra MatchKing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate 2015, Accurate 2460, Accurate LT-30 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.