Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .221 Rem. Fireball with .224 | 70gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point bullet and 19 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are Norma 200, Alliant Reloder-10x and ADI AR 2207.
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>> | 86% | 40,451 psi | 87% | 2392 fps | 97.9% |
| Accurate 2015ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,478 psi | 81% | 2428 fps | 96.4% |
| ADI AR 2207 | <<locked>> | 92% | 40,959 psi | 88% | 2487 fps | 100% |
| Alliant AR-Compᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 34,679 psi | 75% | 2431 fps | 97.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,712 psi | 88% | 2507 fps | 98.3% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 90% | 40,959 psi | 88% | 2444 fps | 98.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 94% | 41,408 psi | 89% | 2415 fps | 95.8% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 30,342 psi | 65% | 1549 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 96% | 41,350 psi | 89% | 2461 fps | 99% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 84% | 40,553 psi | 87% | 2388 fps | 99.6% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,408 psi | 89% | 2395 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | <<locked>> | 94% | 40,770 psi | 88% | 2497 fps | 98.9% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 29,834 psi | 64% | 1581 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 86% | 41,727 psi | 90% | 2451 fps | 99.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 88% | 40,886 psi | 88% | 2257 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 96% | 39,682 psi | 86% | 2457 fps | 95.9% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 92% | 41,220 psi | 89% | 2451 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 98% | 40,161 psi | 87% | 2431 fps | 97.8% |
| Vihtavuori N133ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,028 psi | 80% | 2369 fps | 95.7% |
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>> | 80% | 32,895 psi | 71% | 2247 fps | 95.9% |
| Accurate 2015 | <<locked>> | 98% | 34,650 psi | 75% | 2375 fps | 95.5% |
| ADI AR 2207 | 12.6 gr | 80% | 28,689 psi | 62% | 2241 fps | 98.5% |
| Alliant AR-Comp | <<locked>> | 94% | 29,385 psi | 63% | 2300 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-10x | 13.9 gr | 88% | 29,820 psi | 64% | 2283 fps | 95.1% |
| Alliant Reloder-7 | <<locked>> | 80% | 30,269 psi | 65% | 2228 fps | 95.8% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 106 | <<locked>> | 92% | 38,551 psi | 83% | 2365 fps | 95% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,799 psi | 47% | 1375 fps | 100% |
| IMR 4198 | <<locked>> | 84% | 29,515 psi | 64% | 2208 fps | 95.7% |
| IMR 4227 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,027 psi | 78% | 2306 fps | 99% |
| Lovex S053 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,809 psi | 75% | 2277 fps | 100% |
| Norma 200 | 13.5 gr | 82% | 28,355 psi | 61% | 2238 fps | 95.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 21,567 psi | 46% | 1407 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 36 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,157 psi | 76% | 2329 fps | 98.8% |
| SNPE Vectan BA6 1/2 | <<locked>> | 80% | 32,996 psi | 71% | 2129 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 3 | <<locked>> | 94% | 37,550 psi | 81% | 2415 fps | 95.2% |
| Vihtavuori N120 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,008 psi | 63% | 2218 fps | 99.3% |
| Vihtavuori N130 | <<locked>> | 90% | 31,415 psi | 68% | 2257 fps | 95.3% |
| Vihtavuori N133 | <<locked>> | 98% | 34,998 psi | 75% | 2329 fps | 95% |
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 19 powders for .221 Rem. Fireball loaded with the .224 | 70gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point. Alliant Reloder-10x delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,507 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,549 fps to 2,507 fps. Accurate 2015 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 19 of the 19 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (320 MPa), the top charges use 64–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 70.0 gr projectile in 0.224" calls for a 1:12.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 2015, Alliant AR-Comp, Hodgdon TrailBoss 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, Alliant Reloder-10x, ADI AR 2207 rank at the top here: for .221 Rem. Fireball with the .224 | 70gr | Speer Varmint Soft Point 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.