Lrreloader
Well-Known Member
I second 40 grain b.t. v-max
.221 fireball
- Thread starter Lrreloader
- Start date
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sw282
Well-Known Member
l won an auction for 200 rds of 221FB earlier this yr... 160 rds are loaded with 60 being Orange tipped.. They were bought as components ONLY.. l don't shoot unknown reloads EVER... lt will be interesting just what these bullets are. l did pull a SP round apart however... 50gr bullet with NEW RP brass. l think l will be able to salvage my $26 winning bid
Lrreloader
Well-Known Member
$26 for 200 PC's of brass!!! Great deal
sw282
Well-Known Member
Shipping was a bit on the HIGH side tho.:-( lt was ''ORMD'' or ammo
Lrreloader
Well-Known Member
Oh... Lucky for me I fell into s few deals and have around 1,000 new Remington and 200 Lapua. Should be a lifetime supply
Seems there's not much discussion about the efficiency of the 221 Fireball. I bought my Rem 700 LVSF (Light Varmint Stainless Fluted) several years ago thinking it would be a fun gun and inexpensive round to play with during retirement. I think I was right on both counts but I'm still working and not retired.
I looked at all the "in-class" cartridges before I decided on the 221 Fireball. In my estimation nothing else even came close and I'm very happy with my decision and my purchase. Using recently developed powders the Fireball is right on the ballistic heels of the 223 and is really inexpensive to load.
Folks talk about the inherent accuracy of certain cartridges. What the heck does that mean? I think there is a relationship between a consistent and constant pressure front behind the bullet and the shape of the case. Short fat cases compared to the bullet diameter seen to be very accurate. I've never seen a good treatise as to why this is but it seems to work and the 221 Fireball (and derivatives) demonstrate it to be true. The Fireball appears to be in a sweet spot for the best of all worlds.
I looked at all the "in-class" cartridges before I decided on the 221 Fireball. In my estimation nothing else even came close and I'm very happy with my decision and my purchase. Using recently developed powders the Fireball is right on the ballistic heels of the 223 and is really inexpensive to load.
Folks talk about the inherent accuracy of certain cartridges. What the heck does that mean? I think there is a relationship between a consistent and constant pressure front behind the bullet and the shape of the case. Short fat cases compared to the bullet diameter seen to be very accurate. I've never seen a good treatise as to why this is but it seems to work and the 221 Fireball (and derivatives) demonstrate it to be true. The Fireball appears to be in a sweet spot for the best of all worlds.
My Fireball - I was working/living in upstate NY and the local Gander Mountain in Binghamton, NY, put a Rem 700 LVSF on sale for $599. At the time it was a limited production run and the only one I had ever seen. I put it on layaway.
NY experienced extreme flooding. The "500 year flood" happened before I got the gun out of layaway. This specific Gander Mountain was all but destroyed by the flood. All inventory was lost and the good folks at Gander Mountain refunded me my money. I kept the receipt in my wallet for a long time ... just because.
It was 3 years before the Gander Mountain re-opened and they debated if they should ever re-open in this location. They did. I walked in, asked for the store manager, showed my receipt, and asked if they would honor my purchase. They said yes.
Good on Gander Mountain and woo hoo! I got my Fireball.
NY experienced extreme flooding. The "500 year flood" happened before I got the gun out of layaway. This specific Gander Mountain was all but destroyed by the flood. All inventory was lost and the good folks at Gander Mountain refunded me my money. I kept the receipt in my wallet for a long time ... just because.
It was 3 years before the Gander Mountain re-opened and they debated if they should ever re-open in this location. They did. I walked in, asked for the store manager, showed my receipt, and asked if they would honor my purchase. They said yes.
Good on Gander Mountain and woo hoo! I got my Fireball.
My Fireball cont .... I did extensive load development wit my Rem 700 LVSF 221 Fireball and discovered a few things.
1) The Tupperware stock that came standard with the LVSF was too soft. It would move on the gun and create random and inconsistent contact points on the barrel. I would get little bitty groups but they were all over the target depending on how I held the gun. I folded one of my business cards into 4ths and wedged it under the end of the synthetic stock. No more POI variation.
2) My Fireball liked every bullet I tried between 35 - 50 grains. I eventually settled on 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips.
3) I replaced the factory synthetic stock with a Boyd's Thumbhole Laminate. I lost the Light part of Light Varmint Stainless Fluted but the gun was now a tack driver with my handloads.
4) The gun has accounted for a large pile of varmints and crows.
1) The Tupperware stock that came standard with the LVSF was too soft. It would move on the gun and create random and inconsistent contact points on the barrel. I would get little bitty groups but they were all over the target depending on how I held the gun. I folded one of my business cards into 4ths and wedged it under the end of the synthetic stock. No more POI variation.
2) My Fireball liked every bullet I tried between 35 - 50 grains. I eventually settled on 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips.
3) I replaced the factory synthetic stock with a Boyd's Thumbhole Laminate. I lost the Light part of Light Varmint Stainless Fluted but the gun was now a tack driver with my handloads.
4) The gun has accounted for a large pile of varmints and crows.
Lrreloader
Well-Known Member
Awesome story
Lrreloader
Well-Known Member
On the inexpensive part of you post, I decided to build a small center fire because at the time .17 Mach 2 rimfire ammo was $15 a box if you could find it and I figured I could reload cheaper than that! So I had plans on a 22 hornet until an older gentleman said go with the fire ball and I did and love it. Only down side is PA. Changed verbage this year to .22 Cal RIMFIRE or less before it read .22 Cal or less which I interpreted as any .22 Cal. So my dreams of long range squirrel hunting has died before it started... Watch out ground hogs and fox!!!
Lrreloader
Well-Known Member
Yes, in NY we had a chicken coop. Foxes were always a problem. My youngest daughter treated the chickens like pets and gave them all names. When the fox killed 18 of 30 chickens she declared war.
Turned out we had a mating pair of foxes and they were successful with their brood.
My daughter would sit on top of the barn with the Fireball. She got several foxes and tried to claim the gun as hers since she killed all the critters. I was not ready to give the gun up ... so .... no.
She shot in 4-H all through her youth, 10 -18, and I bought her a CZ 455 and scoped it with a Weaver Rimfire scope. She kicked butt and for 3 consecutive years she outshot the instructor. It was very competitive and there was a waiting list for those who wanted in the program. John King ran a great program and won the 4H shooting sports Man of the Year. He taught lots of kids safety and shooting fundamentals. I was his assistant. My daughter had the highest average every year finishing 276 out of 300. These were kids shooting offhand at a pea sized bullseye at 50 feet. Try it and you will immediately understand how good the score is.
I'm sure I will will the Fireball to my youngest daughter.
Turned out we had a mating pair of foxes and they were successful with their brood.
My daughter would sit on top of the barn with the Fireball. She got several foxes and tried to claim the gun as hers since she killed all the critters. I was not ready to give the gun up ... so .... no.
She shot in 4-H all through her youth, 10 -18, and I bought her a CZ 455 and scoped it with a Weaver Rimfire scope. She kicked butt and for 3 consecutive years she outshot the instructor. It was very competitive and there was a waiting list for those who wanted in the program. John King ran a great program and won the 4H shooting sports Man of the Year. He taught lots of kids safety and shooting fundamentals. I was his assistant. My daughter had the highest average every year finishing 276 out of 300. These were kids shooting offhand at a pea sized bullseye at 50 feet. Try it and you will immediately understand how good the score is.
I'm sure I will will the Fireball to my youngest daughter.
Lrreloader
Well-Known Member
I'm in the process of aqcuiring a nib cz 452 scout in .22 LR for my daughter 1st birthday, haha a little young but it will be there for her when she is ready, I own the .221 fireball reamer so maby in the future more fireballs will be born.
