Lindcott Armory Pistol · SAAMI
.221 Remington Fireball
A shortened .222 Remington designed for the XP-100 bolt-action pistol.
- Caliber
- 0.224″ · 5.69 mm
- Introduced
- 1963
- Case
- Rimless
- Parent
- .222 Remington
- Primary use
- Competition, Varmint
- Status
- Active
- Introduced
- 1963
- Type
- Pistol
- Origin
- United States
- Inventor
- Remington
- Manufacturer
- Remington
- Standard
- SAAMI
- Status
- Active
- Availability
- Common
- Case capacity
- 13.5 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:14
- Primer
- Small Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 52,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 200 yd
- Max range
- 500 yd
- Recoil
- 3.5–5 ft·lb
Ballistics
- By real loads
- 2,620–3,000 fps · 16 loads
- Parent case
- .222 Remington
Representative trajectory — modeled from a single velocity input (no published BC for this cartridge yet).
Performance
Buy links open .221 Remington Fireball ammunition at Rivertown Munitions.
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
SAAMI · verified| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 5.69 | 0.224 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 6.43 | 0.253 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 9.19 | 0.362 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 23° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 9.55 | 0.376 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 9.60 | 0.378 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.14 | 0.045 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 5.14 | 0.202 | ≈ |
| Case length | 35.56 | 1.400 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 46.48 | 1.830 | ✓ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .221 Remington Fireball is highlighted below.
Factory loads
In production — 16 active loads across 14 brands. Top 15 shown · see all 20 →.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | FPS | ft·lb | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady | V-MAX | 40 | V-MAX | 3,000 | 799 | — |
| Nosler | Varmageddon HP FB | 40 | HP FB | 3,000 | 799 | — |
| HSM | V-MAX | 40 | V-MAX | 3,000 | 799 | — |
| Remington | AccuTip-V V-MAX | 50 | AccuTip-V | 2,995 | 996 | — |
| Black Hills | Gold | 50 | Hollow Point BT | 2,900 | 934 | — |
| Cor-Bon | DPX | 50 | Solid Copper HP | 2,900 | 934 | — |
| Armscor | FMJ | 50 | FMJ | 2,900 | 934 | — |
| Wolf | FMJ | 50 | FMJ | 2,900 | 934 | — |
| Doubletap | Lead-Free | 50 | Solid Copper HP | 2,850 | 902 | — |
| PPU | SP | 50 | Soft Point | 2,850 | 902 | — |
| HSM Ammunition | Varmint | 52 | V-MAX | 2,800 | 905 | — |
| Buffalo Bore | Heavy | 52 | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,800 | 905 | — |
| Remington | HP | 50 | HP | 2,650 | 780 | — |
| Cor-Bon | Cor-Bon Hunter | 50 | JHP | 2,650 | 780 | — |
| DoubleTap | DT Hunter | 50 | JHP | 2,650 | 780 | — |
Velocities are manufacturer-stated (test-barrel). Discontinued loads dimmed.
Suitable powders
7 reloading powders listed for .221 Remington Fireball, fastest to slowest. Cross-reference in the finder →
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Firearms chambered in .221 Remington Fireball
2 models in the database chamber .221 Remington Fireball. Browse all →
Lineage
Connected reference
History
Remington created it specifically for the XP-100 bolt-action handgun in 1963. The XP-100 was the world's first modern bolt-action centerfire pistol. The Fireball's short case was optimized for 10-14" barrels. It later became a parent case for wildcats and inspired the .17 Fireball.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .221 Remington Fireball use?
- .221 Remington Fireball typically uses a 1:14 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .221 Remington Fireball?
- .221 Remington Fireball uses a 0.224″ (5.69 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .221 Remington Fireball still in production?
- .221 Remington Fireball is active; typical availability is common.
- What is .221 Remington Fireball used for?
- .221 Remington Fireball is primarily used for competition, varmint.
- What is .221 Remington Fireball based on?
- .221 Remington Fireball is derived from the .222 Remington case.
- What are the best powders for .221 Remington Fireball?
- Reloading powders commonly listed for .221 Remington Fireball include Accurate 1680, N130, H322, Benchmark, among 7 suitable options.
Sources & provenance
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 16 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →