.221 Remington Fireball
Encyclopedia
The .221 Remington Fireball was created by Remington Arms Company in 1963 for use in their single-shot
bolt-action
pistol
called the XP-100
. This was a special round designed for an experimental pistol, and has the highest velocity of any commercial pistol cartridge
.
. They wanted a highly accurate pistol that would be well suited for competition. After working with the .222 Remington
they realized that it contained more powder than was necessary for the shorter barrels that are used even by specialty pistols. Typical rifle barrels range from approximately 18 to 26 in (45.7 to 66 cm), while typical pistol barrels range from 2 to 12 in (5.1 to 30.5 cm). Competition pistol sometimes have barrels as long as 16 in (40.6 cm), still making them shorter than the shortest rifle barrels.
The decision was made by Remington to base their new cartridge on a shortened version of the .222, optimized for their new XP-100 gun. The cartridge gained some popularity with silhouette shooters and varminters, but still takes a back seat to the more common .223 Remington
.
Today the XP-100 is no longer in production. .221 shooters can still get Thompson Contender single-shot
pistols chambered for the Fireball, and some rifle manufacturers are making guns for this cartridge as well. Like the .222 and .223, the .221 is well suited for the high-volume shooting for varmint hunting, having almost the same velocity and trajectory out to almost 300 yards.
pressure levels are actually set higher for the .221 Remington Fireball at 52,000 C.U.P. than for the .222 Remington at 46,000 C.U.P. This was done in an effort to compensate for the shorter pistol-length barrels expected to be used. Because of this higher pressure, in a rifle length barrel the .221 is capable of velocities equal to that of the .222.
to create a small efficient .17 caliber cartridge. The most common is the .17 Mach IV
which is essentially the .221 necked down to the smaller caliber. This cartridge is reported to have a very flat trajectory and to be relatively quiet with low recoil. It has been so popular as a wildcat that in 2007 Remington legitimized it by introducing their own version only slightly different than the Mach IV and calling it the .17 Remington Fireball
. A .20 caliber version is also gaining popularity called the .20 VarTarg
(VT), "vartarg" being the combination of the words "varmint" and "target". The .221 Fireball has also been used as the base for the .300 Whisper
, sometimes referred to as the .300/.221 or .300 Fireball. It is also the basis for other cartridges in J.D. Jones' Whisper family including the 6mm Whisper, which has been adopted by Knight's Armament Corporation for their new Knight's Armament Company PDW
as the 6×35mm PDW.
Single-shot
Single-shot firearms are firearms that hold only a single round of ammunition, and must be reloaded after each shot. The history of firearms began with single-shot designs, and many centuries passed before multi-shot designs became commonplace...
bolt-action
Bolt-action
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon...
pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
called the XP-100
Remington XP-100
The Remington XP-100 is a bolt action pistol produced by Remington Arms from 1963 to 1998. The XP-100 was one of the first handguns designed for long range shooting, and introduced the .221 Remington Fireball , which is still the fastest handgun cartridge ever produced by a major ammunition maker...
. This was a special round designed for an experimental pistol, and has the highest velocity of any commercial pistol cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
.
History
In the early 1960s Remington was working on an experimental bolt-action pistol based on their model 600 actionRemington Model 600
Remington Arms Model 600 was a push-feed bolt-action rifle produced by Remington Arms from 1964–1968. While it is commonly believed that production ended in 1967, according to Remington representatives records indicate that it actually ended in 1968...
. They wanted a highly accurate pistol that would be well suited for competition. After working with the .222 Remington
.222 Remington
The .222 Remington aka the Triple Deuce/Triple Two/Treble Two is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1950, and was the first commercial rimless .22 cartridge made in the United States...
they realized that it contained more powder than was necessary for the shorter barrels that are used even by specialty pistols. Typical rifle barrels range from approximately 18 to 26 in (45.7 to 66 cm), while typical pistol barrels range from 2 to 12 in (5.1 to 30.5 cm). Competition pistol sometimes have barrels as long as 16 in (40.6 cm), still making them shorter than the shortest rifle barrels.
The decision was made by Remington to base their new cartridge on a shortened version of the .222, optimized for their new XP-100 gun. The cartridge gained some popularity with silhouette shooters and varminters, but still takes a back seat to the more common .223 Remington
.223 Remington
The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...
.
Today the XP-100 is no longer in production. .221 shooters can still get Thompson Contender single-shot
Single-shot
Single-shot firearms are firearms that hold only a single round of ammunition, and must be reloaded after each shot. The history of firearms began with single-shot designs, and many centuries passed before multi-shot designs became commonplace...
pistols chambered for the Fireball, and some rifle manufacturers are making guns for this cartridge as well. Like the .222 and .223, the .221 is well suited for the high-volume shooting for varmint hunting, having almost the same velocity and trajectory out to almost 300 yards.
Performance
SAAMISporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute is an association of American firearms and ammunition manufacturers...
pressure levels are actually set higher for the .221 Remington Fireball at 52,000 C.U.P. than for the .222 Remington at 46,000 C.U.P. This was done in an effort to compensate for the shorter pistol-length barrels expected to be used. Because of this higher pressure, in a rifle length barrel the .221 is capable of velocities equal to that of the .222.
Offshoots
The .221 Fireball has been used by wildcattersWildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
to create a small efficient .17 caliber cartridge. The most common is the .17 Mach IV
.17 Mach IV
The .17 Mach IV is a wildcat centerfire rifle cartridge, based on the .221 Remington Fireball case, necked down to fire a .172 bullet. The cartridge was introduced in 1962 by Vern O’Brien it offered an easy case conversion and good ballistics but could not compete against the .17 Remington.The name...
which is essentially the .221 necked down to the smaller caliber. This cartridge is reported to have a very flat trajectory and to be relatively quiet with low recoil. It has been so popular as a wildcat that in 2007 Remington legitimized it by introducing their own version only slightly different than the Mach IV and calling it the .17 Remington Fireball
.17 Remington Fireball
The .17 Remington Fireball was created in 2007 by Remington Arms Company as a response to the popular wildcat round, the .17 Mach IV. Factory loads drive a 20 grain bullet around 4,000 ft/s . Velocity is close to the .17 Remington but with significantly less powder, and therefore less heat and...
. A .20 caliber version is also gaining popularity called the .20 VarTarg
.20 VarTarg
The .20 VarTarg is a wildcat centerfire rifle cartridge, based on the .221 Remington Fireball case, necked down to fire a .204 bullet. The VarTarg is most popular with varmint hunters because it provides good range and uses relatively little powder, so the rifle barrel doesn't heat up quite as fast...
(VT), "vartarg" being the combination of the words "varmint" and "target". The .221 Fireball has also been used as the base for the .300 Whisper
.300 Whisper
The .300 Whisper is a wildcat cartridge in the Whisper family, a group of cartridges developed in the early 1990s by J.D. Jones of SSK Industries...
, sometimes referred to as the .300/.221 or .300 Fireball. It is also the basis for other cartridges in J.D. Jones' Whisper family including the 6mm Whisper, which has been adopted by Knight's Armament Corporation for their new Knight's Armament Company PDW
Knight's Armament Company PDW
The Knight's Armament Company 6x35mm PDW is an experimental personal defense weapon designed by KAC, firing a new 6mm cartridge optimized for short barrel weapons....
as the 6×35mm PDW.