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.221 Remington Fire Ball
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Cartridge Drawing
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Introduced in 1963, the .221 Fire Ball and its Experimental Pistol Number 100 were the brainchild of Remington's Wayne Leek. An abbreviated single shot version of Leek's Remington Model 600 Carbine, the pistol was introduced to the shooting world as the XP-100. During it development stages, the XP-100 was first chambered for the .222 Remington cartridge, but Leek eventually decided it burned a bit more powder then was necessary in a 10-3/4 inch barrel. Consequently, the .222 case was shortened to 1.40 inches and the new cartridge became known as the .221 Fire Ball. Muzzle velocity with a 50 grain bullet was advertised as 2650 fps.
During the infancy of handgun metallic silhouette shooting, the 221 Fire Ball was mildly popular among competitors in that sport, but as more powerful cartridges became available in the XP-100, it went back to doing what it had always done best, tumbling varmints at distances handgunners had never thought possible before its introduction. Even today the 221 Fire Ball is an excellent choice for varminting with single shot handguns. When chambered in custom XP-100 or Contender barrels measuring 14-16 inches long, it is only about 150 fps slower than the more popular 223 Remington.
For shooting varmints at long range with th .221 Fire Ball, 50 grain bullets with extremely thin jackets are the very best choices. Good examples are the Nosler Expander, Hornady Super Explosive, Sierra Blitz, and Speer TNT. H4227 is an excellent powder for this mild mannered little cartridge.
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Cartridge:
.221
Weight:
50 grain
In Production:
1963-
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