remington XP-100 in 221 fireball

[warboar_21]

Anyone shooting a fireball in an XP-100? I have a chance to buy one at a reasonable price and I honestly know very little about the cartridge. I have always wanted an
XP-100 since I first shot a friends fathers custom in .223Rem.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[Guesser]

I shoot a 10" Contender in 221. I like it. I stick to 45 gr. JSP and A1680 powder. Great combination.

[MarkP]

Buy it if you are getting a good price. You can sell these fairly easily, fun gun to shoot only downside 221's are kind of pricy for what they are ~ $49 - $52 / 100 vs 223's at about half that. I have made 221's from 222's and 223's not too difficult just need to neck ream.

All of the reloading books describe it as a shortened 222 Rem, more accurately it should be described as a shortened 223 as it maintains the neck dimensions of the 223 Rem.

Easy on powder between approximately 15 - 19 gr depending on powder and bullet weight. I would say an honest 225 yd varmint cartridge, it makes a fine prairie dog round.

XP100's will generally out shoot most rifles. These getting old enough that a decent percentage of people will not know what you are shooting if you bring it to a range.

[contender1]

I owned one a few decades ago. A LNIB gun I bought off a dentist that had a fairly low 4 digit serial number. It's one of those guns I fully regret selling. I was younger, and didn't have the $$ to afford buying others w/o selling something.
The 221 Fireball is a sweetheart of a caliber,, and it's rough on varmints. Yes,,, factory ammo is a bit pricey,,, but you can buy brass & reload.
My advice? Do not hesitate,,, buy it & have FUN!!!!!!!

[warboar_21]

Thanks for the replies. The gun comes with dies, scope, brass, loaded ammo, and case. I have to make arrangements to see it in person first and if all is well then it will come home with me.

[warboar_21]

So I was finally able to meet up with the seller. I looked it over and decided on bringing it home with me. It came with a set of Lee Dies and a box of hand loaded ammo. I am thinking i'll pull it down but the notes on the box are well within spec according to Hodgdon's website. The scope is a Nikon 2x with a fine duplex.
I'm looking forward to shooting this one. Looks like it's going to be a lot of fun.

[shoot-n-lead]

I had a Fireball some years ago...shot great, but I had it bumped out to .223 about 15yrs ago, during a time that brass was all but impossible to find...still have it in the safe along with a 7BR that I bought new in 1994 that has been shot about 40 times.

[Greg S]

Remington brass has been unobtainium since before the O administration. Previous prices were pretty steep for factory brass and factory rounds are over a $1.00 each. Brass can be made from factory 223 but it is a labor of love, size, bulk trim, anneal, lathe trim, rebump and neck turn. Lapua has started manufacturing brass and it is available through Powder Valley. Making a 100 is one thing, 300 is painful and the added price increase for Lapua is welcomed.

[warboar_21]

Bass pro had a few boxes of factory ammo and I saw a box of nosler brass at another store. I just wanted to wait until I had gun in hand before I bought either one. Since it's a single shot I think I could get away with a hundred or so pieces of brass to start out.

I will be shooting it this afternoon and am counting down the hours.

Anyone have recommendations for loading? I think 50gr nosler BT are the lightest bullets I have. That's what the factory Remington ammo I was seeing is so it might be where I will start. Powder I have is Reloader 7, IMR 4227, h110, and 296.

[Hickok]

Grab it. Also get a very good set of ear protection.

[gnostic]

I have and shoot an XP-100 in 221 Fireball, it's the best. I'd guess mine would shoot 1/2" with a 20x scope. I'm interested in shooting cast bullets but haven't yet tried them. I doubt that a 55 grain bullet would stabilize in a XP-100, 10" barrel.

I haven't been able to get a hold, rest etc, where I can't see movement with a four power scope. I make cases out of 223's with a trim die and then neck ream. When I seat the bullet touching the lands, I can load more than enough 4895 to fill the case otherwise not.

[376Steyr]

I have one in a Remington rifle, 22" barrel. I use 40 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips and a near max load of Reloder 7 powder for most excellent performance out past 200 yards on ground squirrels. Outdoors, with a rifle, foam ear plugs are all you need. I don't know what this load would sound like out of a pistol-length barrel.

[warboar_21]

I'm going to try the 50gr bullet first and see if they work prior to me buying a bunch of 40 or 45gr bullets.

[Dale53]

I had a Remington XP-100 and used the action to build a competitive bench rest rifle (which I still have). I became enamored of the .221 cartridge and got a TC Contender barrel (14"). It is a tack driver. I used it mostly with cast Lyman 225415 bullets. My favorite squirrel load for it is 4.0 grs. of Unique behind the 225415. Off a bench, this one will easily do 1/2" five shot groups at fifty yards. The flat nose works VERY well on squirrels (far better than the .22 rimfire). I also had a Ruger #3 with custom wood chambered in .221. It was a dandy varmint cartridge at reasonable ranges. I used mostly fifty grain bullets.

All in all, the .221 is a FINE cartridge. I had a number of Hornets over the years and was happy with the medium range and power for a varmint cartridge but tired of the weak brass. The .221 does everything that a Hornet does and a good bit more, with excellent, strong brass (whether original caliber cases or made from .223's).

Dale53