222 or 221 Fireball

bluestem

New member
New poster to the forum. I looking at getting another calling rifle and can't decide between a 222 or 221 fireball. My grandad had a 222 and I have always wanted to get myself one, but last year I hunted some with a friends 221 FB and really did like it. If you could offer any advice, I would greatly appreciate it.
 
Ok before any other smarta$$e$ answer before me, I will say it! Why limit yourself, I have both in fact two .222 and one .221 FB so just get both. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Honestly, they are both great rounds and for the longest time the .222 ruled the benchrest competitions. When Remington came out with the first production rifle in the .221 Fireball the Remington 700 Classic, I bought one and love it as much as my triple deuces! It's a personal preference in my opinion. Either way you can't go wrong.
 
I'll say this I've never had a problem finding .222 brass. Now .221 fireball is another story. I like the fireball but if I could only have one it's the .222 hands down.
 
I have two .221FB CZ rifles and both are super duper shooting rifles.

The Fireball burns little powder and is relatively quiet and extremely accurate.

Get the Fireball. New factory ammo is easy to get at Sportsman's Warehouse (I buy a few boxes every time I go there).

My CZ rifles shoot Rem factory ammo sub-half MOA.

They kill coyotes very well for all my shots, so far (all taken at less than 140 yards).

Good hunting,

Karl in Phoenix
 
Bluestem,

The CZ .221 Fireball is a rifle scaled-down to the size of the cartridge.

Hold one and work the single-set trigger and you will be a quick convert to the mini-mauser CZ.

Good Hunting,

Karl in Phoenix
 
The 222 is a great old cartridge and will do anything the 221 will in the same size and weight rifle. Plus it will get up near 223 if you need the extra umph. The 221 was developed for a short barrelled pistol that couldn't make use of the extra capacity of the 222.


AWS
 
Another vote for the triple duece!

If for no other reason then the availablity of brass, seems to be a shortage on the 221FB.
I do own the 221FB, but in the Contender platform(so it might be the reason it's so picky about the load?)
My triple duece is actually a Savage action with a PacNor barrel....way to accurate!




Scott (shoots better then I can hold) B
 
I have a Remington 722, Mod 7 and Sako L461 Vixen in .222 plus a Rem 700 LVSF in .221 Fireball and love them all. The .222's handle the 50 gr. bullets a little better than the Fireball but with 40 gr. Sierra BK's the Fireball is just awsome.

For varmint's, I think it's a dead heat between the two. For coyotes, I think the .222 with the 50 or 55 gr. bullets might be just a little better.

All in all, you won't go wrong with whatever you pick. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I think both are nearly identical cartridges, relativly quiet, minimal recoil, and both benifit from reloading. I believe both are at their best with 40 grain bullets, preferably nosler ballistic tips. You would not go wrong with either, but you will probably wind up with at least one of each.
 
Never used or owned a 221 Fireball so am saying nothing about it. BUT I love my 222. Most people that I know of won't part with one if they have it which says a lot about them.
 
I also have both and would not do without either. You really can't go wrong with either one...... if you handload. There is not a wide selection of factory ammo for the Fireball.
 
i have and always will have both, i like the little fireball but as stated above the brass and factory offerings are better for the duece at 1 time the duece was known to be exceptionaly accurate which they still are but i think that alot of other rounds have caught them. i know that both of my fireballs will shoot with my 222s 1 other thing to think about if you reload and plan on getting a 223 it is very easy to mix the 223 and 222 brass when loading unlike the fireball Ron
 
Love the little Furball! I never knew such a small thing could be such fun! And accurate!

Took a whole bunch of ground squirrels with mine once again this year with a couple of them at over 275 yards, and just plain wore out many dozen praire dogs with it at like yardages out in Wyoming too. As a matter of fact, if I could only take two centerfires with me (my varminter AR-15 being 1st pick) to shoot praire dogs with it would be one of them.

No stones being hurled at the triple duece, not at all, but it takes a back seat in the fun department to the 221. Get one!
 
The .221 Fireball has a passionate following. It fills a place where the power of a .222Rem/.223Rem/5.56x45mm may not be needed and where accuracy is prized.

In a 22 inch rifle, the little Fireball performs way beyond the size of the little cartridge case.

Karl in Phoenix
 
I am getting 3400fps out of my Fireballs with 40 grain bullets. They are a blast on the PD towns, in a good shootin rifle, its a 300 to 325 yard gun on a praire dog town, I know, I have done it. As far as brass being hard to find, yes at first but in about 4 weeks and a couple contacts, I had 800 rounds skwirled away. With modest loads they should last a very long time. Ammo is available off the shelf too but only in a 50 grain offering from Remington, who at this time are the only ones making brass or ammo for the fireball.
 
I'd go with the triple deuce as well. It was a proven BR cartridge for 20 years, the fireball dont come close in accuracy, sorry guys...

I've got a triple deuce in a model 700 and its the best shooting rifle I own inside of 300 yards... It shoots 40's at 3600, and 55's at 3100 into little bitty groups and I've only lost 1 coyote with it, which was a bad hit on a running shot. My rifle dont seem to like 50's, so I've stuck with 40's and recently been messin with the 55's.

You probly cant go wrong with either, but if I had to choose, I'd pick the triple deuce and never look back.
 
My buddy in Baker has a worked over Fireball. It has a take off BR HV barrel on Rem M-7. Earlier this year, we went shooting. I hate to admit it, he outshot my 22ppc with that fireball, a couple of times.
blush.gif


Both are hunting rifles.
 
Quote:
.. the fireball dont come close in accuracy, sorry guys...



I'm not too sure what you mean by dont come close, and not too sure that you are staying on top of things. The big thing around these parts is to rebarrel or at least recut and rethread old .222 rifles into the 221 FB. Most sought after are the old Remington 788 or 700 rifles. Some cant wait and will buy a new Stevens 200 in .223 and yank that barrel off and mount a .221 barrel in its place. I am keeping my eyes open for an older 700 in 222, 222 Mag or 223 so I can do the same thing. I dont have me a Fireball yet, but I plan on having me one soon.
 
The triple duece is the Fireballs daddy,You can't go wrong with either.The Fireball will come very close to equal performance on much less powder,and a lot of fun to shoot.
 
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