Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 221 fireball vs 20 vartarg

Would like to hear comments,, recomendations about building a 221 fireball vs a 20 vartarg, I want to be able to spot my shots ,, observe hits on prarie dogs,,, accuracy and bullet drop of each ,,,any difference between the two,,, gun will be about 7.5-8 lbs,,22 inch barrel, any difference in recoil? any and all comments appreciated

If you don't mind the minor hassles of a wildcat, I'd go .20 Vartarg.

The heaviest .224 bullets with decent ballistic coefficients are 40-grain plastic-tips, which can get 3400+ fps in a .221. But .caliber 32's have a similar BC, and in a .20 VT can get around 3700 fps. They shoot noticeably flatter and drift less in the wind than 40's in the .221.

My favorite cartridge on the Fireball case, however, is the .17 Remington Fireball. It really zips both 20's and 25 plastic-tips out there, and while you can spot your own shots with all three rounds, the .17 has the least recoil. But some handloaders have a hard time with the little bullets.

17 bullets aren't bad as after the first 10 or fifteen bullets, fingertips are plenty sensitive enough to feel the little bastids....

I agree with everything MD said in his reply. As I own rifles chambered for all three of the cartridges mentioned. Different from him my favorite is the 20 VarTarg, probably because that rifle is the most accurate. Finally should it become necessary to sell the two factory standard chamberings will probably move easier. Have run into very few people that know what the VarTarg is.

The .221 is really a hoot in a light sporter. The recoil is negligible and it is likely the "heavy" of the three.

My 700 Classic in the .221 does not recoil off target, making spotting shots easy, and the bark is noticeably quieter than a .223 of similar barrel length. Just a really fun walking-around varminter. If I am ever fortunate enough to shoot out the barrel on the .221 (highly unlikely as I suspect it will be good for many, many thousands of rounds), it would be really tempting to do the .20 Vartag as Mule Deer suggests, if for no other reason than it is different and has a very high "COOL" factor.

If really big game like chucks or jackrabbits is the goal, I would think the .221 would get the nod. While I have never owned or even shot a .17 Fireball I would think it would be near perfect for sage rats or p-dogs.

If I didn't like my Fireball so much, I'd have a 20 VT.

I have Two .221 fireballs and one vartarg and I really favor the vartarg fast and flat.

quarterboredave,

A buddy has a custom Vartarg that is SUPER accurate, but then it has a custom barrel fitted by a good smith.

My Fireballs, both .17 and .221, have been factory 700's that shot very well, with their best loads consistently (not once every three groups) putting five in .5-.6. But his Vartarg shoot a little better than that.

Dunno if it makes any difference in the field, as in my experience very few people can hit small varmints like prairie dogs more often than they miss past 300-350 yards--in typical conditions. Wind is the reason, because a typical breeze on a PD town will sure mess with "pure" accuracy, especially after noon.

I acquired a .221 Fireball specifically to build a 20 Vartarg, but after shooting it awhile I think I'm going to leave it be.
Instead I think I'll try a 20-222, and if it's "improved" with 30 degree shoulder I believe that is a .20 Vartarg Turbo. That way I won't have a problem with trying to find another Fireball follower and bolt with the correct ejector.
With the 20-222 it's just a neck-down from the standard 222, like the 20 Practical from the .223 case.

I really like the Vartarg ballistics, but went .221FB largely to avoid re=tooling for .20 Cal. I get 3500fps from a 24" Hart pushing 40 Vmax and virtually no recoil from a sporter weight. If I need more gun, I'll reach for my .223 AI.

If your building on a Rem action, make sure to start with a Fireball specific short action bolt to avoid ejection issues.

I have both and tend to favor the Vartarg these days. Took a while to find a load it likes, and it is one of the few rifles I have that favors the Sierra over a Hornady VMax. Was hard to wrap my mind around that one.

RL7 in the Vartarg gives me great speed and accuracy. And spotting your shots is no problem. The 39 grain Blitz at about 3700 fps really limbers crows up. Have not shot many ground hogs yet but hope to rectify that soon.

But in no way would I throw stones at the .221 Fireball, it is a great little cartridge too.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply,,,, sounds like i cant go wrong with either one,, i think the Vartarg gets the nod

Start 17 Fireball. Shoot out barrel.

Rebore to 20 Vartarg. Shoot out barrel.

Rebore to 221 Fireball. Shoot out barrel.


You will probably be dead.