Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 221 Fireball Build

I am wondering if anyone has either used a Remington 700 action or built off a custom action for a 221 Fireball rifle. Interested in repeaters not single shots. They are an easy build.
From my understanding the extractor on a factory .223 bolt face is at the 6 o’clock position and the factory Fireballs are at the 8 o’clock position.
I am going to buy/build a 221 just looking for some advice from someone who has or built a custom one.
If you got one for sale shoot it my way!

2 Cz’s on GB right now😀. They will go high....that’s the easy way. I went the more difficult route. I’m building a .17 FB on a Zermatt origin right now.

Feeding and ejection is definitely an issue with these small cases, that’s why I went with a control round feed to hopefully eliminate these issues. I’ve had to modify the extractor a bit..

I’m feeding with a highly modified aics .223 mag.

You have to like to tinker....

I had a 221 FB. Built on a R700 action that was a factory 223 action. It would not feed properly and it would not eject empties. I ended up re chambering back to 223. That was an expensive build.
After learning that, I had a 20 VT (221FB necked down to 20 caliber) built on a R700 that was originally a 221 FB. It works great.
Unless you have a R700 action that was factory original 221 or 17 FB, you will have a very unreliable rifle, if you chamber it in a 221 size cartridge.
An alternative is the Sako A1 action. I bought one in 223 and had it rebarreled to 221FB, it functions perfectly.

Great info on the Sako, I love my Sakos already so I will be on the hunt for anotherAI/L461 223 or 222 for a build. I wonder if the 85XS would work well since it is a controlled feed. I have numerous in that variation.
Exactly what my gun builder told me on the Remingtons.

I built a 17 Fireball on a 221 Fireball action. The extractor is in a different location on the Fireball actions. Mine feeds OK but it isn't great, not sure I would call it reliable. I have a 20 Vartarg (necked down 221 Fireball) repeater on a Stiller Predator. I built it after seeing Adam Bentley's Vartarg on the same action, he said his fed great. He wasn't lying, mine feeds great also and I am very very happy with it. The predator uses a Sako style extractor on their 223 bolt face actions.

Both are push feed. Why is the Stiller better? Both fed from a hinged floorplate setup?

Thank you for info on the sako actions. I was misunderstood with labeling of the 85s being a push controlled feed action.
I looked at a couple of custom REM 700 based actions and that is the same info I received from the sales people is that theirs will not have a problem due to the Sako style extractor.
Helpful conversations.

I can't tell you why. I used a 700 Fireball magazine follower and spring on the Stiller which would be apples to apples. They both have BDL bottom metal. I am not saying the 700 doesn't feed because it does but hiccups aren't uncommon with it while feeding. I have no extraction issues. I have never had feeding issues with the Vartarg. It is only a sample of two rifles so take it for what it is worth.
Adam Bentley would be a good guy to talk to about it. He was the owner/gunsmith of Dresden Gun Company but I think he may have closed his doors. He has a ton of experience with the small calibers and lots of experience with the feeding/extraction issues on these rounds. I don't know if he ever posted here, he used to spend a lot of time on http://saubier.com which would be another great place for your question. There is a ton of small caliber experience over there.

I will see if I can look him up, my builder does a lot of small caliber builds but almost exclusively non repeaters for prairie dogs. He has done a couple repeaters but said the feeding was inconsistent and spent too much time on warranty work to make it worthwhile for him with his current methods. They shot great just one time, maybe two in row.

Only other thing I could possibly think would maybe a slight difference in the feed ramps between the Stiller and 700. I would have to take a look when I get home to see if I can see anything with the naked eye. The rifles are almost exactly the same other than that, McMillan Classic stock, same BDL bottom metal and magazine box/follower and spring and barrel contours which are pretty close.

Or maybe I just got lucky with the Stiller rifle. Not usually how my luck goes but maybe this was my lucky rifle. Adam seemed pretty confident it was a reliable blueprint for a Vartarg repeater and that has been my experience. I know this has been kicked around several times on Saubier. Adams rifle is in old threads if you search, probably under "vartarg". Not sure if he talked about the feeding in the thread or if it was in pm's we exchanged.

Bob Green built my Vartarg, but he seems to have fallen off the map in the last 9 months also. Another big small caliber smith.

I've had two factory 700s in 221. Wouldn't have another. Save yourself the trouble, find a CZ527 221 and enjoy it. That's what I did. No regrets.

A CZ would be the surefire way to have a 221 repeater that will function reliably, almost guaranteed to shoot. I certainly understand the build bug also.

You guys are killing me with this CZ talk. I’ve thought about em, held em, researched em and always went back on the shelf or in the back of mind. I like a lot of things about them but they just aren’t good looking or feeling to me like the customs, sakos or Remingtons to me.

One more question; Has anyone ever toyed with a Remington 788 for a small caliber build like this?

If you most build from
A 700......have you considered a .222?

I've have a couple of 221 FBs on M700s, one on a .223 receiver, and one on a .221 FB. I love them. But, I'll say this: If you are looking for a fast cycling bolt action, build a .222/223/222 Mag or better yet, a detachable magazine system. The problem is not usually in the feeding, or extraction. The problem is generally with ejection. To make a 221 FB feed well, you need the Rem specific 221 mag box, spring (and keeper clip) and follower. Without these the cartridge will nose dive. These parts can be hard to find and expensive.

A .221FB built on a .223 action will not eject a spent FB case unless the bolt is pulled rearward really fast before the extractor releases the case head. The reason is that the spent case will ride in the bolt lug recess. And because the case is so short, the extractor releases the case head (and disengages the ejector) before the cartridge clears the ejection port. Thus, the spent case drops in the port and has to be removed manually. You will note that a loaded round usually extracts just fine because of the longer OAL. The .221FB/300BLK bolt head resolves this issue by rotating the extractor, which results in the extracted case riding higher above the lug recess inside the receiver.

The first FB I bought used at a local shop. It was custom built on a M700 .223 action, McMillan stock, and 24" Hart Stainless fluted barrel and came with about 500 loaded rounds and a Leupold 4-12 AO scope for $1,000. The owner and his smith got fed up with the feeding and extraction issues and never figured it out. I replaced the mag box spring and follower and it feeds like a champ. My only complaint is that its an ADL, so when it comes time to empty the magazine I have to cycle the rounds. It hammers 40g pills at 3550 fps. Because I reload and FB brass is expensive, I have come to appreciate the fact that it does not fling brass into the brush. Its also nice if you are controlling varmints from a vehicle.

The second one is built on a Stainless .221FB action and feeds and extract just fine.

Cheers

I have considered the 222 a bit,
Grand I may pick your brain more...I am loving that velocity, must drill critters. All with about 17-18 grains of powder!

I have a fair amount of brass already as I have 2 pistols in 221FB

Grand hit the nail on the head with 221 extraction and 700s. Which is why I eventually gave up on the platform for that round......what is the color pattern on that stock? Appears to be a McMillan classic?



Larsline- 19g-19.5 of RL7 and a 40NBT gives excellent accuracy in my CZ.....woodchucks to javelina and wild pigs have succumbed to that combination.

KY, it’s a Classic. I found 40vmax and Lil Gun work well for me on small critters. The NBT has a little thicker jacket for larger game.

I've chambered a 221 FB in a 700 223 action and like others have said, it's not worth the trouble. Rechambered the barrel to 223.

Recently I chambered 2 Fireballs on Sako L461/AI actions. Both feed, extract and eject perfectly. Sold one of them.

Do it on a little Sako or buy a CZ 527 in a Fireball and you're done. My first 221 FB was a factory CZ and it was great.

I thought so.....I love the paint scheme on it

I shoot the 40NBT exclusively in mine....works very well on a lot of things. I agree it's a tougher projectile.