Like most kids in the early ‘60s, I was spellbound by all things related to space and space travel. NASA’s Mercury program had successfully put an American in orbit around this ball and JFK had challenged us to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. On the fantasy front for me, somehow an Austin TV station had managed to air (along with the usual Saturday morning cartoon fare) a space-based British marionette program called “Fireball XL5”. The name alone was heady stuff…and would follow me down the years!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...42F9EB942A&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

Fast-forward to the late ‘70s. I’m a single young man seeking my fortune roughnecking on drilling rigs…so there’s ample folding money to feed my growing firearm addiction. My fascination with space has dimmed somewhat, but not to the extent that I can pass up the opportunity to grab a vent-ribbed, Zytel stocked, Buck Rogers-looking Remington XP-100 pistol in .221 Remington Fireball. Topped with a Leupold 2x (basically a toilet paper tube with crosshairs) and fed a case-full of 4198 and a Sierra 52 grain HPBT, the little rig would stay at MOA or slightly under with dreary consistency. Oh, to have those eyes and those nerves once again!

Introduced by Remington in 1963 for use in their new XP-100 pistol, the Fireball is essentially a shortened .222. Originally, the XP-100 prototype had been chambered for the triple deuce…but that case capacity wasn’t needed or (I expect) wanted in the 10.75” barreled XP. Talk about fireball! Performance-wise, the stubby little .221 gave up very little to its parent round…thanks to an efficient case design and benefitted in no small way by SAAMI setting the pressure level for the .221 at 52,000 CUP (6000 CUP above the .222).

While I loved my XP for its performance, I never found it particularly convenient to tote a bench around with me in the field. As well, the mere act of CARRYING the XP around was a challenge. Oh, I crafted a full-coverage belt holster for the pistol…and an uglier, more ungainly rig you can’t imagine. No, the XP-100 Fireball was a dandy toy to play with, but other toys beckoned. After a number of years, the Fireball found a new home.

The relentless turn of the years took my shooting interests in many different directions. IPSC. Sporting Clays. Africa. Cowboy Action. Of course, the annual pursuit of local deer, turkey, hogs and varmints. For years, anytime I considered the “perfect” lightweight walkabout varminter my thoughts drifted to how the old Fireball would do if chambered in a lively little rifle. As if in answer, Remington fielded their 700 Classic in the .221 in 2002 and CZ has offered their 527 as well. As tempting as these ideas were, I couldn’t really warm to either of them. While a dandy action in its own right, the 700 “short” action is far too big to house the tiny .221 and the resulting rifle would (not unlike me) carry more weight than it probably should. While the CZ was built into a trim, lightweight package, their “backward” safety was enough to keep one out of my rack.

The “proper” answer to the Fireball rifle question has always seemed to me to reside in the old Sako L461/AI action. A true “small” action, I’ve used them for rifles built around the .222, .223 and the wildcat 6x45mm. Their wonderful triggers and a 6+1 magazine capacity make them the kind of rifle that’s easy to reach for when I feel like going for a walk. And so, when I stumbled across another L461 in .223 a few years ago, I brought it home. This L461 wasn’t original by any stretch of the imagination. It wore a 26” fluted 14 twist barrel and an aftermarket McMillan stock and it shot well enough that it took a little while before I committed to using the action and stock for my Fireball project.

After a couple of conversations with him about what I was requesting, I placed the project in the capable hands of Jon Trammel in Breckenridge, TX. Of course (like all things slated during 2020) Covid-19 had to have a hand in slowing things down, but before too much time had passed Jon was telling me to come collect her! She now wears a 22” Brux barrel, 5/8” at the muzzle. As a nod to the 1960’s vintage of the cartridge and acknowledging that this a hunting rifle and not a benchrest rig, I topped it with an equally vintage Redfield Accu-Range 2-7x (complete with stadia wires and yardage tombstone!). Don’t giggle; this was high tech at the time!

I’ve only really scratched the surface with “The Fireball” as far as learning what she’s capable of, but she’s already shown that she’ll be everything I’ve wanted. Accurate, a darling to carry, cheap to feed, extremely well mannered as far as recoil and muzzle blast are concerned…I’m just kicking myself for not doing this DECADES ago!

Mark

The new Fireball


L to R: .221 Fireball, .222 Rem, .223 Rem


40 grain Sierra Blitzking


Vintage Redfield 2-7x Accu-Range


The Accu-Range reticle (the lenses are fine; just a cruddy background!)

My friends had both 17 Rem, and 17 Mach IV that I enjoyed shooting. Never could find a 221 but I did manage to locate a heavy barreled Rem 700 in 17 Fireball that I hunted fur with for a long time. I absolutely loved no recoil and watching coyotes die in mid-step!! A really nice accurate rifle, but I never reloaded for little ones and ammo finally got so expensive and hard to find that I let another predator hunter talk me out of it. Mistake, sure miss that rifle!!!

Congrats, L461 is a very sweet little action. Bet that one is a pleasure to have on a walk.

They are! I've got two 6x45s, one built on a 700 action and the other on a Sako AI (the L461 with a different bolt shroud). Carrying them, the 700 is an absolute pig compared to that tiny little Sako...

I took advantage of this morning's cool temps and almost still conditions to wander down to the range and shoot this group. Getting better all the time!