xp 100 221 fireball rechamber?

[MACHINIST]

I have a freind that has an old nylon stock mid grip xp 100 that he might sell me.I dont like the fact that it is a .221,I would like to get it rechambered or have a new barrel made for it.I reload for handguns but havnt tried to do rifle calibers yet.My questions are should I do this or should I keep it in the .221 caliber?If I do rechamber this what caliber should I choose without alot of hastle.I was thinking about .223 if I go with a rechamber or something larger that I could deer hunt with like a 243 or 7-08if I get a custom barrel for it.Also could you tell me a little more about the .221 fireball cartridge and how efective it is on coyotes ang woodchucks and the maximum distances for both?What would be the going rate for this gun in great condition?Thanks for looking at my post.

[Reed1911]

Leave it alone in .221 FB. Your rechamber options are basically .222, .223, .222 Mag and some wildcats. The .221 was built to be the best effective and efficient round for a 10" barrel. While you will achieve slightly higher velocities with the other calibers it comes at the cost of much more powder and MUCH more muzzle blast. Don't get me wrong the muzzle blast is not real bad, but the .221 is so much sweeter. Provided you scope it it will be quite effective out to 200yds with 45 and 50 grain bullets. Going rate should be about 550 +/-
It is not a hard caliber to load for, in fact it's much easier to load the .221 for a 10" then it is to load the others. Cost wise it is not much more expensive (provided we compare apples to apples, in otherwords please don't drop the ".223 brass everywhere" comment or the "cheap, dirty, inaccurate import stuff". In a 10" barrel you want good brass and good ammunition).

[Questor]

Rather than modifying it, sell it and buy an Encore in the caliber you want. Those .221 XPs are getting valuable.

The .221 is a perfectly good cartridge. I use it for prairie dogs out to about 200 yards, which is more a limit of my scope and vision than the cartridge.  I have hit a few closer to 300 yards and the bullets are effective out to that range at least, but the trajectory makes it more of a 200 yard gun than a 300 yard gun.  I wouldn't hesitate to use it on coyotes.

[Catfish]

Another vote for leave it alone. Reed gave you your opitions for rechambering and with a 10 in. barrel your just not going to get over another 20 yrds. of point blank range not matter what you rechamber to. If you go to anything other than .22 cal. you`ll have to rebarrel and as Questor siad, a Contender or an Encore could be had in any cal. you want for less. Besides, the .221 is a great varment round, especially in a handgun.

[xphunter]

XP's are my favorite SP.
I would not rechamber myself either, if you intend to keep the orginal barrel on it.
But I would not hesitate to rebarrel and open up the boltface to something on the 308/30-06/284 boltface or the WSM boltface.  I have had several fireballs and none of them are fireballs today and I don't have an regets.
I have had, have, or will have soon XP's in 250 Sav AI, 6mm-284, 6.5-284, 7mmBR, 7mm-08, 284 Win, 7mmWSM, 7mm Dakota, and 7.82 Patriot.
I said this to make a simple point.  
You can customize an XP-100 to just about anything imaginable, and it is a stronger action and inherently more accurate than a break open action (but not as versatile).
If it was me, I would turn it into a rig that would take both varmints and deer for sure.  Even know a couple of proven smiths that do all of their own work on XP's.

[MACHINIST]

Thanks for the replies guys.I think I am going to get a contender or a encore for the simple fact that you can change the barrels so easy.I still haven't heard from my friend as to how much he wants for the xp so if I can get a good deal on that I will pick that up to.XPHUNTER do you happen to remember how much it cost to get a new barrel and to have the boltface opened up to acept a new chambering.I haven't had that much practice with reloading rifle rounds so what do you suggest for a factory chambering if I decide to have the xp rebbareled.I thought that the .243 would be good deer/coyote caliber or maybe something with a little more punch that isn't a recoil pig.Thanks again!

[Reed1911]

I am by no means an expert on the XP-100. But I think you would be much happier with something like the 6mm PPC or 6mm BR over the .243 Win. The .243 in such a short barrel is going to be a real muzzle blaster.

[xphunter]

MACHINIST,
IMO the 243 Win would be a great cartridge in 15 inch XP (15-16 inches).  Recoil will be mild and trajectory will be fairly flat.  My 6mm-284 is not braked and it is a hoot to shoot.  I even use a rifle scope on it instead of a LER scope.
If you want a little more punch then the 260 Rem. would also be a good option.  The 250 Sav AI is also a great little combo cartridge.
Cost will depend on what brand barrel you buy, the amount of work you have done on the action itself and the kind of stock you put on it.  The stock made for the fireball (very small & short barrel channel) will not work with what you are considering.
The smith that has built several of my XP's is Chunk Youngblood.  He would be fastest and cheapest route.  But the quality of his work is not cheap.  My 284 Win XP with hunting loads has posted 10 inch groups at 1000 yards for 5 shots.  Chunk's phone number is (719) 568-1523.  If you call tell him Ernie said, "Hi."  The 7mm-08 he built me would group into the .2's at times @ 100 yards even with others shooting it.