.220 Swift for Muntjac and CWD

[Dunwaters]

Currently using a 5.6x57 now and again. Similar performance to the .220 and it deffo does the trick.

Its way actually above the Swift for performance on anything other than Varmints, more a .243 class cartridge, it will also scratch your itch for something a bit off the beaten track.
It would definitely get my vote for the better cartridge and it generally comes chambered in a more refined ( read that as a European) rifle.
Mind you, a Ruger number 1 or Dakota action re-barrelled, with nice wood would also give you something a little bit special….

 

[Greener Jim]

Always so much fuss about barrel life when stuff like this comes up. Barrels are consumable items.
If barrel life was the be-all and end-all we would see more medium and large bores, which we don't.

 

[Bowland blades]

Always so much fuss about barrel life when stuff like this comes up. Barrels are consumable items.
If barrel life was the be-all and end-all we would see more medium and large bores, which we don't.

I have never seen barrels as consumables , i know rifle builders who view things the same ! Not sure on the margins they have but its a fair big chunk out of the weeks drawings to purchase the blank , even if it goes into operating costs

 

[Finnwolf VL63]

Looking to add a Centrefire .220 Swift to fill the gap between my .17 HMR and 30-06.
Mainly for Fox but would be useful as a secondary rifle for the small legal deer in England/Wales. Obviously there are several other calibres .223,.222,22-250 that would be quite capable but I'm impressed with the ballistics on the Swift and it's heritage and history.
I'm a keen and experienced hand-loader and can source brass and die sets so ammunition availability doesn't really concern me.
To any existing shooters of the swift, I was wondering how much meat damage there was with a high velocity projectile? I was thinking 70grn bullets for deer, would that give enough penetration and reduce fragmentation?
Any information and advice on the Swift would be gratefully appreciated, thankyou.

Great rifle round,go ahead and get one you will not regret it. I have one built on a Rem long action in 220 Ackley with a 1in8 twist shooting Swift Scirocco 70 grain bullets, which have amazing penetrating power.I have take Wild Boar on the continent up to 90 kilo, Red Deer and Thar.
Long Live The King.

 

[stubear]

220 swift is a fast dated round but its all up ti personal preference. I shot a 222 for along time with a 50g bullet and it was great on muntjac

Just bought a .222 myself

Anschutz 1740, and it seems to have been hardly used as well

 

[6pt-sika]

I e owned no less than six rifles chambered for the Swift . First a Ruger 77R tang safety gun , then a Ruger #1V , then a Winchester Pre 64 Model 70 Varmint (they made 902 of these) , then a Remington 700 VSSF and lastly another Ruger #1V . And they ALL shot super with my handloads . A pickup truck would not hold all the groundhogs I killed with the Model 70 using Nosler 50 BT’s . The last 1V I had worked up a good load using the Nosler 60 gr Partition in anticipation of killing Whitetail’s during damage control season , but sad to say that never happened .

 

[Bowland blades]

I e owned no less than six rifles chambered for the Swift . First a Ruger 77R tang safety gun , then a Ruger #1V , then a Winchester Pre 64 Model 70 Varmint (they made 902 of these) , then a Remington 700 VSSF and lastly another Ruger #1V . And they ALL shot super with my handloads . A pickup truck would not hold all the groundhogs I killed with the Model 70 using Nosler 50 BT’s . The last 1V I had worked up a good load using the Nosler 60 gr Partition in anticipation of killing Whitetail’s during damage control season , but sad to say that never happened .

how popular is the swift in the USA at the present time compared to say 22-250 ? Can you get factory ammo and components and the majority of dealers off the shelf for instance ? Here in the UK , it would really being a case of finding the brass and buying enough to last through and going from that point onwards to a rifle

 

[Finnwolf VL63]

This?
Ken.

22Max This was the baby of James Hare from Florida.

 

[kenbro]

22Max This was the baby of James Hare from Florida.

Yep, and Paul Middlestead (Ca.) designed the reamer I have.
Ken.

 

[kenbro]

how popular is the swift in the USA at the present time compared to say 22-250 ? Can you get factory ammo and components and the majority of dealers off the shelf for instance ? Here in the UK , it would really being a case of finding the brass and buying enough to last through and going from that point onwards to a rifle

Not too long back, Kranks were selling 6mm Lee Navy cases which as everyone knows is where the Swift evolved from, so,very easy to form.
Ken.

 

[Chikentikka]

22 creedmoor and never look back

 

[Bowland blades]

Not too long back, Kranks were selling 6mm Lee Navy cases which as everyone knows is where the Swift evolved from, so,very easy to form.
Ken.

" not so long back " "were" no exactly 243 winchester / 223 rem then either eh?

 

[JeffreyL]

22 creedmoor and never look back

220Swift shooter and creedmoor shooters live on different planets.

 

[JeffreyL]

" not so long back " "were" no exactly 243 winchester / 223 rem then either eh?

If the most negative thing you can come up with is ‘your doomed, you will all run out of cases’ you should find another drum to bang.

 

[kenbro]

" not so long back " "were" no exactly 243 winchester / 223 rem then either eh?

Ya musta gone shopping at the wrong time, they always had plenty of both those cals. when I went there.
Ken.

 

[Finnwolf VL63]

Yep, and Paul Middlestead (Ca.) designed the reamer I have.
Ken.

22 Middlestead another great round, myself and a few of my under keepers have used this as a real long range vermin killer.
Lazer flat trajectories 1in 9 twist 75 grain A-Max 3,500 FPS. (28 inch barrel)
Border Barrels had the reamer with a .252 neck.

 

[Klenchblaize]

The 22KB is pretty awesome. Basically the 25KB necked down.

K

 

[Bowland blades]

Ya musta gone shopping at the wrong time, they always had plenty of both those cals. when I went there.
Ken.

typo error

 

[Bowland blades]

no

typo should read "not exactly" meaning not exactly common like 243 , 223 etc The only real reason you might find swift cases in a UK gunshop is because they haven't sold . make sure you get enough decent brass to last you through .
Present moment in time its tough to find 260 rem brass but at least they can be formed real easy from lots of different yet common cases, just necking up or down

 

[User00053]

Looking to add a Centrefire .220 Swift to fill the gap between my .17 HMR and 30-06.
Mainly for Fox but would be useful as a secondary rifle for the small legal deer in England/Wales. Obviously there are several other calibres .223,.222,22-250 that would be quite capable but I'm impressed with the ballistics on the Swift and it's heritage and history.
I'm a keen and experienced hand-loader and can source brass and die sets so ammunition availability doesn't really concern me.
To any existing shooters of the swift, I was wondering how much meat damage there was with a high velocity projectile? I was thinking 70grn bullets for deer, would that give enough penetration and reduce fragmentation?
Any information and advice on the Swift would be gratefully appreciated, thankyou.

Really enjoyed my swifts using factory ammo and bought as foxing tools and got plenty of use and as you would expect had plenty of “wallop” on contact very few moving far if at all.
Never used as a dedicated roe rifle but shot a few at range much the same story as you would expect, a swift would be a great tool for mr fox and a nice classic 222 for the little fellows with short barrel and suitable scope, just a thought.
Factory ammo on roe if hit in the ribs showed no major carcass damage on exit.