I saw a photograph of a .220 Swift in a rifle and shooting magazine the other day. It looks like a kick-ass cartridge: big powder charge and tiny bullet. Does anybody know much about this loading? Would it be worth the effort to build a gun for it or just stick to .223 Remington?

First of all, you don't have to build a gun for it...there are plenty of factory rifles chambered for that round. But if you watn a custom job, go for it!

And comparing the .220 to the .223 is like comparing a NASCAR machine to a min-van. They will both get you where you wanna go, but one of them would be a lot more fun...

Among the .22 centrefires, it IS a kick-ass cartridge. It shoots flat enough further than I can see small targets through my 9x scope, it's pretty darn accurate (in my rifle, at least) and it packs a wallop beyond belief. On the downside, it uses a lot of powder, and it is heavier on barrels and brass than the milder .22 CF's.

I suppose you need to ask yourself what ranges you will be shooting what animals, before you decide between a Swift and a .223. Within a .223's effective range, it'd be as good as the Swift, but beyond those ranges, you're definitely in 22-250 / 220 Swift country.

I saw the picture in a magazine that had an article comparing the 220 Swift to the 22-250. The article stated the 220 Swift had petered-out over the years and the 22-250 had supplanted it for popularity in the number of makers chambering a gun for it. It looks to me like a 30-06 case necked down for a 22 bullet. Would a 220 be good for 1000-yard work?

The Swift is basically the 6mm Lee necked-down to .224.

It fell in disfavor because the gun press had a field day ranting and raving about how it tore apart barrels in as little as 100 rounds...this was brought on by the emergence of the .22-250.

I have them both...and here is the blurb I have on my page about the .220 Swift...

"
The name says it all! SWIFT!!

4,400 fps with a 40 grain bullet!

4,300 fps with a 45 grain bullet!

4,200 fps with a 50 grain bullet!

4,100 fps with a 55 grain bullet!

4,000 fps with a 60 grain bullet!

And a new barrel every 250 rounds with any of the above!!

I played with all the above loads for quite a few years, thinking that faster was better. It was when I reached my "moderation days" that I finally decided that pushing a 50 grain bullet at around 3,900 fps improved accuracy around 400%, and barrel life forever.

I tired several powders in hundreds of different loadings, and finally decided that in my Winchester, IMR-4064, at a weight of 38.7 grains did exactly what I wanted.

On paper it printed 5-shot groups at 200 yards of less than 1/2 inch, and on varmints, it was totally devistating out to 400 yards!

The .220 Swift Winchester has been inactive for a few years, since I do most of my small critter shooting with the .22-250 Remington. But on occasion, I still break it out, lay on the livingroom floor, and play "make-believe" ... I haven't missed a critter yet in my game. Even the one little prairie dog I "hit" at well over 1,000 yards ... grin ...

If you really want the ultimate .22 caliber, then get yourself a good heavy-barreled Swift, and put a good 36x Leupold scope on top of it."

As for it being a "1000-yard" cartridge......nope....

The .220 Swift is based on the turn-of-the century (20th) 6mm Winchester-Lee Navy rifle cartridge necked down from .243" to .224", not the .30/06. There are at least two ways to increase barrel lifew with one. Either load to somewhat lower velocities/pressures (3800-3900 FPS rather than 4200), and/or use a graphite grease wad on top of the powder charge before seating the bullet. There may still be someone making these wads, or you can learn how to make your own from the writings of Harvey Donaldson.

[ 07-23-2003, 15:38: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

These forums are a lifesaver to those of us with so many questions and so little time to wring the answers out of the ether. I have learned so much in just the past 60 days from these postings. I appreciate everyone who has answered all my questions, even the ones so far off-topic they shouldn't have gotten any attention at all. I'll keep reading if all of you will keep posting. Do we have a deal?

I have a good selection of varmint calibers,but every time I go groundhog hunting,I grab my Swift.I love the round reguardless of the bad publicity it has gotten over the years as a barrel burner.If you keep the velocity around 3800 FPS and let the barrel cool between shots as with any other caliber,they will last as long as the rest,my opinion.It is something to watch someone shoot a hog with one and see it flip what seems before the gun goes off.Mine sports a 36X Bausch & Lomb and you can see their teeth at 500 yards.

I've ahot about 10000 rounds through .220 Swifts and it's still the easiest rifle to hit with at long range. don't let people tell you it's hard to load for, it isn't. don't let them tell you barrels last 500 rounds, that's BS, I just replaced one that had 3700 through it, still shot 1 1/4". don't let them tell you it won't kill deer, on broadside shots, it's lightning. Load it up nice and warm, most of them shoot better the hotter you load it. No comparing it with a .223, they have completely different uses.

RootBeer;
Get the Swift you'll not regret it!
Amazing what it does to Prarie Dogs, Squirrels, and Jack Rabbits!
It sure will make a Coyote "PUFF-UP" Too!

P.S. Another fun aspect is; the guys with 22-250's & .223's always seem to get a little "Green" around the gills when a Swift is in their midst!

[ 07-24-2003, 18:01: Message edited by: Marsh Mule ]

The Swift is a good cartridge and so are many others. Much of the time differences in cartridges not really there but instead it's the observation of a sloppy chambering job, bad barrel or other rifle or operator influences.

Today cartridges like the Varminter and Swift have been passed by as the 6mm's have faster twists and now 55 gr bullets have been developed for them. Thus, in theory, a 243 will do what the old hot .22's will do but not the opposite. Even the .223's will shoot longer bullets than the 220 Swift with factory twist barrels!

On the other hand I just got a new Swift barrel on a old favorite rifle and it's extremely accurate and always sighted in. Thus I varmint hunt with it almost all of the time. The Swift safer than the 6mm's in terms of ricochets and in the heavily populated state that I hunt in safety to me is far more important than some small benefit that a heavier bullet would have.

Also I can see the bullets hit with the Swift and not the 6mm's. Another friend can see 270 bullets hit so we vary in that aspect.

The bottom line for me is that I would rather hunt pests with a Swift than any other cartridge. A 22-250 would be just about as good.