Good day all
I'm looking for a varmint gun that will fill in the gap between my .17 Rem., .222Rem. and my 7mm mag. I'm contemplating a 220 Swift. Does anyone have any experience with one or know anything about them. I thought it might be a good caliber for long range crows and coyotes, gophers?
What do you guys think?
Thanks
Mike

[ 12-09-2003, 06:13: Message edited by: mikehjd ]

Depends on how much you shoot, the .220 is not particulaly known for being easy on barrels. I once had a wise gunsmith tell me never to buy a used .220. I would go with the 22-250 or the new .223 WSSM

The .220 Swift is my favorite varmint cartridge now. I got the barrel from an old friend. He hunted his whole life with his 220 Swift. They told him he would wear the barrel out so he ordered a new one from Winchester to have it on hand. It seems that the rifle outlasted him.

So he sold me the barrel that he got new in 1949. It's marked "1948" and is a SS barrel.

Now it's on my 1957 M70 that I got new.

I hope to use it a lot but I don't think I will wear it out.

My Remington 700 VSSF in 220 Swift shot really well, but the throat went in about 2500 rounds. I have now become enamored of shooting heavy bullets with the highest BC possible as fast as possible, using cartridge designs that are efficient. This was based on the performance of the standard 220 Swift and the .223 Remington last year on South Dakota prairie dogs at ranges out to just over 700 yards.

My best solution so far is my Savage 12FV re-barreled with a Pac-Nor SSSM 1:8 twist in .223 Remington AI. (More pictures and other data at the link shown in the signature block at the bottom of this post) It gets the Hornady 75 gr AMax going 2938 FPS with dime sized groups at 200 yards. All this with 25.5 grains of VVN140, at over 30% energy efficiency. Run the numbers, this beats the 220 Swift with 55 grain bullets for drop and windage at 500 yards. Granted, it is no where near as flat shooting, but that is easy to correct for with a good target turret scope. The .223 AI is going to be deadly out to about 500-600 yards.

The Swift is in the smith's shop getting another Pac-Nor SSSM 1:8 barrel, and this time it is going to be chambered in 220 Swift AI. This should launch the 75 grain AMax at about 3400 FPS. The move to AI is prompted by a (hopefully) slightly better throat life and less case stretching. The 220 Swift AI should be good to about 1000 yards.

The last rifle also in the smith's shop is a custom 6mm-22/250 AI based on a Remington 700 action, with a Kreiger 1:8 barrel. With the 105 grain VLDs leaving at about 3000 FPS, this should be good past 1000 yards.

The high BC 22 caliber bullets do really well in the .223 AI if the barrel twist is at least 1:9. I'd pick either the .223AI or a 6mm of your choice to fill the gap between the .222 and the 7mm.

Crows, yes. Yotes...depends on what you call long range I'd think. Larger bores are more effective in general terms due to higher BC, this tempered by factory twist rates. If you're looking long range perhaps volume of fire will not be that great? 6mm/.25 cal variations, or even the 6.5mm offer more reach and mild recoil. For that mattter, where is it written that the 7mm mag won't do the job? Not trying to keep you from buying a new gun BTW.

Barrel burning is a pressure issue more than anything else. If barrel wear is your concern let that be your yardstick in evaluating your choice.

Thanks guys
I'll let you know what I decide.
Mike