Been thinking about having one made with a 1-12 twist. Experience or opinions please.

Willie, this falls squarely under the opinion category. Get the plain 'ol swift with the 1-14" twist. I don't think a 1-12" is a big change.

Next are the questions. What are you going to do with it, shoot long range with heavy bullets, or reeeal fast with the usual suspects?

If I were experimenting, this is the cartridge I'd put a fast twist barrel on, maybe 1-7", or 1-8". I think this .22 has the case capacity to drive the heavies fast enough to keep the midrange trajectory reasonably flat, thus it would still be a good varminter.

packrat

The Swift is excellent IMHO and a 12" twisted tube will put more rpm on frangible projectiles and help the fur fly.

A 50gr V-Max propelled at the Swift's limits and spinning out of a 12" twisted tube,is convincing in all regards.

I like your thinkin'......................

The idea that a 12 twist will "make the fur fly" more than a 14 is quite a tail. There was a Barnes QT line years ago with very fast twists that promised more performance. Seems that nobody bought it then.

On the other hand other than not being able to use decades of loading data a 1-12 would be just fine. I like the Swift a lot. Perhaps a faster twist Swift would be cool but a 12 twist is not going to make much of a difference in my opinion.

Funny thing is,Physics ain't bunk theorum. Rotational velocity most certainly affects a projectiles integrity. That is the reason one can nuke a bullet enroute to the target board(or critter) and have nothing reach that destination.

Insert a fairly frangible projectile(make mine a V-Max).propell it at tasty speeds in an accelerated rpm and shit will most definately fly farther.

You tote a 14",I'll tote the 12" and we'll both sport smug grins..............

Reason for the request; the best shooting 22-250 I ever owned had 1-12 twist. All I've ever seen in the Swift is a 1-14. Just curious.

I guees I'm prone to "over" stabilize a projectile,in most every rifle I build. That as opposed to trying to thread the fine line of borderline of ragged stability.

With that approach,I've ended up fielding a lotta rifles that were spinning faster than a like chambering,purchased over the counter. 1-12" is actually still a fairly "slow" twist in the .224" bore size. One can go to 1-6.5" or perhaps even quicker.

My preference when building something is to generally step up the twist rate a notch or two,especially in the lesser diameters as I truly think the extry rotational velocity helps things come unhinged.

I've a herd of centerfire .22's that vary in case capacity from Hornet to CHeetah Mach One. If you wanna see shit fly,you will be hard pressed to outdo a Swift with 50's,especially if you allow it to spin faster.

'Tis the same reason I prefer a little more twist in my 223AI's,as opposed to leaning on a 1-14" tube,despite my never launching anything heavier than 50's at Vermin.

Your mileage may vary.....................

The 1-12 twist on a Swift is fine as long as you're shooting 50-grain or heavier. A friend of mine's brother has another with this twist, and he claims it will explode crows, etc. more than his with a 1-14. I have no idea whether this is true, but the 1-12 should work better with heavy bullets. I rebarreled mine to .220 AI with 1-12 twist.

With all due respect if someone suggested a quicker twist in .224 to shoot longer bullets then I would endorse it. This is the bane of the Swift in fact at the moment as long bullets in 224 are mainstream now. It it were not for the fact that the Swift were just so perfect as a low richocet, no hold over or under and see the bullet hit concept then changing it might be a benefit. Like all purchasing you have to ask what you are giving up!

But to suggest to build a rifle with a twist fast enough to effect bullets on tiny game seems in the realm of theory and not physics.

Simply try it and SEE for yourself..............

I have a 220 with a 1-14" twist and with 55gr hornady sp I have used it to quite literally explode a porcupine (around 15-18lbs) into two pieces at short of 200 yards. When the shot went off I could see quills spray 6 feet into the air. I think when you get into swift velocities the extra twist doesn't make a huge difference on impact effects. On the other hand if I had it to do over again I would get a 1-12 so it would be as accurate with the longer 60gr. rounds as it is with the 55gr and under bullets.

A 1-12 is not a bad idea at all with a .224. But why stop there? The standard twist for the .223 is or was 1-9 and the military and some target shooters are using 1-7 and even faster.

Since there is very little energy in a spinning bullet and we don't want to be on the edge of the maximum rpm and have the bullets fly apart anyway.

This is one of those interesting rifle options. Somehow I don't think 1-12 Swifts are going to catch on however. The next one up at bat is the 223 WSSM and I think it's going to be 1-10 twist. Perhaps this is the future in .224's.

I own a lowly Bolt 223 with a 1 in 8 twist.

The problem with faster twists, with velocity thrown into the equation, is that it puts tremendous force on the bullet and its construction.

Main effect will be on the more fragile varmint bullets. At 3400 to 3600 fps out of my 223 Ruger I have watched bullets vaporize as they leave the barrel, consistently. Even on bright sunny, 90 degrees plus days, with no humidity out. Looks like your breathe on a cold day.

A gunsmith friend of mine also has built guys 22/284 rifles. He has had a few guys who want to build those in a fast twist like One in 7.5 to 8 to shoot the longer 75 to 80 grain bullets.

He lets them know that barrel life will be 500 rounds or less before they have severe throat erosion. That deters some guys, and others, like a wealthy guy from Central Oregon: His response was just opening his wallet, counting out the money for another barrel, and telling the gunsmith to start making a replacement for the barrel he was picking up that day!

Just passing on some experiences, with no conclusions infered. Just have fun with it, is what those of us on here, think shooting is all about.