Ok, lately I've been on a gun buying spree, and had a Ruger m77 rh heavy barrel .220 Swift come by. What made you purchase a rifle in this caliber?

I've never really considered owning one as it is hard to find a rifle in this caliber. Do these hold their value well? It is the dark grey action/barrel.

Because life begins at 4000FPS. Try working up to 44.5gns of H4350 behind the 50gn Nosler BT and you'll understand. You will probably need a 6 inch drop tube on your funnel. Fills the Norma case halfway up the neck then.

I have had many 220 Swift rifles - and have several with me right now.

I love the 220 Swift, there is nothing like it among the 22 center fire calibers.

I love the .220 Swift also. It is extremely hard to find a load it doesn't like. I have one in a REM. 700 with big glass and it will reach out and mess up some fur. I would jump on that Ruger!

I have had several and still have one 220S. I have learned not to like them that much on PDs or when one is shooting 100s of rounds a day.

However, for coyote calling it is fantastic. Pretty much if you can see em, you can kill em.
I use 50 ballistic tips and 50 Bergers in mine.

Update- I'll be picking it up after work today. Please keep this thread going with stories, pics, and your review on the Swift

The only drawback(s) I can think of are that some places gouge on Swift brass. I don't see where it's worth 20% more than 22-250 brass. With the Swift one should also keep in mind that some bullets (like Hornady's SX) can and do come apart at Swift velocities. Just follow their advice when reloading and all will be well.

I had the exact same rifle you're looking at, and it's one of Ruger's finest as far as I'm concerned. I shot the hell out of it and never burned out the throat. I think the "it's hard on barrels" line is an old wives tale best saved for the bench rest crowd!

And like so many others have expressed elsewhere, I had a brainfart and traded it...

I would love a 220 Swift with a faster twist barrel.

I figured that if the barrel is shot out I could get it rebarreled with a nice barrel and be set

quote:

The only drawback(s) I can think of are that some places gouge on Swift brass. I don't see where it's worth 20% more than 22-250 brass.

Really? Ever heard of supply and demand? I bet there are 100 .22-250 rifles for every Swift. Actually, 20% more isn't bad at all...


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Sako L579 Varmint with 24" Maddco barrel and Kahles Helia S 8x56.

One who owns either a Swift or .22-250 has no need of the other. Then, who here really gives a hoot about "need"? So I have both. Both are excellent long-range .22 CFs.

Pre-64 M-70s are an excellent justification for the Swift. Same goes for Ruger 77Vs, and Rem 40Xs.

IME, Swift brass lasts every bit as long as .22-250 brass.

Sam

I love the Swift!!!
I had the Ruger 77 w/tang safety, heavy barrel, I could never get it to shoot what I thought was proper. I sent it to Hart and had them rebarrel it, what a rifle, sold it (DUMB). Bought a Sako, terrific cartridge, just didn't like the gun, sold it (ok). Now have a pre-64 model 70, love it, I am keeping it!
Good luck with yours, Doug

I don't own a Swift, but I do have a Ruger #1 single shot in .225 Winchester. It is a little less powerful than the Swift, but uses a similar case in that it is rimmed (or semi-rimmed). This rifle was originally a .223 that was rechambered to .225. It is a varmint model w/ a heavy barrel and is very accurate. With that said, I would still not turn down a Swift if one came my way.
joe

Here she is! I looked up serial # and it was made in 1992.

The rifle does have some blemishes on the stock and the gun had a lot of dirt on it. I took it apart and gave it a good cleaning today. I'm amazed it has no rust!

It came with a Simmons ProHunter 3-9x40 that the owner had put on the gun when it was new as well as the factory ruger rings. I'm going to clean up the rings and put a nice Nikon or Leupold on it.

I love the Swift. Never owned one myself but I did shoot the one my dad use to own several times. They are a heck of a lot of fun to shoot and along with a 243 probably one of the best coyotes rifles out there. Regardless of what some here might say they are a heck of a deer gun also.
The 222 and 223 etc are good little 22 centerfires for plinking and coyotes etc but when you want to get serious with a 22 centerfire step up to the Swift.
My dads was a Mod 700 I think it was the VSSF something like that. Anyway it was a one hole gun and he probably still regrets selling it sometimes.

I have had a Swift in my battery for nearly 20 years. I worked my way through most of the 22 centerfires and at one time had three rifles chambered in 222. Currently only the Swift remains. My first one was a Mauser 98 with a rollover stock that was a bear for a lefty like me to shoot. I rasped off the rollover and shot it for a couple of years until my current Swift came along. It's an old Ruger 77V that needed rebarreled when I bought it. I sent it off to Ruger and it has been my most reliable go to coyote rifle since.

I did have a 17 Remington for many years and am planning to build a nice little lefty in the near future. I like it better than the Swift as a fur rifle as there are rarely exit wounds.

However if one couples the Swift with a the proper bullet, exit wound can be reduced significantly. I have always had good luck with the old Speer 52 grain hollow point in the Swift. Not the match bullet but the old gaping mouth hollow point. Kind of a ballistic dog for long range but a great fur bullet in the Swift. I also had pretty fair luck with the 50 grain Ballistic Tip as a fur bullet.

As far as powders go, IMR 4064 and the Swift go hand in hand. I know there are powders that meter better but the Swift really likes 4064.

My old Swift has untold hundreds of rounds down the barrel. I wish I had kept track. I used to take it every year for our ground squirrel shoots and over the course of 3-4 days it would get 6-700 rounds of action. And we did that for several years. I suppose it has to closing in on 3000+ rounds now. It's accuracy has fallen off from 1/2" groups to 3/4" groups so I expect the barrel is probably on it's way south. I don't shoot ground squirrels any more so I guess a 3/4" Swift if plenty for the occasional coyote or lynx hunt.

Good luck with your Swift. It is the king of varmint cartridges with good reason.

Mart

i'm picking 1 up in dallas this weekend... i've wanted 1 for several yrs. ive got a m70 .225 win ( made in '65).... i'm looking forward to getting to shoot this 1...

Mart -- Thanks for the ammo suggestion. I don't really want to have an exploding bullet in the .220 as if I see a nice Bobcat/Predator I may want to get the hide tanned. Did the 50gr BT have a small entry/exit?

Jimatcat -- Please post up photos of the rifle once you pick it up! I love M70's

Why ? Because when coupled up with the right twist, a 70 gr TSX and at least a 26" barrel it will kill anything from varmints up to an Elk (where legal). Hodgdon admits 3400 fps with the new 100 V but, as I found with the new 80 gr .257 TTSX in my 25-06, their Hybrid 100 V loads are quite conservative.

You can probably almost equal my ancient 22-06 (3600 fps) that is a one shot killer on everything it has been fired at.

It's the bottom one.(top is a 6.6x55, both have 27" barrels). Neither is "hotrodded" as they are mid 1930s rifles built on DHT (the best) 1903 Springfield actions.



The fellow who built my new 338 RUM with a 3 groove 36" Lilja Nitrided barrel, has customers getting 4600 fps with like barrels in Swift @ 30" shooting 60 gr bullets. Nitriding also, at least, triples the barrel's life.

Might be fun to pick up a shot out No 1V in Swift, put a 1 in 7 30" barrel on it and see just what one could do with the 90 gr Bergers.
Or maybe a 220 Weatherby Rocket (evil grin)

Good looking rifles! I love the wood on them

quote:

Originally posted by Buglemintoday:
Mart -- Thanks for the ammo suggestion. I don't really want to have an exploding bullet in the .220 as if I see a nice Bobcat/Predator I may want to get the hide tanned. Did the 50gr BT have a small entry/exit?

Jimatcat -- Please post up photos of the rifle once you pick it up! I love M70's

On a broadside chest shot I usually would get an exit wound of about one inch with the 50 grain B Tip. I tried the 40 grain Ballistic Tips and on a chest shot they worked great but the occasional shoulder shot would give a large entry wound and little penetration.

For fur hunting I could live with a one inch exit wound. It doesn't take too long to sew up. For many years I handled coyote hides for several of the guys calling in the area. Some were using pretty big guns so I got good at sewing hides. While Elmer Keith considered the 270 a darn fine coyote rifle, he probably never sewed one up after it took a 130 grain Core Lokt through the shoulders.

I shot a lot of coyotes with both the 22-250 and the Swift and found most 55 grain bullets to be a bit much for fur hunting. The 52 and 53 grain match bullets worked fairly well but got the occasional pencil hole. The two best were the two I mentioned previously. There are a lot of bullets on the market that were not available ten years ago when I was calling coyotes hard every chance I got. I'm sure some others could weigh in on the newer bullets with respect to their performance on fur. I'm not calling much any more so I doubt I'll run out of loaded 220 Swift ammo for many years.

Mart

quote:

Originally posted by mart:
While Elmer Keith considered the 270 a darn fine coyote rifle, he probably never sewed one up after it took a 130 grain Core Lokt through the shoulders.

I shot a lot of coyotes with both the 22-250 and the Swift and found most 55 grain bullets to be a bit much for fur hunting. The 52 and 53 grain match bullets worked fairly well but got the occasional pencil hole. The two best were the two I mentioned previously.

Could not agree more concerning that Speer 52 gr aerodynamic brick. Funny, but the two people I know who used it extensively (really) in .22 CFs for deer in Hornets and Swifts both used that bullet. The two never met each other. Both told me how they'd tried other projos and found excess meat destruction.

Like the Keith comment. Kid whacked a small dog this deer season with his .300 WBY 180 PSPCL. Had a nerf-football sized exit wound.

Sam

Sam,

It was interesting to me that some of my coyote hunting friends tried the old Speer 52 grain hollow point in their 223's and got more exit wounds than the Swift produced with that bullet.

I never tried that bullet on anything larger than a coyote. I also never took a fox with that combination. I am quite certain the Swift would be pretty hard on a fox with any bullet.

The Speer is a brick compared to many of the more streamlined offerings. However, most of my calling shots were under 250 yards and many of them under 50 yards so the aerodynamics really wasn't much of an issue.

Mart

Long live the swift, of 6 very accurate 22 centerfires this one is king..
First yr. varminter in swift ,59 I think. Fantastic shooter. 1" 1/4 at 300 yards. bluebird perfect conditions.

winchester built 904 of em.

quote:

winchester built 904 of em.

Interesting. My '60s Swift V has a Redfield 3200 24X on top and is a late gun. Have a '50s Target Swift wearing a Super-targetspot. Any idea how many of those were built?

Thanks. Sam

A 220 Swift was what got me into reloading. I used to be a fan until I started fooling around with the 22-6.5x47. I mostly started fooling with the 22x47 to have a use for 6-6.5x47 brass that was not quite good enough to shoot matches with but was still great for plinking. I wish the 90gr berger would hold up to the twists and velocities needed to stabilize them. I killed a PD at 1200 yards with a 90 berger from the 22x47, but hit the one standing by the one I was shooting at. I made it through 30 or so rounds that day before every other shot started going poof.

Now that's a classic rig, especially the old gold ring fixed power "Loopie". Love them, Bal 8s and my favorite, the Unertl Vulture.

quote:

Originally posted by Samuel_Hoggson:

quote:

winchester built 904 of em.

Interesting. My '60s Swift V has a Redfield 3200 24X on top and is a late gun. Have a '50s Target Swift wearing a Super-targetspot. Any idea how many of those were built?

Thanks. Sam

Mr Sam , I will do a little research but Im willing to bet there are even less Mod 70 targets in Swift that the 904 varminters. very best on a true classic

quote:

Originally posted by 45-70 shooter:
Now that's a classic rig, especially the old gold ring fixed power "Loopie". Love them, Bal 8s and my favorite, the Unertl Vulture.

I love your vulture, one of my Dads old friends had one on a 243 Varminter, a crow in a Pecan tree did not stand a chance with that fellow! My Varminter is so accurate that its wearing a Loopy 6.5 X 20 30mm tube 40 side focus with varmint reticule scope, my very best critter gitter..

Gotta love the Swift. I have been shooting a 40 XBKS Rangemaster in .220 since the early 90's. It was the first serious centerfire rifle I owned. I still have it, and about 2500 rounds later, I shot a 3-shot, .432" group with it today at lunch. I have killed just about anything that walks in this part of the world with it at one time or another. It is one rifle that I will never sell. IMR 4064 and Bergers, you can't go wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by winchester poor:

quote:

Originally posted by Samuel_Hoggson:

quote:

winchester built 904 of em.

Interesting. My '60s Swift V has a Redfield 3200 24X on top and is a late gun. Have a '50s Target Swift wearing a Super-targetspot. Any idea how many of those were built?

Thanks. Sam

Mr Sam , I will do a little research but Im willing to bet there are even less Mod 70 targets in Swift that the 904 varminters. very best on a true classic

Mr Sam, after doing a little research, it seems the target in .220 swift is rated #8 in terms of rarity with the .243 being #9 with 643 being made and the 30-06 being # 10 , thew exact number of swifts was not listed but they will number 600+ or less.. Is your barrel c. moly or SS? very best on a classic that I bet shoots as good as it looks.

quote:

Originally posted by winchester poor:
Mr Sam, after doing a little research, it seems the target in .220 swift is rated #8 in terms of rarity with the .243 being #9 with 643 being made and the 30-06 being # 10 , thew exact number of swifts was not listed but they will number 600+ or less.. Is your barrel c. moly or SS? very best on a classic that I bet shoots as good as it looks.

WP, Thanks so much for the info. Both my Swifts have SS bbls. I have never fired a M-70 in Swift that would not put 5 between 1/2 and 5/8" using John Dewey's load. Have shot several (a friend had around six of them). My V and T Swifts fall in that range, ie., not quite the .3-.4" we got with a friend's 40XKSS. But pretty darned good! I have not encountered a late Swift with anything but the SS bbl. Sam

quote:

Originally posted by Samuel_Hoggson:

quote:

Originally posted by winchester poor:
Mr Sam, after doing a little research, it seems the target in .220 swift is rated #8 in terms of rarity with the .243 being #9 with 643 being made and the 30-06 being # 10 , thew exact number of swifts was not listed but they will number 600+ or less.. Is your barrel c. moly or SS? very best on a classic that I bet shoots as good as it looks.

WP, Thanks so much for the info. Both my Swifts have SS bbls. I have never fired a M-70 in Swift that would not put 5 between 1/2 and 5/8" using John Dewey's load. Have shot several (a friend had around six of them). My V and T Swifts fall in that range, ie., not quite the .3-.4" we got with a friend's 40XKSS. But pretty darned good! I have not encountered a late Swift with anything but the SS bbl. Sam

Hi Mr Sam, the reason I asked was I see where at the end of production Winchester used some C Moly clean up barrels on the 220 swift Varminters, how many is not known but of the 904 they made it would be a small %. I bought a Ruger varmint new back in the 70's that came from factory with a Douglas barrel that was a nail driver as well with just about any ammo you stuck in her. I put 2000+ rounds thru the gun and it shot .75 moa or better when I sold her to buy the Winchester. Wish I had kept the Ruger as well!!

WP, Thanks again for the info. I did not know about the CM clean-up bbls. Sam

Then get any new barrel in a high intensity cartridge Nitrided as it will last at least four times as long, while only doubling the cost of the barrel.

Im hearing good things about nitriding... I ran some Continental IO 520 clyinders to TBO one time that were nitrided... it work there...

I also love the Swift. I have a Ruger (1974) tang safety 77. I shot it for 20 years using IMR4064 and 55 Ballistic Tips, before I wore the barrel out. Sent it back to Ruger in 1995, and they rebarreled it. Now, with 38 Grains of RL15,and a 55 Ballistic Tip @ 3800 fps it shoots 3 shot bug hole groups. Just a fantastic performer.

Jerry

Because when you shoot a crow in a stiff breeze it all blows away.

I wanted a 220 swift for years and years. I could never find one with out the heavy barrel how ever so I went with out. Some time in 1995 I had gathered together many phone books of Michigan. I started close to home calling gun shops and asking if they had any 220 swifts with out the tank barrel. Some said they did so I traveled only to find out they were not telling me the truth thinking once I was in there shop I would settel for some thing eles like a 22-250. About 1997 I finaly found what I wanted a Rugar 77 with the medium weight barrel. It is a joy to carry several miles back in the swamp and shoot coyotes. Only problem is finding information on adjusting the trigger. It isn't a MKII you see informatoion on all the time.

I have a simmons 6x18 scope on the swift. Reload with 4064 powder and searria 55gr bullets. I bought 500 rounds of new brass to start out and it cost me about the same as 500 rounds of 243win.

I would trade the rifle off for a real good Remington 700 in 22 millstead/chetta/chettaII. Devloped a hankering for one for some reason.

Al