I'd like to hear from anyone who ACTUALLY HAS - OR HAS OWNED - AND FIRED one of these, what their most accurate bullet/weight/powder load was.

I've got enough gray hair that I don't need the usual "every rifle is different blahblahblah" which doesn't help at all. I know all that. Just trying to not have to buy a dozen different bullets and half that many powder types. So far all I've fired is Remington factory ammo, forget the bullet weight, and it's been a big disappointment.

Thanks,
Roger

Buddy of mine had one and he thought it was supremely accurate.
He used 52,53 grain Matchkings and 55 grain and 60 grain SBT and HP's and loaded right out of the Sierra manual with Reloader 15.

Good luck with yours.

I have one and it shoots 55 gr Hornady spire pts just fine with several powders. IMR 4320 and IMR 4350 being the best. Check the Hornady manual

Thanks! that’s a good starting point.

After looking over the rifle closely, I found the pressure point in the forend was only at bottom dead center. The gap on both sides was as wide as a doubled index card nearly all the way down, with hard contact at the bottom. I think it needs some work on the inletting too.

Roger

The loads I've used in mine is 38.5 grains of imr 4064 with most 50- 55 grain bullets.

If your rifle is like mine you will want to check how long the throat is first. Mine is very long so needs longer bullets. My best loads were with H380 will not give amount because of seating bullets out my loads would be to hot in shorter throated barrel, best of luck with yours. Lynn

I've had one for many years. It's on it's second factory barrel. I am at work at a remote oilfield right now and not next to my loading notes but do remember that 4064 was my favorite powder. If your rifle won't shoot 38-40 grains of 4064 with 50-53 grain bullets then it's best to start looking at the rifle and not the load. I have found it hard to find a 4064 load mine won't shoot well.

That was my go to coyote killing machine when I was doing coyote control work in the northwest before moving to Alaska. I killed a couple of dump truck loads of coyotes with it and countless ground squirrels. After I got my 17 Remington I use it for fur hunting but killing coyotes outside of the fur season was left to the old Ruger Swift.

I am toying with the idea of building a left handed Swift on a Remington 700 SA with a 8 or 9 twist barrel to fling some heavies. If we retire back to the northwest, coyote killing will take up a large share of my time again.

I still have the old 77V. It was well used when I first got it and shortly after I had Ruger replace the barrel due to an almost imperceptible ring an inch back from the muzzle. The new barrel has had a lot of use and has given up a tiny bit of it's once gilt edged accuracy. It was a consistent 1/2" gun with almost any load. Today it runs 3/4" most times. I suspect the barrel is due for replacement. Ruger will no longer rebarrel that old a gun. They did this one back in 1994 for $105 and had it back to me in three weeks.

Don't have any specific load data, but I owned one years ago and used Sierra 52 gr match bullets and IMR 4064. It wore a 20x Lyman scope with a 1/4 minute dot. Smallest group shot at 100 yds was 3/10". It accounted for a lot of ground squirrels and coyotes.

Lee

I have one I bought new in 1976. Haven't shot it in years, but very accurate with any good 50 to 52 gr bullet, especially Sierras. Settled on the 63 gr Sierra for my groundhog shooting. Used H-380 for the most part.

Unfortunately that "everygun....yada, yada, yada" IS TRUE. I've had TWO of those 220 Swifts back in the day and over time and BOTH shot MOST loads you can find in ANY reloading books well if you like run of the mill accuracy...I DON'T...so start with 50 gr bullets ANY BRAND and H380 powder, benchrest primers AND benchrest prepped brass...40 gr should give you bug holes with the above setup...If you just do what reloaders usually do then you should STILL get <.75" 3 shot groups.

I've been shooting the Swift since the early 60's, never been without at least one and I still have a fast twist for the long VLD heavier bullets.

You CAN'T get a bugholer WITHOUT working at it...there is no, and there hasn't EVER BEEN, one load that shoots bugholes in EVERY RIFLE, but there is several good loads that DO work in almost every rifle.

Work it or don't...YOUR choice.

Good Hunting

4064 is my Ruger swifts favorite, with H380 and 4895 tied for second.
Mart, did Ruger say why they wouldn't rebarrel your rifle, or they just don't offer it anymore?

They said they didn't have barrels for that gun any more.

I have half a notion to send it out to one of the barrel makers and have them copy the profile and rebarrel it. I need to spend to serious range time with it and see if it really needs a new tube. I haven't shot it much at all since moving to Alaska 16 years ago.

Mart, I had one of the old 112 Sav singleshots in 220. I freshened up the throat, seated the bullets out a bit and got another 12-1500 rounds of good accuracy out of it.

I had one many years ago. A Norma factory load outshot every dang reload I tried. I have a group somewhere that has five bullets in a .5" group at 200 yards. Factory Norma.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
Mart, I had one of the old 112 Sav singleshots in 220. I freshened up the throat, seated the bullets out a bit and got another 12-1500 rounds of good accuracy out of it.

I'd like to pick up one of the Lyman bore scopes and check my Swift's throat. I have a local smith who could do the work if the throat needs a touch up. No ore than I shoot that old Swift, 12-1500 rounds would last the rest of my life. Unless I move back down to varmint country.

I remember when those 112's came out. I was 19-20 and wanted one so bad it hurt. Of course I was poor as a church mouse back then.

I don't especially want a "bugholer" but I'd prefer something tighter than 2". I've never been one to obsess over the last .001" of group size. As long as the rifle is more accurate than I can hold, it's fine. I've never been anal about it.

That's great to hear about the 4064 as that's the powder I use in 30-06 to duplicate POI with the Greek surplus stuff in my Garands so there's always some of it around. I was hoping to not have a rifle that needed some powder for which I had no other use. 4064 and H4831 work at least very well in everything I load - makes re-stocking simple.

Just past experience, I'd have started with Sierra's or V-Max's.

With 38 grains of 4064 and 52 grain Nosler solid base bullets my Ruger is very accurate. Fortunately I still have many boxes of this discontinued bullet.
Regards

I also have an old Ruger 77 with the sporter barrel, it too likes 4064.
I have a few boxes of very old Rem 220 swift. 48 grn softpoint. Those chrono at a little over 4000 fps even from the 24" barreled sporter.
They are very hot, flat primers right to the edge of the pocket. In the Savage they even left a little cratering of the primer.

I'd not thought of the Nosler solid base bullets. I remember using some of those in - as I recall - 7mm, 300 and 338 magnums and they were extremely accurate. I quit shooting them, can't remember why.