Just bought a M77 with a sporter weight barrel and I 'm looking for good loads with a 60 grain bullet, preferably the 60 grain Nosler Partition. I know I'm on the upper end of bullet weights for a 14 twist but I'd like to give it a go. Looking for a good bullet for whitetails. Thanks!!

Cobrajet--55 grain cup and core been working here as good as it gets.

Your rifle may or may not shoot that particular Nosler Partition well, but if it doesn't it will not be because of the twist. 1-14 is fully adequate, particularly at Swift velocities. I've loaded the same bullet in .222's with 1-14 twists and it's done fine.

For a 1n14 twist I would look at the

Barnes 50gr TTSX Item# 30185
Barnes 55gr TTSX Item# 30187

Hitting a whitetail with a 50 or 55gr bullet vs a 60gr is going to be a pretty similar reaction

quote:

Hitting a whitetail with a 50 or 55gr bullet vs a 60gr is going to be a pretty similar reaction

And if it's the right spot the reaction will be a dead whitetail.

This is interesting.

I've shot several whitetails with my Ruger Swift using 60 gr. Hornady SpirePoints. Not sure of the powder but I think 4064. All one shot kills: distances varied from maybe 75-150 yds. Bullets found under the hide on the off side. Lots of good, probably better bullets out there, than the Hornady for deer. In my limited experience, I think the Swift with 1-14 barrel with the right bullet equals a great deer killer to reasonable ranges but as always, bullet placement is VITAL.

They shoot good, 60gr partition, out of my model 70. 24"barel. velocity 3415f/s oal set at 2.72".
Imr 4064 ccibr2 primers.

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Originally posted by devere:
I've shot several whitetails with my Ruger Swift using 60 gr. Hornady SpirePoints.

Yes, both the "old fashioned" 55 and 60 grain Hornady Spire soft points seem to hold together adequately for medium sized game like whitetails. If you want to use a "premium" bullet the the Nosler Partition is the ticket, but if you just want a dead deer then the Hornady's will get the job done for a couple of nickels less per shot.

I'm hoarding some of the old 60 grain Nosler Solid Base (lead tipped) bullets which I like as a game bullet in .22 centerfires.

Here's what I shoot in my Ruger 77 tang safety Swift. 38 grains of RL15 and a Nosler 55 Grain Ballistic tip. One hole 3 shot groups once a year when I shoot it on paper. An interesting note, the original barrel was throated in 1995. I bought the rifle in 1974. I sent I back to Ruger, they changed the barrel for me then, and it shoots lights out. Much better than the original barrel. A 60 grainer ought to shoot, with IMR 4064 or RL 15.

Jerry

The 63 gr Sierra SMP stabilizes just fine in 1:14. As does the 70 gr Speer. Both kill deer just fine if you can keep off the onside shoulder. Then, so do the 55s, even the 52 gr Speer HP (the older design).

Most 60s are iffy, and the NP has never worked for me. This was decades ago, might try the 50 gr Barnes.

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Originally posted by Jgrabow6493:
This is interesting.

What a bullet does to a steel plate has no relation ship to how it will preform on game.

I just shot some 60 grain Hornady spire points in my 222rem and they shot very well. It has a 1/14 twist. I would think your 220 swift would stabilize them without any problems. I'm going to try the 64 grain Nosler bonded bullet next.

Ive culled deer and PG with the 222, 223, and 22-250 with the 60 gr. Hornady both SP and HP, and it works like a charm with behind the shoulder shots and of course neck and brain shots..It has shot well enough in all 3 calibers in that if the gun shot 3/4" for instance with varmint loads, it shot an inch and a half with the Hornady, so thats close enough for big game hunting IMO regardless of twist within reason..Ive used Barnes, Nosler also, but had my best luck with the Hornady 60 gr. The largest animal Ive used it on was a Mule deer at 225 yards, it ran 40 steps, and I recovered a perfectly expanded bullet as usual..Id sure give it a try if I were you..but whatever bullet you intend to use needs to be tested at the 100 yard target, references are good, but testing in YOUR rifle is the final test..


Just got back from a whitetail cull hunt and observed and used the 220 swift with Hornady factory ammo and it was a sudden killer, but one shoulder shot sorta failed I guess in that the bullet exploded on cantact left a terrible wound the size of a plate, the second shot killed it, but she was totaly immobilized with the first shot..I have used it in the past but that was many many years ago..Im tempted to build another, always liked it.

I worked up loads with the 60gr. HOrnady HP and SP with a max load of H414, and with the Nosler 64 gr. bonded core solid base bullet and it shoots a cosistent inch with these bullets, it shoot 1/4 inch with 50s and 52s, so it opens up with heavy bullets and I don't know the twist but suspect most wouldn't shoot heavy bullets in the swift...I see both of these bullets as deer bullets up 150 or 200 yards, be great for culling whitetail, but no slouch on Mule deer..I know the 60 gr. Hornaday is and the Nosler just has to be with its bonded core and solid base. but place bullets in the ribs, head or neck and keep ranges short as possible..I will use mine for culling small does in Texas, Coues deer in the Big Bend country of Texas and in Mexico if things ever settle down there.. I have no idea of the twist in my gun but its a Ruger, may get around to it one of these days, but it passed all the test for my needs, thats all that counts and the only way to find out..

While nothing is as good as actual testing with your rifle and components, this can give you an idea about a particular bullet’s stability:

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi



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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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Originally posted by Jgrabow6493:
This is interesting.

What a bullet does to a steel plate has no relation ship to how it will preform on game.

Absolutely true, but purely out of curiosity, I'm dead keen to know what kind of Swift bullet they used to punch holes in 1/2" armour plate, even if it was only 30 feet.

punchin bullets in steel is more of a velocity thing than any thing else, its expansion properties are desolved on contact..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
punchin bullets in steel is more of a velocity thing than any thing else, its expansion properties are desolved on contact..

That's how waterjet cutters work. But I still wish I could read the preceding page of that book to know the story. Inquiring mind, and all.

The swift and 22-250 and their ilk are outstanding and impressive killers of deer, Ive seen many kills with both form my paying hunters in my ranching days, and ive shot a number of deer with the 222 and 22-250..

The downside is sooner or later you will blow a plate sized chuck of meat and bone out and no penetration, and that can be an all day tracking job for sure, and Ive had to do exactly that on half a dozen ocassions over the last many years.
The swift and the 22-250 were the worst offenders and the most impressive when they worked..They also create massive blood shot areas of the carcass, stay off bone if possibe.

12-7-21, addition: The Nosler 64 gr.solid base, bonded core, and Hornady 60 gr. HP and SP Interlock seems to have changed all the ills of the fast 22s..

quote:

Absolutely true, but purely out of curiosity, I'm dead keen to know what kind of Swift bullet they used to punch holes in 1/2" armour plate, even if it was only 30 feet.

The caption states it was a 48-grain factory load...



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It was copied from Volume 1, Handbook for Shooters & Reloaders, by P.O. Ackley, Copyright 1962. A typical cup and core varmint bullet.

Nosler states a 1-12" twist is minimum.

Three things:

1. If you're responding to cdsx, he's no longer on the forum.

2. Whatever he wanted to learn from that page, it's way too small for me to read!

3. I'm personally dubious about any 48gr. softpoint punching holes in any 1/2" plate at 30 ft., let alone "armour" plate. Hardened bullet, perhaps. I'd need to see it from a more credible source before I put any faith in it.

Fixed the pictures.

quote:

Originally posted by Jgrabow6493:
Fixed the pictures.

Thanks! I've no idea what he had hoped to learn from that page, but nothing jumps out at me.

And in the absence of any conclusive proof to the contrary, as far as I'm concerned the photo shown above is incorrectly labelled in publication, either deliberately or accidentally. The .30-something-caliber holes are the .30-06 AP rounds.

Since he is planning on hunting deer with a 22 I thought that article would show the power of the 220 Swift to negate the critics of using a 22 rifle for deer. But, based on your observation I'm not so sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Jgrabow6493:
Since he is planning on hunting deer with a 22 I thought that article would show the power of the 220 Swift to negate the critics of using a 22 rifle for deer. But, based on your observation I'm not so sure.

No, no, don't get me wrong - I'm not saying you can't hunt deer with a powerful .22 CF, although it wouldn't be my first choice. The .220 Swift is an awesome cartridge, one I'd love to own one day. With the right bullet and proper shot placement (meaning, no Rambo mag dumps of cheap 5.56 at fleeing Bambi), a .22 CF can work just fine. I'm just not buying that guy's contention that the Swift is a giant-killing anti-tank gun, that's all.

Of course, if someone wants to shoot some 49 gr. .224 softpoints at a 1/2' plate of hardened steel and post some verifiable photos of resulting "3/8 inch holes" through said plate, I'll concede my error. But I'd hate to have to hang by my favourite testicle waiting for that to happen.

That wasn't directed at you. I still think the 60 gr is too heavy for a barrel with a 14" twist. If shots are under 200 yards the bullet probably will remain stabilized, just my opinion. I backordered .224 32gr MTH (Match/Tactical/Hunting) from Cutting Edge Bullets. I should get 4100+ from my FM Mauser 220 Swift. Now I need to find some hardened steel plate.

quote:

Originally posted by Jgrabow6493:
That wasn't directed at you. I still think the 60 gr is too heavy for a barrel with a 14" twist. If shots are under 200 yards the bullet probably will remain stabilized, just my opinion. I backordered .224 32gr MTH (Match/Tactical/Hunting) from Cutting Edge Bullets. I should get 4100+ from my FM Mauser 220 Swift. Now I need to find some hardened steel plate.

And something for a shield. Fired perpendicular at 30 feet, the possibility of fragments coming back at you is not out of the question.

The deer I've shot with the 22 calibers have all been prettey standard broadside shots, head, shoulder, and heart/lung shots, all picture perfect shots, and one at 200 plus with a 222..

I had a few blow up on Heart/lung shots when a rib was hit or the shoulder. I used the 22 for culling the smaller deer..

As for a buck deer hunt, surely a 308 for instance is a much better choice, and a trophy hunt is take them as you can and indeed a 30-06 or whatever is the best choice..I really like the old 30-30 for whitetail under brush circumstances..All Im saying is the 22s are not the kill all as Ackley describes, they are an option under ideal circumstances I suppose..

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..All Im saying is the 22s are not the kill all as Ackley describes, they are an option under ideal circumstances I suppose..

You've summed up everything, precisely, in one sentence Ray.

Didn't read and of the above;
I have never lived in a state that allowed a 22 center fire for deer. I can't fathom why any does.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Didn't read and of the above;
I have never lived in a state that allowed a 22 center fire for deer. I can't fathom why any does.

Exactly. It's never been legal here. Nothing smaller than .23, regardless of the velocity or bullet. The rule still holds true: You don't go out with a gun that will just do the job when everything goes right; you carry a gun that will still do the job when everything goes wrong.

I can kill a game animal with about any caliber including a 22 short, long or long rifle, all I have to do is change my hunting style to make the caliber work, with a 22 Id have to get within about 25 yards of an elk and use a brain shot, and on deer two fast shots to the heart/lung will do it, if you slip away after the shot and give it 30 minutes, then go back and gut your deer, if you shoot twice and walk to the deer it will run and you will never find it..Lot of varibles to what makes a deer rifle..I know ranch families in Mexico that live on deermeat with a 22 single shot..others with more money that thrive on 300 wbys and high stand jeeps for coues deer at some very long ranges, and hunted on one ocasion with Mexican federales with machine guns and a quart bottle of sotol, never again. but they were effective and made meat.

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I have never lived in a state that allowed a 22 center fire for deer. I can't fathom why any does.

If you lived and hunted in Texas you would understand.

Killing occurs when serious damage is done to the animal.

Regardless of bullet weight, caliber or speed.

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I have never lived in a state that allowed a 22 center fire for deer. I can't fathom why any does.

Very obviously you have never done it nor seen it done. Before I had any experience with it, I'd have thought the same. Now several grandkid, nephews, great nephews, great grandsons later--I fully understand.

After reading P.O.Ackley's account of the performance of the .220 Swift on game in the 1970's I began using the Swift on small Texas whitetails. In order for this to work I knew this cartridge had to be loaded with tough jacket bullets. Nationally known R.B. Sisk was just up the road from me and I loaded my Swift with his 49 grain Express bullet designed for that purpose. It performed very well. Like Ackley described "Lights Out". Even though at longer ranges that little bullet lost a lot of velocity it still retained the tremendously high rpm generated by 4000 fps muzzle velocities, producing spectacular kills. Shots were always aimed for the lungs avoiding heavy bone structure.

In those days there was very few deer and coyotes was our 'big game'. I knew everyone that farmed and ranched and the game warden looked the other way when we would cruise the country roads cris crossing large wheat fields . Coyotes traveled in packs across these fields presenting opportunities for lots of long range shooting. Over time I used and witnessed many different calibers to shoot coyotes at long range. Of all the calibers tried the best long range one shot killer was the .220 Swift.

After many coyotes a few whitetails and one mule deer I finally shot the barrel out. I pulled the barrel and sent it to Robert Snapp who rebored it to 25 caliber. I chambered it to 257 Ackley. Still have it today. It shoots sub moa and has many whitetails and hogs to it's credit.

Add to all this swift conversarion, todays bullets have changed the thinking of the hot 22s, the 60 gr. Hornady is an awesome deer bullet in the 222 or the 220 Swift...Toss the books and shoot some deer or coyotes with these newer bullets is a mind changer up to a point..Most deer in central and south Texas are shot from a blind to a feeder thats 100 yards or less away, 222, 223 and the swift work just fine. The Nosler partition and the bonded core 64 gr. solid base won't blow up on the shoulder.

If the last nut behind the stock works fine, then the gun will do its job, don't take iffy shots, place the bullet, know how to hunt works pretty darn good..and as well as any muzzle loader or bow for sure.

One thing I noticed pretty quick was the small caliber Nosler partitions don't work well in that they perform like a big bullet caliber and blow the front end off mostly and the back half is pretty darn small and in many case its just the other half and caliber size. Im a dyed in the wool Nosler shooter, love the partition and the accubonds, but iwth the 22 I,ll stick with that Hornady 60 gr.HP or SP, both work..