The Mighty .220 Swift

[FOG]

Jeff Higgins,

At the time my only two centerfire rifles between .22 and .30 were a 6.5X55 and a .243 sporter benchrest built by Karl Kenyon in 69 that I inherited. I didn't want to modify either one. My god daughter's dad had a .243 but... Both my nieces and the god daughter with her boyfriend started with single shot .22s then moved on to lightly modded 541-X the AR-15s using light bullets w/ Blue Dot that will not cycle the action followed by full power ammunition. Later the 22-250s, .220 AI, FAL, AR-10, .30 cal bolt guns. The one they wanted to practice with was the .220AI. Basically competitive accuracy games out to 300 yards. I think it is much better to keep them shooting rifles they want to shoot and which they work to shoot better. Confidence in shooting a firearm goes a long way.

Patience is instilled in training. Having them play competive tic-tac-toe with clay targets making the game progressively harder, further out then only punching the center of the clay, etc. with having to go down range to set targets results in a competitive yet patient atmosphere. My nieces went home with an RWS 34 to continue the tic-tac-toe in their garage with Neco candy wafers moving down to aspirins, while a BSA went the other pair. I believe spring piston air rifles are very good trainers as they are intolerant of sloppy inconsistent holds or poor follow through.

Fostering competition between siblings or BF/GF as to who can out shoot who, while enforcing strict safety procedures (forcing the offender to sit and watch for a few hours while their counterpart continues to train) has shown pretty good results.

In Texas you can hunt over bait. The goal is a successful hunt. Known distance they have shot over and looked at the animals helps. Trying to train them to watch and anticipate when shot can be made successfully helps.

As far as walking hogs in the brush I'll pass unless I'm with someone I know, trust and has proven to function under stress. On hunting with dogs I like dogs (95% of dogs are better than 95% of people) so I have passed on that method.

I have no experience with the Roberts, limited use with the 6mm Rem, but more with the .243. Having seen the results of the .220 AI with the 64 gr. Nosler compared to most RemChemster .243 I know which one I'm using for both tissue destruction and penetration. Good shots with “good caliber/bullet” may not result in a bang-flop unless you get a CNS hit. How many heart/lung shots with both lungs holed or the heart partially/totally destroyed resulted in the animals moving 5-100-200 yards?

I prefer to be “over gunned” than the opposite and try to practice to a standard that I can succeed with something less powerful, accurate, etc. in order to give me greater odds of success.

Of course they went out with an adult. For the hogs the range to the bait is 170-190 yards from an elevated position and I was carrying a nice GAP AR-10 w/USO SN-3 loaded with 178gr. AMAX plus a 44 mag.

Over the years I have come to the conclusion that muzzle blast is more of an issue than recoil up to a certain point. How many “hunters” have you encountered over the years who have bought a rifle that is enough but not trained with it? How many of those are awed by the Hollywood killing power of these same rifles and not trained due to various stated reasons?

I don't know Otto's situation as pertains to funds, time available etc. I am guessing that his idea of a hog hunt is ancillary to a trip to Texas not as the primary purpose of the trip. .223 with proper bullet selection and usage can be quite effective. .223 is cheap for practice ammunition. If the primary purpose is to hunt/shoot hogs and walking into cover etc. then I think he should select a 16” barrel on an AR-10, FAL, or M1-A in .308 or better .358 with a LPVO.

S/F, FOG

[Jeff Higgins]

Hey FOG, to be completely honest, your writing is a bit hard to follow. You remind me of my friend Oddjob Uno, one of our long lost, favorite contributors to PPOT. I do believe, however, from what I can gather, we agree on most points.

Shooting games are the best way to hold interest while kids learn to shoot. Paper targets are boring and lose their interest rather quickly. Yes, shooting rifles they like is paramount to maintaining their interest. And yes, I love my "springers" - RWS 34, RWS 48, HW 80 for rifles, and Webley Tempest and HW 45 for pistols. They are all very demanding, yet also rewarding, to shoot.

As far as hunting any sort of "dangerous" game in heavy cover, I agree whole heartedly. There are only a couple of guys I have ever hunted with with whom I will do so today. This game really, definitively, separates the "men from the boys". 10-14 year old girls with AR's don't get to play...

I have never considered shooting animals over bait as "hunting". It is merely shooting animals to fill the larder. There are no "hunting" skills displayed in this pursuit. Only shooting, and not very challenging shooting at that.

I have seen far too many animals hit very well with the "classic" heart/lung shot run on for far too long. This is a decidedly North American shot. It is widely derided around the world for just that reason - animals can run far too far when hit that way. I learned long ago, when presented with that broadside shot, to go for the more "African" method of aiming for the high shoulder shot instead. This breaks the shoulder and puts them down, and damages the big arteries going into the top of the heart to keep them down. Pipsqueak .22 centerfires lack the power to break the big shoulder joint and continue to penetrate, eliminating this shot from consideration.

I, too, prefer to be over gunned rather than under gunned. On that we agree, as well as the need to practice to ensure a humane, killing shot regardless of caliber chosen. Where we disagree is on where we choose to hedge.

Funny that you cite muzzle blast as a bigger factor than recoil. I could not agree more. Yet, as I'm sure anyone with any experience with the things will agree, the muzzle blast of your short barreled .223's and such is about as nasty as they get. Those things have a very, very serious "bark" to them. Yet they are suitable for 10-14 year old girls, who are just getting comfortable with rifles? You contradict yourself.

And, finally, yes, I agree - far too many who would call themselves "hunters" buy some gawdawful, ear splitting, shoulder crushing cannon and then never practice with it enough to ever become proficient with it. I wish there were something we could do about that. Does that mean they should resort to some ineffective, sub caliber rifle instead? They still would not practice with it, so that is rather moot.

Anyway, this has been a great discussion. It has served to highlight one of the .220 Swift's legacies - the debate concerning the suitability of .22 centerfires in general for hunting "big" game. There are obviously two camps. I adhere to the "unsuitable under any circumstances" camp. It's clear we disagree, which is fine. In the end, I'm just glad to hear that you are promoting our sport by introducing it to some undoubtedly fine young ladies. Hat's off, again.

[Bill Douglas]

I'm one of those shooters who wouldn't have a clue in hell.

I get all interested, buy the gun, lovingly wipe it down with an oily rag, and never touch it again.

GF thinks I'm mad. But it's all about having it there in the attic, bragging rights ya know.

[FOG]

Jeff Higgins,

Writing style varies depending; Poly Sci, Engineering Abstract, point paper, white paper or … I have been accused (probably rightfully so) of being good presenting, both oral and written, at Barney the purple dinosaur level and the post grad level but having trouble of staying between these lateral limits.

I have found the kids like the .220AI bark and all. It is the one non-suppressed rifle almost all like to shoot. It equates to practice and confidence. I am just surmising that with double hearing protection on the noise factor isn't as big a factor. The 16” and shorter .223 ARs seem to have more concussive effect than the now 26” Pac-Nor with 80-90% percent more powder.

As for shooting hogs they are considered pests. Shooting over bait follows the crawl-walk-run with the ability to eliminate more of the pests. Rhetorical question is where do you start someone; field craft accuracy/shot placement, handling more powerful firearms? I prefer to initially emphasize the precision shot with initial field craft limited to getting into position and observing animals to know when to shoot. Then start building other skills as time, abilities, and interest progress.

Bait shooting hogs at distance with simultaneous shots from multiple shooters maximizes dead hogs. Ones that look like good eating go to the butcher or a charity while the others are left to bait more hogs or coyotes.

I am most assuredly not a trophy hunter. I have never had anything mounted, though a few were mounted by others. Fill the larder, get rid of pests for the most part. The deer I was shooting around Greeneville NC were taken to a local butcher who produce meat at 40% of body wight for $40.00 as long as kept hides and heads.

Maybe I am just hoping that addressing cost of ammunition, and learning on something easier to shoot will produce better results. I may be wrong in producing more hits with the smaller calibers versus the total miss with the bigger ones as to which produces the better result. You may be right that I would be more productive in protecting Dulcinea's virtue.

The girls all have very different personalities. The eldest niece is very prissy, somewhat meek, and very sensitive to most physical activity. The younger niece is a tomboy who likes to mix it up with BJJ and somewhat of a thrill seeker. The god daughter is now a Div 1 volleyball player with an extremely high pain threshold, her then boyfriend was also an athlete (baseball) being recruited both Div 1 and the minors. One niece shot an air rifle at a camp leading to both nieces wanting to shoot, hunt and out do the other. My god daughter's boyfriend actually showed interest first so with his parents permission started shooting then the god daughter followed as she didn't want to be left out or have her boyfriend beat her.

The oldest niece now is into sporting clays. The youngest niece is trying to claim a R1 variant FAL with a shortened barrel. God daughter is back from school may fit in a hog shoot.

Unfortunately the ex-boyfriend was not allowed to hunt which is a story in itself. I do have occasional contact with him and left the door open.

No worries on any front.

S/F, FOG

[Jeff Higgins]

Hah - yeah, I'm more at the "Barney the Purple Dinosaur" level myself... Please try to type slowly so I can keep up...

I understand you guys do have a real hog problem down there, in the form of a major infestation. We darn near developed one out on our own Olympic Peninsula many years ago, after some fool had turned a bunch loose so he and his buds had something to hunt. Our Game Department declared "open season" on them and asked us all to go shoot every last damn one of them we could find. We got on top of it before they became a problem.

So, yeah, at "infestation" numbers, all "Marques of Queensbury" rules of "fair chase" go right out the window. You just need 'em dead. I've shot hundreds of rock chucks (wood chucks to the easterners) at the request of farmers who just want them out of their fields. Some call it "hunting", but it really isn't. It's just target shooting. The old Swift really comes into its own for this kind of work.