The Mighty .220 Swift
 

My all time favorite long range varmint zapper. I just finished re-working up a load for mine after having gotten it back from my favorite local gunsmith. I had finally blown the throat right out of it for the third time, so I had him set the barrel back and rechamber it. The barrel itself was still in fine shape, it was just the throat and the first inch or so of rifling. Fortunately, he is the same guy who hung this barrel on it over 20 years ago, and he still had the same chambering reamer. As a result, I was able to work back up to the exact same load I had been using. Just being a little cautious, I began with a charge a few grains lighter, just in case.

This particular barrel, a stainless Lilja with a 12" twist, went about 3,000 rounds before accuracy started to fall off. The original Ruger barrel only went about 2,000 before it was toast, at which point I opted for the Lilja replacement.

The .220 Swift is undeniably hard on barrels. I knew that going in, over 30 years ago, and have been willing to accept that for the performance it has on offer. It's trajectory is astonishingly flat - I keep mine zeroed at 300 yards, which only puts it about 1.25" high at 100, maybe 1.75" high at 200, and only four inches low at 400. When we are after rock chucks or (more often) coyotes, that means I can hold pretty much dead on for about as far away as we can actually make one out. No need to "range" them with a range finder, no need to consider any holdover - just put the crosshairs on 'em and yank that trigger. The importance of this in coyote hunting cannot be overstated - they just don't stand still long enough to allow one to screw around with a rangefinder, turn dials on the scope, and then get on them.

My current favorite load launches a 60 grain Hornady V-Max at just about 3,750 fps. My other favorite is the 52 grain Sierra Match King at just a tick over 3,900 fps. Both are absolutely devastating on coyotes at any range they can be hit.

Anyway, here's the old girl, along with her favorite load. I included a .223 / 5.56 NATO round loaded with a 50 grain V-Max (at a paltry 3,200 fps) for comparison.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1562281409.jpg

The .220 Swift is great, but I think the .22-250 Remington is better overall.

Here is a good summary as to why:

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2018/10/26/head-to-head-22-250-remington-vs-220-swift/

The main reason I like the .22-250 better is that it does not burn up barrels like the .220 Swift does and it has virtually the same ballistics.

I used the .220 Swift when hunting prarie dogs. Loved it.

Before people freak out all farmers and ranchers hate the little critters and welcome a shooter.

Hah - one of the oldest debates there are among us riflemen. Good clean fun. I do have to point out, however, that these two calibers are only as close to one another as they are when we compare factory load ballistics. The factories have essentially neutered the .220 Swift, reducing it to its current status as really no more than a less convenient .22-250.

The .220 Swift is, if one wants to take full advantage of it, the provence of the experienced hand loader. When loaded to its full potential by a diligent, attentive hand loader, it really does provide a worthwhile increase in velocity over the .22-250. One can beat .22-250 velocities by about 200 fps with bullet weights typically used for varmint shooting, say 50 to 60 grains.

I find it interesting that the author bemoans the slower twist of these two fine cartridges, and their resultant inability to handle the really heavy .22 caliber bullets. I think he completely misses the point. These are not "big game" cartridges by any stretch, and were never meant to be. They are at their best as extremely high velocity, flat shooting varmint calibers. As I mentioned above, it's all about taking the guesswork out of "how far away is he?...", all about the ability to forego the use of range finders and the like. The use of these extremely heavy for caliber bullets negates all of those advantages.

To me, in the end, I'm willing to put up with its issues. Hearing that slower, lesser calibers are not as hard on barrels and are therefor "better" is, to me, much like telling a Top Fuel driver "you know, if you didn't run nitro in that thing, it would probably last longer..." ;)

have you ever used the 60 gr Nosler partition?

I loaded up some for my CZ in 223 a year ago but never got around to going to the range to find out how they shoot.

I'd like to go pig hunting in Texas next year and I think the CZ with the Nozler should be enough but I'm expecting a few to say I need to go bigger.

No, I have never tried the 60 grain Partition. I have shot an awful lot of big game animals with the Partition in 6.5mm, 7mm, .30, and .375 calibers - it's one of my go-to bullets. They are never the most accurate bullet I have tried in any of those calibers, but they are accurate enough for big game hunting.

The Partition is not a good design for a varmint bullet. As far as I'm concerned, no .22 centerfire is adequate for big game hunting. So, in my opinion, combining the two results in a pretty serious contradiction, and represents a very bad idea.

I am one of those who would say "you need to go bigger".

:D

I probably should not have bought the CZ 527 but it was on the shelf and I had the money.. you guys know how that works

If I get another rifle it probably will be in 6.5x55

I go in circles with looking for the best gun for pig

7.62x39 to 6.5x55 to 308 to 223

sorry for the hijack ;)

Don't know if you are aware of the 220 swift's history, but it was developed from the 6mm Lee Navy cartridge. The Lee Navy came along about 1895 and was a pioneer in cartridge design. Unfortunately, the Lee Navy was replaced by other rifles shortly after the turn of the century. It used a 6mm, 120-135 grain bullet and was a rimless case. Muzzle velocity was in the 2500-2700 fps range. A real barn burner compared to the 1200 fps of the 45-70! Later (much later), the small rim was added, the case slightly reformed and the case necked down to .22 caliber to make the .220 Swift. If you happen to own one of the rare 6mm Lee Navy military rifles or even rarer civilian versions, ammo can be made by reverse engineering the 220 Swift case! However, you will have to find one of the super rare stripper clips in order to shoot it as a repeater. One last tidbit, the Lee Navy was a straight pull design bolt action rifle that could be fired quite rapidly! The Lee Navy rifles were used by the Marines during the Boxer rebellion in China in 1898!

Hey, no problem at all, otto. Its attempted use as a big game cartridge, and the resulting controversy, is actually a large part of the .220 Swift's history. Its extraordinarily high velocity led many to believe it was some sort of a magical "death ray" or something. Some still adhere to that, and yes, it can kill big animals in spectacular fashion. It can also fail quite spectacularly.

I just feel (and I know many disagree) that that situation would indicate that lower velocity .22 centerfires would be even less suited to "big game" hunting. Granted, most pigs are not really all that "big" of a game animal. And we do shoot lots of coyotes with the .223, and it's very effective. Your other three choices, however, strike me as better "pig guns". Just my opinion.

Thanks, Fred. Yes, the .220 Swift does have an interesting history, including its development. There were a number of wildcat .22's in the running to be "legitimatized" by Winchester, and speculation abounded at the time regarding just "whose" wildcat it would be. Winchester managed to piss every last one of them off with their choice of the 6mm Lee Navy case. No one had necked that one down to .22 caliber yet. They had good reason to choose it, as it had the thickest, strongest web section of any cartridge case to that time, which made it eminently suited to the very high pressures Winchester planned for their new cartridge. Many believe that much of the bad press it received was merely sour grapes from these various wildcat developers whose pet cartridges were not chosen. One of them was actually a variation of today's .22-250, which was then known as the "Wotkyns Original Swift", or .22 WOS. Lots of folks will tell you that Remington finally "got it right" when they introduced their .22-250 in the early '60's. That proved to be the final nail in the .220 Swift's coffin. Or so they thought... There are a few of us stubborn shooters keeping it alive, who still recognize it for what it is - the fastest, finest commercially loaded varmint round ever made. Everyone else is just envious... ;)

If I ever use my CZ for pig I need to use the appropriate bullet. I think the Nozler partition is the way to go. If I was using a 308 I could pick any hunting bullet and get the job done.

The CZ7 527 weighs about 6 pounds and if I'm walking all day in the heat that may make a significant difference compared to a heavier rifle.

Otto,

I haven't used the partition in .22 but have used the Nosler 64 gr. bonded, 77 gr. Sierra TMK and limited use of the Barnes bullets in .223/5.56, 22-250, and .220 AI Swift on both Texas deer and hogs.

The Nosler bonded holds togther and expands nicely with good exit holes. I wouldn't go too short on the barrel length with .223 but that isn't a problem with the CZ. In the bigger .22s it is very effective. It is what both my nieces and my god daughter have used in my .220 Swift AI to kill deer and hogs.

The Sierra 77 gr. TMK seems to expand better but doesn't punch through both shoulders as well as the Nosler. I've only witnessed limited use in the bigger .22s and only on deer but it worked.

The Barnes have worked well but with caveats. They seem to be less accurate than the above bullets and more importantly is they foul more. The fouling doesn't seem to play well with other bullet fouling, it fouls faster, when the fouling gets to a point the accuracy really goes South, and it is a pain (as in both Foul out+JB and usually multiple iterations) to clean out.

When I was stationed in NC I would help cull deer up near Greenville on a couple of places. The vast majority fell to an AR using 69 gr. Sierra Mks. The caveat is all but single digits were to head/neck shots. The exceptions were classic broadside shots on smaller deer.

If you like the CZ then you might look at trading up to a 6.5 Grendel in the same rifle for a big step up in power for little increase in recoil.

Jeff Higgins,

My AI Swift is a 700 with a pinned recoil lug so I can switch barrels. I have a Pac-Nor 1-16” three groove obtained on sale for the girls to use. Most fun shooting is with 34 gr. Nosler/Midway Dogtown behind new XMR 4064 that I screwed when I ordered (didn't realize they had changed the formulation from the old good stuff).

S/F, FOG

You need to go bigger for hogs, they can run VERY large

Tobra,

You don't have to go bigger, you just have to be more careful/precise and be prepared to pass up shots you're not very confident in making. My nieces and god daughter practiced with the rifle out to 300 yards and shot from basically static rested position over bait at known distances.

Having said that the favorites among those I associate with tend to favor AR pistols with 12” barrels and LPVOs. They most effective are three AR-10 based pistols shooting .358 Winchester. The AR-15 based pistols show a majority in 6.5 and 6.8 with a couple of the big bores.

No hard data but it appears the 6.8 has a slight advantage over the 6.5 out to 50-100 yards, roughly same effect 100-150 yards or so and then the 6. pulls ahead.

The big bores are effective but for the weight and recoil it seems the .358 Winchester is a better choice.

The .300 Black Out is effective but outside of suppressor use with sub-sonics has fallen out of favor. Even with good expanding subs I think one needs to pick your shots and use restraint.

S/F, FOG

You guys can borrow my Sako L461 in 7mm Rem Mag. It'l blast hogs right off their feet. A bit loud though.

you don't have to go bigger. You could hunt them with a spear if you were so inclined. It is not like going after deer. Deer won't attack you in a group.

I know the centerfire .22's can be effective on deer and smaller hog sized game. It's obvious one does have to choose shots more carefully, and have the discipline to pass up less than ideal shots. I realize these have become somewhat popular in some areas.

I still think it is unnecessary at best and horribly ill advised at worst. There are far, far better choices. It's not like the folks doing this are, for whatever reason, limited to just one gun, and are thereby "forced" to use a barely adequate caliber. Why not use something that is absolutely, without question, appropriate? It just makes no sense to me. I've seen things go wrong with animals that "hunt back". It is enormously comforting in these very tense situations to be adequately armed. Granted, Bambi won't come for you, but a pissed off hog sure will. It's best to have an answer ready for him...

Bill Douglas,

We have plenty of .30 cal magnums and a few .338 Lms for the longer shots, I don't think we need to step back for the longer shots.

Jeff Higgins,

Better choices? 10-14 year old girls practicing and getting some proficiency with a rifle they like to shoot or a .308, 30-06, etc. they are not that happy to shoot? A 64 gr. Nosler in a .220 Swift AI is very effective. I don't think hogs charge over 150 yards.

S/F, FOG

First of all, let me say "hats off to you" for introducing the young ladies to our fine sport. Well done, sir.

That said, I thought we were discussing which calibers we, as grown men, have available to us. Yes, recoil and all of that are a huge hurdle to young people - I get that. Anything we can do to lessen the intimidation of getting familiar with the rifle is a good thing. The very best rifle for this is, of course, the .22 rim fire. But that doesn't make it a suitable hog caliber either.

Your implication that if they cannot use the .22 centerfires that the next step up is some form of .30 caliber is, of course, a red herring. We both know there are a number of choices in between that are eminently suitable to young, recoil shy hunters who are new to the sport. The .243, 6mm Remington, .257 Roberts, the various 6.5mm's, and others offer both low recoil and substantially increased effectiveness on game.

You very much implied in your earlier post that these hot .22's are pretty much the provence of the experienced hand. The vast majority of your shots are head or neck shots, with a very few "classic broadside" shots as well. The former requires a fair amount of skill with the rifle, and the latter a fair amount of patience as a hunter. 10-14 year old girls?

I'm a big proponent of being adequately armed for when things go wrong, rather than being barely well enough armed for the perfect conditions you describe. If one has hunted enough, in spite of our best laid plans, we will all too often see things go sideways. I'm sure there is an adult by their side, and one would hope that adult is properly armed.

The only issue with 6mm Rem. is the lack of factory loads if you are not a hand loader.

That said, it is a cartridge I love to shoot.

Yup, better in every way than the .243. Remington simply screwed up the marketing and initial image of the cartridge that they were trying to promote. Should have used a faster twist that would have stabilized heavier bullets for deer hunting and the like, like the .243.

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

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.

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.

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

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.