The Mighty .220 Swift

[Jeff Higgins]

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.

[winders]

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.

[Sooner or later]

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.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by winders

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.

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..."

[otto_kretschmer]

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.

[Jeff Higgins]

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".

[otto_kretschmer]

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

[fred cook]

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!

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer

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

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.

Originally Posted by fred cook

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!

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...

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

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.

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.

[FOG]

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

[Tobra]

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

[FOG]

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

[Bill Douglas]

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

[Tobra]

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.

[Jeff Higgins]

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...

[FOG]

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

[Jeff Higgins]

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.

[flipper35]

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.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by flipper35

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.