Quote:
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.
Quote:
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!
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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...