220 Swift

I just picked up my first Swift yesterday. Remington 700 VSF Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24X-40. Going to the range today to break her in. H380 55gr Sierra BK's. The Swift reminds me of a 68 Hemi Dart, a rare bird with enormous power. Thats what drew it to me. Jim
 
Originally Posted By: jimreedI just picked up my first Swift yesterday. Remington 700 VSF Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24X-40. Going to the range today to break her in. H380 55gr Sierra BK's. The Swift reminds me of a 68 Hemi Dart, a rare bird with enormous power. Thats what drew it to me. Jim

Good for you, Jim! And a good choice in glass too! The very thing that I have on mine. Yesterday at a long range shoot in Parma Idaho I was having great fun shooting clay targets at 550 yards with mine. When you know where to put the crosshairs over the target it is not all that hard to do.

And good comparison between the Hemi Dart and the Swift. True Hot Rods they both are.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustOriginally Posted By: songdog223I'd be surprised if you polled people that owned both calibers and got a response that would support that POI quote.

I would be even more suprised if you were to find as many people that have tested as a many rounds on real live (and tough) animals as Mr Ackley had. I doubt that he any any reason to lie about it. He was a very intense person and tested ammo and their effects on living as well as non living things for many decades. His books are excellent reads.


I agree that POA had a scary degree of talent and passion for shooting and hunting. I don't think he was telling a lie in imagining that the Swift would one up the .30-06 on deer...if that's his quote, I just think he's wrong, that's all. Most all of the bullets available for the Swift were designed for smaller game. A whole different ballgame than 30 cal bullets were designed for. I don't even shoot my '06 for deer...but there's a reason that it's more popular among deer hunters than the Swift is. I really like the Swift, and I would love to have one someday. Trust that when I do, it will be for predators, though, and not for deer.
 
I just recently purchased a Ruger tang safety Swift and cant wait to fire it up. I have shot many deer with a 22-250 and no matter what the shot they bit the dust, cant wait to try the Swift on a few.I have wanted 1 since I was a kid and have decided until I can save enough money for the glass I want it wont be shot. Now that will make you save your pennies!!!
 
Originally Posted By: mountain stateWild Wv, Don't spend too much on Glass. You will be needin' money to have it re-barreled after about 200 shots.!!!
Well I was kinda thinking that but figure it should last twice as long as some of the guys I hunt with, it seems they always have to shoot twice as much as me for the same amount of Hogs.
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Originally Posted By: mountain stateWild Wv, Don't spend too much on Glass. You will be needin' money to have it re-barreled after about 200 shots.!!!

What a load of BS! I know for a fact that I put over 2000 hard rounds through my current Swift before accuracy started to fall off. Still shot it hundreds of rounds after that. I have heard some ridiculous numbers but 200 takes the cake!

I had well over 1000 rounds through my first .220 which was a Ruger 77V before I was foolish enough to trade it off. It would still easily put 5 Sierra Matchkings touching at 100 yards on a good day. It is pretty obvious to me that anyone that thinks that a Swift will shoot out a barrel in just a few hundred rounds has never owned one!
 
Rustydust, I was completely joking on that, and I figured there would be alot more responses than that. I DEARLY love the Swift, and believe it or not I have heard people talk that 200 round BULL. Wild WV picked up a nice Swift Exactly like the one I have and I'm sure he will LOVE it when he gets it scoped up. I have a pic that I'll try to post soon,of me at 11 years old in South Dakota on a P-dog hunt with my Dad, in 1985, holding my Swift,funny thing is,it is nearly as tall as I was then. I get a kick out of the Barrel Burn talk too. The 77V that I have has had quite a few rounds through it and will still put em in there pretty tight. In my opinion, the Swift is surely one of the BADDEST rounds to ever come down the pike. I will always own 1 possibly more, even if I have to go the semi-custom route. Like a fairly famous gun writer once said, "Long Live The KING."
 
Well..........OK then.
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I get pretty defensive when it comes to my beloved Swift. I have heard so many horror stories (some dating to 70 years ago) about the the wonderful .220 Swift it just makes my blood boil anymore to hear anyone badmouth it. I apologize for not knowing that you were in jest.

Gun owners have their favorite rounds and I am no exception. I have several guns in several calibers. I own nothing that does not please me. Guns (or cars, motorcycles,..etc) that bore me are gone pretty quick. But from 1975 and that Ruger M77V I have had a deep affection for this caliber. I just cannot picture not having one in my safe. I have said it before and I will say it again- if I were to have one and ONLY one centerfire rifle it would be a .220 Swift.

The .220 Swift is proof that God wanted man to shoot varmints.
 
Rustydust I am glad to see you care so much about your Swift, I have wanted 1 my entire life. I have the same same feelings as you only it is for the 22-250.When mountain state and I started shooting together I just had to get a Swift.By hogging season I will have it up and running and with me and Carl both shooting Swifts some hogs are gonna bite the dust around here.
 
I reckon that if I had started with a 22/250 (almost bought one until I found out Ruger was going to make Swifts again) then I might just be a 22/250 fanatic instead. I wanted the Swift because it was just a bit more- tiny bit I know- powerful than the 22/250 was. Plus, and it is a big plus, I really did not want to have just any old varmint rifle. The .222 Remington was the hottest thing going back in those days as far as sales goes, but its performance did not impress me much. Nobody I knew had a Swift back then so I wanted one. Same thing as for the .17 Remington that I bought a couple of years later.

Truth be told I rarely shoot my Swift like a Swift anymore. I load a 52 grain HPBT to around 3700 or 3800 fps. Good enough for the critters that I shoot. And my brass AND my barrel will last a long long time. I like that.
 
Well guys put me on the list for a swift owner , i shot one a good bit when i was younger a buddy of mine had one and i loved it so much i have been looking for one for sometime now. And as of yesterday i have a custom barrel orderd for my Encore prohunter 26 inch heavy barrel is what i have coming i only hope it shoots as good as the m77 we use to shoot. but till i found another 77 it will have to do.Has any one had any experience with the encore barrels in the swift? Thanks Billy
 
Rustydust: What loads were you running in your M77V that had the 52gn rounds touching at 100 yards? I recently bought one and am starting to work up loads. I share your feelings with the Swift. My dad is a 22-250 guy, but all his buddies are Swift guys. I grew up with both, but prefer the Swift. Even if both calibers were even due to some new powder or something, I would still pick the Swift. Kind of neat with all the history there, plus it's just an excellent round.
 
I have 2 of them now a tang safety Ruger that shoots like a house on fire and a Remington VSF that needs a new stock but will still shoot 3/4 " groups. I love em to death when ya touch one off they have a sound no other rifle has. My Dad thinks they are the most evil sounding gun he ever heard LOL and the coyotes must to cause they fall over dead when they hear it to >:) fur friendly no death ray yes you will get some good results next one with be football sized hole but dead is dead.

In my life I know I will never own a Enzo Ferrari so I may as well have the supercar of the gun world and the king of the open plains :p

My current load for Ruger is 36gr of H4895 50gr nosler no where near max but shoots like crazy. and for the Remington 43.5grains of H380 and 40gr Berger both with CCI BR primers and Winchester brass.
 
Originally Posted By: stealthmanRustydust: What loads were you running in your M77V that had the 52gn rounds touching at 100 yards? I recently bought one and am starting to work up loads.

Wow. You DO realize that this was 35 years ago that I had that tang safety Swift?

However- I still have my old data. Some of this I till use on occasion today on my current Swift. All are with the CCI Large Rifle BR primer. Brass was either WW or Norma.

38 grains if IMR 4064 with the 52gr Sierra HPBT. I have used as much as 40 grain, but got pressure signs. 38 to 38.5 better for the gun. Half inch groups the norm.

42 grains of IMR 4350 with the same bullet. This load shot just superb in my 1st Swift. I got it out of an older load book and it kind of became my standard load. 5 in a hole you couldnt push your pinky finger through.

A milder yet wonderful load was 35 grains of IMR 3031 with a Hornady 55 grain SX bullet. This load was given to me by a lifelong Swift shooter. He was almost 80 then. His "benchrest" was a sandbag on the hood of his old pickup that he shot off of standing. That old gent could shoot too. Cleaned his barrels with straight ammonia I remember.

I still keep all these powders on my shelf. There have been a boatload of powders that have hit the market since then. Lots I have tried, but really, none better than what was available back then in my opinion. I still buy them and try them, but between IMR 4064, 4350, and 3031 I think I got what I need.

Let me know how yours shoots. Bet it does good.
 
Wow, you keep better records than I do. Thanks for the loads. I just got a new Nikon Monarch scope for it in 50mm that is a bit too tall for the low Ruger rings, so I need to get a new set of medium rings before I get real serious. I will drop you a PM once I get things ironed out. Thanks again for the info.
 
Got a friend's Ruger 77 Swift shooting sub - .3 after mining the bore out & using Reloder 15, 52 gr Speer HP, and WLR primers. He thought he was going to have to replace the barrel, but patches came out blue for days, then he was good to go. Quite impressed when he shot his first group - .267 at 100 meters.
Maintenance is the key!!
Mark
 
Im another Swift lover and have been since i was kid.Im shooting a Savage BVSS now. and im with you Rusty Dust if i could only have one rifle it would be a Swift!!
Steve
 


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