Modern Rifle That Uses 220 Swift Ammo?

[Joe Chartreuse]

I was on another forum (Prepper-type) discussing longarms. I mentioned the Ruger American .22/250 rifle, and that the ammo had around 4,OOO fps muzzle velocity. Someone replied that the 220 Swift was the only ammo with a higher velocity, which is true- though not by much.

ANYWAY, I said that though true, I have never seen it used by anything but a really old WInchester- possibly a 54?- and I didn't know of any modern rifles that take the ammo. Could someone here be kind enough to educate me? IS there a modern rifle that does? Do they still even make the ammo somewhere?

 

[Pál_K]

Modern, as in made within the last five years, probably not.

But you probably could find a Winchester, Remington, Savage, or maybe even a Sako in .220 Swift made in the 1990's, maybe early 2000's.

I have seen .220 Swift ammunition on dealers' shelves prior to year 2020. Not much, but it was there.

Overbore cartridges like .22-250 and .220 Swift aren't good for barrel life.

 

[BearBiologist]

Whole bunch on Gun Broker, especially Ruger M-77s in various form, as well as #1s, Winchesters, Remingtons, Mausers, etc. Don't know about bore life!!

 

[bigbillyboy]

I have read the bore life issue Is caused more to max loads than the fps . Guys loading them right to the limit.

 

[BearBiologist]

I had a 22-250 Ruger 77 for a short while. Couldn't good accuracy. Lighter bullets actually disintegrated (I could actually see it though the scope!). I wanted to use heavier bullets for antelope but the twist was all wrong.

 

[kmoore]

A barrel is a wearable part that the people who shoot lots understand and sell the whole gun or re barrel the firearms and keep on shooting. I say "shoot em if you got em" Right now I am replacing a 94 Winchester 30-30 worn out barrel with another Winchester barrel, slightly used but much better. At 67 years old this one will not get worn out. I confess, it was mostly destroyed by abuse of the prior owner and lousy cleaning. Not round count.

 

[BearBiologist]

A barrel is a wearable part that the people who shoot lots understand and sell the whole gun or re barrel the firearms and keep on shooting. I say "shoot em if you got em" Right now I am replacing a 94 Winchester 30-30 worn out barrel with another Winchester barrel, slightly used but much better. At 67 years old this one will not get worn out. I confess, it was mostly destroyed by abuse of the prior owner and lousy cleaning. Not round count.

Excellent points. At a lower price, a Swift or 22-250 might be worth re-barreling.

 

[sceva]

The Ruger 77 was available in .220 Swift. Mine was in 22-250 and accurate enough but after Fred Sinclair pillar bedded it and put on a Hart stainless match barrel it was very accurate. I added a Canjar set trigger to top it off.

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Gentlemen,
I have owned 7 .220 Swift's in my life and have never burned out a barrel. That's an old wives' tale that sadly :( will never die.

.220 Swift rifles DO NOT burn out rifling in a barrel!
They DO ERODE the throat in the chamber however from a steady diet of overly (not factory) hot loads & improper re-loading technique's.

Often custom barrel makers when re-barreling a Swift will advise going with a 28" barrel. Why? when you burn the throat out you
cut the barrel off and rechamber it & your back in business. ;)

Love them or hate them, the .220 Swift has stood the test of time since 1935.
Best,
Terry

 

[Mobuck]

I have a 98 Mauser with a 220 Swift barrel. It's finicky beach.

 

[justshootin]

Hello all!
Been a while since I've been around.
I've a 98 Mauser I'm thinking of sticking a 220 swift barrel on. Got plenty NEW brass.

Tho, I hear the 22 Creedmoor has it beat!

What to do...
What to do...

 

[Snake45]

I had a 22-250 Ruger 77 for a short while. Couldn't good accuracy. Lighter bullets actually disintegrated (I could actually see it though the scope!). I wanted to use heavier bullets for antelope but the twist was all wrong.

I own a VERY heavy (16.5 pounds) .243 built up by a man who couldn't kill a particular groundhog at 600 yards with his .22-250. He built this rifle on a Mauser action with Douglas 1 1/4" premium barrel in a Fajen Custom Varminter stock, put a Redfield 4x-12x scope on it, worked up a load with Speer 85-grain HP boattails, sighted it in, killed that evil groundhog, and I don't know if he ever shot it again. Not long thereafter he decided to move to Hawaii (where his brother was passing as Samoan) and sold it to me for the ridiculous price (even at the time) for $250. I've shot fewer than 50 rounds through it, but I'll never sell it, as that man was like a brother and a father to me and I'll never see him again.

 

[needsmostuff]

I own a VERY heavy (16.5 pounds) .243 built up by a man who couldn't kill a particular groundhog at 600 yards with his .22-250. He built this rifle on a Mauser action with Douglas 1 1/4" premium barrel in a Fajen Custom Varminter stock, put a Redfield 4x-12x scope on it, worked up a load with Speer 85-grain HP boattails, sighted it in, killed that evil groundhog, and I don't know if he ever shot it again. Not long thereafter he decided to move to Hawaii (where his brother was passing as Samoan) and sold it to me for the ridiculous price (even at the time) for $250. I've shot fewer than 50 rounds through it, but I'll never sell it, as that man was like a brother and a father to me and I'll never see him again.

Dang Brother , that story has the makins of a decent country song.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

Modern, as in made within the last five years, probably not.

But you probably could find a Winchester, Remington, Savage, or maybe even a Sako in .220 Swift made in the 1990's, maybe early 2000's.

I have seen .220 Swift ammunition on dealers' shelves prior to year 2020. Not much, but it was there.

Overbore cartridges like .22-250 and .220 Swift aren't good for barrel life.

Can't speak for the Swift, but have been using Hornady poly-coated V-max with great results in the Ruger American Rifle with no barrel issues, Haven't tried any other ammo yet. I have a few boxes of Winchester Super X, but haven't wanted to use them except for last resort. Not a huge Winchester ammo fan.

 

[moparclan]

Ruger Model KM77VT Mk. II (2000) and my older M77 tang safety (1978) have been excellent shooters. Have had no problem with barrel/throat erosion on either rifle.

 

[Kevin]

I was on another forum (Prepper-type) discussing longarms. I mentioned the Ruger American .22/250 rifle, and that the ammo had around 4,OOO fps muzzle velocity. Someone replied that the 220 Swift was the only ammo with a higher velocity, which is true- though not by much.

ANYWAY, I said that though true, I have never seen it used by anything but a really old WInchester- possibly a 54?- and I didn't know of any modern rifles that take the ammo. Could someone here be kind enough to educate me? IS there a modern rifle that does? Do they still even make the ammo somewhere?

I have a Cooper in .220 Swift. It’s one of the single shot models. Very beautiful rifle.

I was going to say it’s new, but I guess I bought it new 15 years ago.

I have some .220 Swift factory ammo for it.

I also have a 303 British that I have some factory ammo for. Just saying this because you can find factory ammo for rare and somewhat rare calibers.

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

I have a Cooper in .220 Swift. It's one of the single shot models. Very beautiful rifle.

I was going to say it's new, but I guess I bought it new 15 years ago.

I have some .220 Swift factory ammo for it.

I also have a 303 British that I have some factory ammo for. Just saying this because you can find factory ammo for rare and somewhat rare calibers.

Kevin,
You have an excellent taste! Those Cooper rifles are absolutely beautiful & shooters to boot. The fact it's a Swift makes it even better. (y)
In my early 20's I had a military surplus British Enfield .303 Jungle Carbine, they are a sweet little rifle. Wish I would of held on to her
Terry

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

Ruger Model KM77VT Mk. II (2000) and my older M77 tang safety (1978) have been excellent shooters. Have had no problem with barrel/throat erosion on either rifle.

View attachment 40244

Gorgeous stock!

 

[Mobuck]

The main issue with 'converting' to 220 Swift is the semi-rimmed case design. Feeding can be problematic. The tapered case can create increased bolt thrust which isn't a real problem in most current actions but may cause increased effort during initial bolt lift-also not an issue with a new production rifle.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I had a tang safety Ruger 77V .220 Swift in the early 80s. It had the 26" heavy barrel, and was supremely accurate. I mostly shot 52 and 55 grain bullets in it. 52 grain Sierra or Hornady hollow point match bullets were ragged hole groups loaded with 4064. I had an inexpensive Tasco 6-18x scope on it, always intended to upgrade my scope at some point but then the rifle was stolen out of my truck. I never replaced it.

 

[KS25-06]

Have had 220 Swifts in the following rifles. Early Ruger 77 flat bolt Varmint, 77MKII Varmint, Winchester Heavy Varmint, Remington 700 BDL Varmint, Savage Model 12 Varmint, and older Sako Varmint, I think it was a Forester model. All of them were great shooters, if you took the time to find the right load for each one. Sadly, had to sell them all because no more Prairie Dogs. Between the plague and the counties poisoning them, they are gone. Find one of these older rifles, and if not shot out, you will find they are one of the best

 

[Bullthrower338]

Here is a nice one for sale

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/ruger-no-1-220-swift.80365/

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

Have had 220 Swifts in the following rifles. Early Ruger 77 flat bolt Varmint, 77MKII Varmint, Winchester Heavy Varmint, Remington 700 BDL Varmint, Savage Model 12 Varmint, and older Sako Varmint, I think it was a Forester model. All of them were great shooters, if you took the time to find the right load for each one. Sadly, had to sell them all because no more Prairie Dogs. Between the plague and the counties poisoning them, they are gone. Find one of these older rifles, and if not shot out, you will find they are one of the best

Apologies for a quick hijack: K25-06, did that plague wipe out black-footed ferrets in your area too?