220 Swift Accuracy load

iayote

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Whats your favorite 220 swift accuracy load???? Lets hear em! Please list model of gun too.....
 
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As a .220 Swift owner for getting close to 40 years now, I sure have had some favorite loads during that time. Good old IMR 4064 with 50 to 55 grain bullets is certainly tough to beat. 38 grains of powder is what I suggest you try.

RL-15 with the same 38 grain powder charge with the same 50-55 grain bullets is maybe even better. Sure shoots good in my Krieger barrelled Rem 700.

An old favorite that shoots wonderful and is easy on brass and barrel is IMR 3031 with the Hornady 55 grain spire point. 35 grains of it will give you around 3500 fps and will put 5 in a dime with my last three guns.

If you want a bit more sizzle and still have pressures on the mild side try 45 grains of H414 with your favorite 40 grain bullet. Ground squirrels vaporize with a Sierra HP.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustAs a .220 Swift owner for getting close to 40 years now, I sure have had some favorite loads during that time. Good old IMR 4064 with 50 to 55 grain bullets is certainly tough to beat. 38 grains of powder is what I suggest you try.

RL-15 with the same 38 grain powder charge with the same 50-55 grain bullets is maybe even better. Sure shoots good in my Krieger barrelled Rem 700.

An old favorite that shoots wonderful and is easy on brass and barrel is IMR 3031 with the Hornady 55 grain spire point. 35 grains of it will give you around 3500 fps and will put 5 in a dime with my last three guns.

If you want a bit more sizzle and still have pressures on the mild side try 45 grains of H414 with your favorite 40 grain bullet. Ground squirrels vaporize with a Sierra HP.

+1 I like IMR3031 too. Got few on you, 51 year loading the swift.
 
RustyDust good point on the 3031, I used to shoot a load using 3031 years ago, I would have to dig way back in the notes to find that one. But I know I was using the 52gr.Sierra with it.
 
Originally Posted By: iayoteWhats your favorite 220 swift accuracy load???? Lets hear em! Please list model of gun too.....


You need to try IMR-4007ssc. Talk about magic. RL-17 is real good as well
 
I wouldn't say 38gr. is magic, I can push that up a little from there and still maintain very decent groups. But the question was best accuracy and that is the number for my gun. Please make sure and back off a little when you start.
 
44 grains of IMR-4831 behind a Nosler or Hornady 55 grain bullet.

40 grains of IMR-4064 behind a 40 grain Sierra HP or Hornady V-Max.

Remington 700 VS.

I've also heard good things about IMR-4007SSC. Just haven't got around to it yet, but there's a new pound on the shelf.
 
In my two Savages and two old Ruger 77's, 43.5-44.5g of AA2700 with a Rem case and Fed 210 primer with 50g Nosler ballistic tip shot groups in the .200-.300 area(3 shots), seems to work in a lot of swifts from the folks that I have reported the load to. Velocity is dead nuts 4000 fps with the 50g Nosler.
 
Originally Posted By: travjcMy swift likes a little over a max load of 4007ssc pushing 55gr v-max. It's about to the ragged edge in my gun, YMMV!

Yup... mine too.

Why load a .220 Swift down to 222 Magnum velocities.

3,500 with a 55gr bullet is almost insulting to a Swift. I get that in my 222 Magnum.
 
Originally Posted By: CatShooterOriginally Posted By: travjcMy swift likes a little over a max load of 4007ssc pushing 55gr v-max. It's about to the ragged edge in my gun, YMMV!


Why load a .220 Swift down to 222 Magnum velocities.



Simple. Why not? .220 Swift brass is through the roof expensive nowadays. Match barrels are many hundreds of dollars. Accuracy is number one with me and if I can shoot a day in day out load that pokes little ragged holes in the targets and save life of my brass and barrel I'm all for it.

People that own Corvettes don't drive them wide open all the time do they?

I have pictures of my chronograph with over 4700 fps showing on it that I shot with my Swift. Fun, but served no purpose except to help toast my barrel. Besides, a prairie dog shot at 500 yards can't tell the difference between a couple hundered feet per second.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustOriginally Posted By: CatShooterOriginally Posted By: travjcMy swift likes a little over a max load of 4007ssc pushing 55gr v-max. It's about to the ragged edge in my gun, YMMV!


Why load a .220 Swift down to 222 Magnum velocities.



Simple. Why not? .220 Swift brass is through the roof expensive nowadays. Match barrels are many hundreds of dollars. Accuracy is number one with me and if I can shoot a day in day out load that pokes little ragged holes in the targets and save life of my brass and barrel I'm all for it.

People that own Corvettes don't drive them wide open all the time do they?

I have pictures of my chronograph with over 4700 fps showing on it that I shot with my Swift. Fun, but served no purpose except to help toast my barrel. Besides, a prairie dog shot at 500 yards can't tell the difference between a couple hundered feet per second.


Your Corvette analogy is a poor example. A better analogy would be - buying an 18 wheeler to bring home groceries from the A&P... and a .220 Swift is a poor choice for a PD town.

For a PD town, get a good 223 with Lapua brass and leave the swift for something else... or do you load your 223's down to 22 Hornet velocities???


.
 


Originally Posted By: CatShooterOriginally Posted By: RustydustOriginally Posted By: CatShooterOriginally Posted By: travjcMy swift likes a little over a max load of 4007ssc pushing 55gr v-max. It's about to the ragged edge in my gun, YMMV!


Why load a .220 Swift down to 222 Magnum velocities.



Simple. Why not? .220 Swift brass is through the roof expensive nowadays. Match barrels are many hundreds of dollars. Accuracy is number one with me and if I can shoot a day in day out load that pokes little ragged holes in the targets and save life of my brass and barrel I'm all for it.

People that own Corvettes don't drive them wide open all the time do they?

I have pictures of my chronograph with over 4700 fps showing on it that I shot with my Swift. Fun, but served no purpose except to help toast my barrel. Besides, a prairie dog shot at 500 yards can't tell the difference between a couple hundered feet per second.


Your Corvette analogy is a poor example. A better analogy would be - buying an 18 wheeler to bring home groceries from the A&P... and a .220 Swift is a poor choice for a PD town.

For a PD town, get a good 223 with Lapua brass and leave the swift for something else... or do you load your 223's down to 22 Hornet velocities???


.

I think that my Corvette analogy is an excellent example myself. What I was pointing out that just because you have a hot rod it doesn't mean that you have to drive it wide open all the time. Sorry if that was over your head.

And a .220 Swift a poor choice for prairie dogs? Wow. First time that I ever heard that and I have a boocoo of dead prairie dogs that say that you're wrong too. And what makes you think that I don't have a .223 anyway? I go every year with them and take lots of critters with mine. I also take my .17 HMR, my .17 Remington, my .204 Ruger, my .223 AI and sometimes one of my .221 Fireballs. Took over 100 prairie dogs one year (great year!) with a .22 handgun.

And yes, there have been times when 12 grains of Bluedot and a 40 grain bullet have been shot in one of my .223 rifles. Great fun and quiet load but will still turn a 150 yard ground squirrel inside out. And I shoot for fun.

I love my .220 Swift and to show it that I love it I will continue to load it to less than maximum pressures. It does all that I need it to do at the speeds that I shoot it at that's good enough for me. A couple guys on this forum that were on my last praire dog hunt with me two months ago can tell you what my wonderful Swift will do to a pasture pooch that gets in my crosshairs!
 
The reason I posted the load that I did, was because the question was for a "220 Swift accuracy load".

Without a doubt there are much faster loads, but this is simply the most accurate load I have found for my gun.
 
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