Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 220 swift or 22/250... or AIs

I have a remington donor short action and McMillan A3 stock.... and no idea what I want to build for a varmint gun.

What are the pros and cons of each and of the Ackley versions? I will be handloading and the goal is to push a medium weight bullet, fast. Thinking 55-62gr Amax or NBTs.

Thoughts on best barrel for this this? Length/contour/twist?

I will not be 'burning it up' over a prairie dog town. Mainly shooting yotes and foxes and any small hogs that might happen past.

22-250 just because it works better when cycling a round from the mag.

so far +1 on the 22/250--- I have heard that the .220 rim can cause feeding issues.

22.250s have been working fine for me for a long time...

only reason I see for me to built a 220 Swift is strictly curosity... but if it never happens I don't think I'd be missing much...

a 243 necked down to 22 caliber makes more sense to me than a 220 Swift... which brass availability sucks right now anyway...

I do have some leftover .243 brass that I could neck down. It seems like there are several versions of 22/243 out there. Any recommendations on those?

Looks like people like to load up with powders that I have already which is a bonus (RL19/22, 4350, 4831).

Have had both, the Swift was in a #1.

22-250 for reasons given above, slick feeding thru a bolt action.

DF

What bolt face is your donor?

22=250 hands down. Just "simpler" all around compared to a Swift. And you could always Ackley a 250 if you find it "lacking."
Of course, MY 22-250 is actually a 6 MM International on the 250 case.

Yes it do! Last year I purchased a #1 Varmint in .220S because I had always wanted one...trying to find a good source of brass has been a serious pain. Ended up going to Gunbroker to find since most companies were only running it as seasonal.

At least with the .22-250 there is practically unlimited brass availability...and if it does wane, there are a LOT more cartridges that you can make .22-250 cases from than you can for .220S.

Variations in rim thickness and diameter can cause feeding issues. Expect about 150 - 200 fps diffrence between the swift and 250, so not alot. Brass availability is also an issue on the Swift.
Both are 473 bolt face.

Own both and shoot both with the Swift its either love it or hate it, everybody loves a 250.

Bolt face on the donor action is .473 (it is a .243 sporter barreled action)

I have about 250rds of .243 brass (rem/win mix) so I'm leaning towards an earlier suggestion of a 22-243. Started to read up and I guess there are two main versions. The first is just a necked down .243 and another has a 30 degree shoulder and needs to be fireformed?

Two questions on 22-243--- 1. What is the best way to size brass for it? Neck size to .224 and then would a .243 bushing die work? 2. What are some ideas for powder charges. I have RL19, 22 and H4831SC in abundance. I can get 4350 and H1000 easily too.

Would think a Bushing die would work fine...

I'd lean toward a Hornady 22 cal Neck sizing die..

they are cheap, effective and work just fine...

and are not caliber specific...

try a 20...........20/222 (my fav)...or 20 Practical

22-243 is a poor choice for your needs, you said you wanted to shoot 55-62gr bullets fast.......been down this road several times.

If you want a repeater it is hard to beat the 22-250 using Lapua brass in this combo. The swift is capable of better accuracy but in my rifles they are seated out so long they are single shots that wont fit in a short action magazine.

I have found out it is a complete waste of time going to a bigger case capacity than the 22-250 or swift if you are not willing to go to a heavier bullet with higher B.C.

I have wasted barrels shooting up to a 22-284

IMHO the perfect 22 cal combo is a 22-250AI using lapua brass a 75-80gr VLD type bullet with a 1-8" twist 5 groove barrel, A 22-243 might beat it by 50fps but have less than half the barrel life.

I have a 220 Swift, 220 Wilson Arrow(Swift-based wildcat), and 2 22-250s. I love the Swift and Arrow, but I have to agree about brass scarcity. 22-250 brass is MUCH easier to find. I'd go 8 twist so you at least have the option of using heavier bullets should you choose to. Hot 22s make a great deer round when the proper bullets are used.

Can't you boys shooting the Swift, make acceptable brass equivalent out of 30/06 or even 257 Roberts brass for the Swift??

I have had all 3, started with a 220 Swift on a tang safety Ruger, brass never lasted long, but, it had fantastic accuracy. Next was a 700 VSF in 22-250, just as accurate as the swift, brass lasted longer and all was good, until, it got lost in a failed river crossing.
Now I have a Rem 700 VSSF II in 22-250 and 22-250AI. I turned it into a switch barrel, it has varrels in 22-250, 22-250AI and 257AI. It's the most accurate factory rifle I've ever owned.
The AI is far easier on brass, if your goal is to reload, that's what I recommend.

Cheers.

I don't have a swift right now but there are 5 22-250's in the safe so, here's another vote for the 250.....

Swift-Swift-Swift! There are no feeding issues with the 220 Swift, when loading you just have to put each rim in front of the other. I've been shooting this round for 35 years & have killed just about everything I've hunted for, up to 350 pound Axis with the proper bullet, and did it with authority. The 22-250, more brass, more common, cheaper, etc. yeah-yeah-yeah. If you want a Ford instead of a Ferrari, get the 22-250 or a 22 mag. rimfire.

Don't have either one right now but used them both plenty for woodchuck shooting and other varmints, years past. We use to love various 50-52 gr bullets started over 3900 fps in the Swift.

I've had Ruger M77, pre64 M70's and one Rem 700 Classic chambered for the Swift and all shot really well. Easy to hit with at distance.

At least with the powders and bullets back then the 22-250 was never as fast and never owned a 22-250AI. I can see how it would be good. But we used the 22-250 plenty and it was excellent, too.

For me it would be about the rifle that popped up. Another pre 64 in Swift would be nice; or a Sako in 22-250.

I have brass and dies for both so no issue there at least right now.

BTW, there will be no issue with feed and function with a pre 64 220 Swift. I can't recall the Rem Classic being a problem either.