Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Loads for 220 Swift

I'm picking up a 220 Swift in the next few weeks.

Anyone have any favorite loads for this caliber?

I do want fast but, I don't necessarily want to max out on velocity. Accuracy after all, is King.

A few to try:

Noz 55gr bt, 38 gr RL-15

50gr Noz bt, H-414, rem 9 1/2 primer

40gr v-max, 42gr H380


A few to get started with.
I got them from a few reputable guys on another site, I haven't shot any yet, still making brass for my new swift.

What mod. rifle did you thrown down for?

I've had good luck with H 414, 50 gr. VMax, Fed. primers and Win brass. A friend strongly recommended the same components with AA2700 which also shot well in my rifle but not quite as well as H 414. Also, H 414 is easier to get in my area, so I went with it. I'll bet that you really enjoy your Swift.

I shoot 39.5 gr. of 4320 powder with a Berger 52 gr. hp. Out of my 27 1/4" barrel from my 40X Remington is clocks out at 4027 fps. Shoots under 1/4" groups all day long. Start low and work up slow. Great load for chucks.
Hunter01

Velocity in the high 3800's, work up to this, it's over max in the newer manuals.
1D

It's nothing special or exotic; just an old rifle I'm buying from my uncle.

It's a Ruger M77 (the older style with the tang mounted safety) with a 26" bull barrel. The stock was glass bedded and the barrel free-floated some time back by my dad. It currently has a fixed 6x Bushnell scope on it (which will have to go pretty quickly.) He also included the reloading dies and 2 1/2 boxes of ammo that my dad had put together for him. (Unfortunately, my dad can't remember exactly what the load consists of or I'd just copy it going forward.)

He's only asking $350 from me for the whole pile. I figured that was a pretty reasonable price.

I recently started loading and shooting the swift again. I use 38.5 grains of IMR 4064 under a Hornady 53 grain Match HP. I stuff it into a Winchester case and light it with a CCI benchrest primer. It makes me grin every time I shoot five shots at paper, and I laugh out loud when I smack a crow with it.

My current Swift is a Pre-64 Mod 70 ( that I almost sold, but changed my mind) and the only drawback is the 1:14 twist which somewhat limits suitable bullets. With this in mind, I have had the best luck and done the most shooting with 40 and 50 grain bullets. In fact, it won't even stabilize the 60 grain Partitions at all.

I do have some 55 grain Sisk bullets that are quite accurate. The 55 grain poly-tipped bullets are only marginal in this rifle. Yours is probably 1:10 and will stabilize basically any HUNTING bullet.

The best (most accurate) powder I have found is 4064 but this is a rat-turd powder and has to be hand weighed to work worth a darn.

I have had great luck with Ramshot Big game for the 50s and some loads with TAC for the 40's. Gotta love that ball powder!

Roger the hand weighing. I don't mind it too bad, as the volume of shooting I do isn't such that I need a Dillon Progressive yet. I am in the process of putting together a couple hundred rounds, and as soon as I do, I will be set for some time to come.

Am I understanding correctly from your emphasis that I should be focusing on the heavier end of the .22 caliber bullet selection?

If I have understood you correctly then, this assertion suits me just fine. My original intent was to be shooting either the 55 gr. BT or the 60 gr. Partition. I would think these would be the better match for coyotes.

If the barrel is original, I'd bet the twist is 1 in 14. Nearly all the rugers in .220 swift are built with 1-14 twist.

Im with Duce, 4064 turned out to be a real winner in my particular rifles, topped off with the Nosler 55 baltip. Another sleeper is H414, with RL15 taking up thrid spot.

Lucznik:

I have exactly the same rifle, as you. A 77R Ruger with a 26" barrel. The twist is in fact 1/14, which I find QUITE satisfactory.

With the afore mentioned 38 grains of RL/15/55 Nosler BT/3800+fps, it also shoots groups in the 3's and 4's. I haven't ever found a need for a heavier/longer bullet in my Swift, I have other rifles for that job. 4064, also is a great choice, in fact my previous Swift, also a Ruger, prefered it.

Good Shooting

Jerry

Picked up a 700 classic in 220 Swift this spring, wife got me the RCBS dies for Christmas, cannot wait to start loading for it.

I have a Ruger #1 in 220 Swift and have owned it for about 25 years. It loves IMR 4064. But I got a good deal on 8 lbs of Accurate Arms 2700 ball powder and it loves that too!
Sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too. My rifle seems to deliver top accuracy when the loads are high velocity. The barrel heats up pretty quick in a prairie dog town but for coyotes this wouldn't be a problem I'm guessing.
You might as well shoot heavy bullets. Mine likes the 60 grain Hornady spire point and Sierra 55 boattails. It seems to like Nosler Ballistic Tips too. Right now I have 1000 Speer 55 gr spire points to load up. I like the variety. How can you go wrong with 220 Swift?
whelennut

I also have a Swift in a Rem. 700 Classic rifle. My usual loads are slightly over 39/4064 with a 50 grain bullet.
If you want to throttle back a bit for a mild load try H-4895. Can't remember the charge weight and since I am just getting ready to go out do not have time to check right now. Will try to remember to look when I come back.

I had a classic in 220 swift sold it recently,My favorite load for coyotes and deer was a 55 sierra spbt [1365] and 37.1 grs of imr 4064 and cci 200 primer that accounted for a lot of one shot kills on mule deer and whitetial deer out to 300 yrds,Have to say that was my favorite load rifgt out of the sieera manual.