Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles cartridge choice: 22-250, 22-205AI, 220 swift ?

What are the pros and cons and which would you choose?

.22-250 easy to find components/dies etc for.

.22-250 AI- extra expense for reaming and dies, but very little case trimming.

.220 Swift- Rimmed cartridge, kind of a pita to stack in the mag, no real performance edge over the .22-250...got a little old school panache though...

Ingwe

I made my choice, the .22-250. The AI looks cooler, plus it and the Swift have a minor performance advantage. Minot meaning I'd never notice it in the field.

I almost never have case length growth problems with my handloads - but then I don't over-size my brass and most of my rifles don't have much action stretch in them.


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22-250 for all the reasons ingwe posted. "look, I've got something different" is what is gained by owning the AI or Swift.

The're all good and you'd be fine with any of them. I've had a Swift, kind of a screwy rimmed cartridge but it was ok, got sold about 15yrs ago. The 22-250 is a good cartridge too. If you're gonna use that case, might as well go with an AI.......mine get about 300fps more velocity than the std case. People have strange ideas about things. I don't know how someone could think it costs more to chamber because it doesn't. And the stuff about having one because it's different or looks cool is just silly......a bunch of us shoot the 22-250AI and I don't remember anyone ever commenting on what it looks like. That's not even a factor.

Very interesting replys and thanks for them. I will keep following. Interesting how dofferent ones of us have different perceptions and little points that appeal to us.

Ackman is right, it doesnt cost more to chamber a .22-250 AI...but its easier/cheaper to get a factory .22-250..

If you are gonna do a build...go wild!

Ingwe

I'd go AI all the way! And yes i've had all three.

22-250's of any variety, are 220 Swift wannabes. Get a Swift, you won't be dissappointed.

Go AI and never look back! You will NOT be sorry!

AI

I've been shooting the standard .22-250 for awhile and now that I have shot out the barrel, I'm going to the .22-250AI. I'm going the AI route for two reasons:
1- Less(or none) trimming with the AI.
2- Shooting the heavier pills with more velocity.

22-250 with Lapua cases.

"It depends."

What barrel length and how heavy? In a light rifle, say 22", LVSF type setup, I'd go with the standard .22-250. In a heavy gun I'd go with either the .22-250 AI or the .220 Swift.

I like the swift a lot, it's my favorite of the bunch, but in a magazine rifle I've had to remember not to fill the mag clear full, instead, leave it one shy of full, otherwise the top cartridge didn't feed right and i'd tie up the action. One time it took me a couple minutes I did it so good and I lost a coyote and a bobcat on the same set. Argh! That's a plus for the AI, you can't get into that situation. Performance wise, both the Swift and AI are near enough that individual barrels can make one or the other fast. Both have a noticeable advantage, at least for me, over the standard .22-250.

Once you decide what cartridge, then y' gotta decide on what bullets, thus twist. Lotta fun.

Tom

When I lived in S. Ca, I belonged to a Predator calling club. There were perhaps 20 of us that had the 22/250 AI. We all hunted out of our trucks, so weight was no issue at 10-11.5 lbs.

I had a heavy rig that I used as a chuck, p. dog, and coyote rifle with a 27" Hart, 1-12 twist. I shot the 50's at 4150, 55's at 4050, and the Berger 65 at 3700 fps. These loads shot very tiny groups. Also, these loads were about the same with the other guys rifles. There were perhaps a dozen of us that used the AI with Win 760 and a couple of others that used H380 and H414. In those days, H414 was a touch slower than Win 760.

Later on, I built another rifle, it was a re-chambered Remington factory barrel with about 4 threads cut off the shank, and the 55's were unreal accurate at 3850 fireforming. I killed in the neighborhood of 45-65 coyotes a Summer in Az while they were caught out in a field that was being irrigated. The coyotes were trying to catch gophers that were crawling up on the dirt mounds. Obviously, gohpers can't swim.

In a 27" barrel 22/250 AI shooting the 65g Berger at 3700 fps(current 60g berger with more lead in it), the killing power of this round was on par with the 25/06...big holes in yotes!

I never trimmed a case on the AI.

If you are having a custom gun built on a short barrel rig, consider the standard 6/250, which is just a 22/250 necked up. It is a lot better cartridge than the 22/250, giving almost identical velocities as the 243 with 10.0g less powder.

I would go with the .22-250 of the three you mentioned, but if it were my choice, I would build a 22BR.

yepper!

Dober

AI or Weatherby the Swift....

22-250 AI is never a bad choice for an all-around varmint / predator rig. I've used the rounds you mentioned quite a bit ALC , and keep coming back to the 22-250 AI.

I shoot a 22-250 and like it fine.

Always wanted a Swift, however. Just because it sounds cooler to say, "I'm gonna shot my Swift", than it does to say "I'm gonna shoot my 22-250".