Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Which action is a .220 swift built on?

Using a Remington 700 action, would the swift be built on a short or long action? If built on the short action, would there be loading problems with COAL?

I was going to build one on a short action. Then realized the 22-250AI is just a better package. Always wanted a Swift since I was a kid, but logic won out over emotion. Swifts have a tendency to feed like crap due to the rim, you have to stagger them in the mag. They are also prone to case stretching and trimming.

22-250AI for the win!

I built a .220 AI on a Savage short action and have no problem loading 75gr A-max to mag lengths. I went AI to limit trimming as thats a big issue with the swift. I have some brass fired 3 times now and they are not even close to needing trimming. I could care less about the small increase in velocity.

Feeding is a non issue just load the mag like a old enfield keeping the rims infront of the previous one. haven't had an issue yet in 300+ rounds. The mag did require a minor tweak but an easy fix for any competent gunsmith.

Another option...22-243. Smokes them both.

I went .220 AI because the 22-243 is a real popular choice around here with the coyote hunters (talked with 5 of them) but they all have to neck turn there brass regardless of the reamer used. I was not interested in that but with my typical good luck my batch of .220 brass from winchester all had extra thick necks that required turning in my no neck turn chamber If i knew that was going to happen I would of went .22-243. Cheaper dies, cheaper and more availiable brass, better feeding out of non single stack centerfeed mag systems.

I've had a Rem 700 in .220 Swift for years and never even knew the .220 had a rim. Can't remember any feeding problems.

The 220 swift is sometimes referred to as a semi rimmed cartridge.

Another vote for the 22-250 AI.

My .220 Swift is a Ruger #1. No feeding problems...

DF

I only own 1 220 swift, it is on a short action. very accurate rifle but it prefers to have the bullets seated out to the lands making the COAL way too long to use the magazine. I have several 22-250 AI's all on short actions and COAL is not a problem.

That's old school control round feeding!

In a bolt gun, .220 Swift does need to be in a long action, IMHO. You're right about "controlled feed". Now, your reference to "old school", I DO resemble that remark...

DF

I have had Swifts and AI Swifts for 30 years. If I were starting over I'd do a .22-243 wildcat, no having to stack rims in the mag, cheaper brass, etc. I have so much accumulated brass that it's not worth messing with. The AI Swift will go past 4000 with 55's easily which a .22-250 AI won't do. I would do one of the .22-243's with a fast enough twist to handle 75's, the fast twist never seems to hurt accuracy with the lighter bullets so no down side. A short 700 action has worked fine for me, and my current barrel (4th) is a Shilen 1 in 12 I think and will put 5 in the .3's sometimes better.

Well, at least my Ruger #1 is a short, very short action...

How much more powder capacity in the .22-243 vs. .220AI? I don't have the two rounds to hold up as I type this (they're out in the shop), but isn't the .220 case a bit longer than the .243 case? I would think the rimless .243 case would cycle slicker in the box mag. What about barrel life? Would the .22-243 eat up barrels faster than the .220 or .220AI?

On the long vs. short action, if one went with a fast twist and wanted to shoot heavier bullets, which seems to be a growing trend, then the long action would come into its own.

DF