I was doing gunshows and chasing guns recently and came across a Remington 700 VSSF in as new condition in caliber 220 Swift.
It was offered to me at a VERY pleasing price and I had my Siebert bore inspection tool along which showed the barrel to be perfect and the leades to the rifling bright and square.
The bolt face was pure black showing very little if any firing.
The bolt lugs also showed no wear from firing.
The gun was like new - even though the barrel date code said it was made in March of 2,007?
Story was it was being offered by the family of a departed shooter?
I love these older Remington 700's with the long blackened flutes of the stainless barrel and the greenish/black McMillan style palm swell stocks (they used to call these Sendero's - I still do).
The trigger was very crisp but not especially light.
Even though I need another 220 Swift like I need another hole in my head I bought it with the philosophy that if it didn't shoot up to my standards then I would sell it next spring thinking I would make fifty if not a hundred dollars in profit on it.
Off I go to set it up and get some brass for my testing - alas no 220 Swift brass to be found.
I intended to mount a Leupold 6x18 variable on it in Leupold rings and a one piece Leupold base.
After much effort I got the Leupold rings attached (no more Leupold rings for me - after many decades of swearing by them!) and precision aligned with the bore, I lapped them and was ready to mount and bore sight the Leupold 6x18 variable.
Still no brass to be found so I decided to try some Hornady factory ammo (of which I have had great accuracy with in several guns over the last several years!) - I bought the 55 grain V-Max Hornady ammo and used it for original sight-in and function testing.
The wind calmed to next to nothing yesterday and off to the range I go.
Sight-in was quick - one shot at 33 yards then two shots at 100 yards.
Next I fired 5 shots into a group there at 100 yards that both impressed me with its roundness and was pleasing to me at measuring only .781" center to center.
Over-all I was just happy as a clam with the Rifle/scope set-up and very pleased that such a high intensity calibered Rifle shot so well with the Hornady factory ammo.
Like I mentioned above (and posted about hereon) over the last several years I have had to/chose to buy some Hornady factory ammo for several new Rifles to get them "on-line".
These included several Rifles in 204 Ruger, two in 223 Remington and now this latest Rifle in 220 Swift.
Good for Hornady in making this accurate and lethal (on Varmints and predators) ammunition - my thanks to them.
Now I am debating whether to "shoot-up" the remaining 12 rounds of Hornady V-Max ammo (it was kind of pricey!) and begin load development with these fireformed cases or to use it as is on the upcoming Coyote season hereabouts and delaying load development til early spring of next year?
Anyway the 204 Ruger factory ammo by Hornady was SO accurate in my Rifles I had to go to extreme lengths (Berger bullets, Federal Match primers, precise and individual weighing of powder charges, primer pocket uniforming etc etc) to best the accuracy of it by my handloads!
If you need some ammo for your smaller caliber Rifle I suggest you give the Hornady stuff a try.
More later
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy