Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting .220 Swift

One of my dad's friends killed a few black bear with a Swift and a 222 REM in PENN.

How big are Black bears

black bears in some areas get 500- and over 600 lbs .

Battue is right on. Also P.O. Ackley's comments on the Swift. It all comes down to the bullets and Ackley's were like the Trophy bonded but with less lead. Some times I consider what would be the worst thing for someone to shoot at me with and the Swift is one I really would not want to get shot at with.

I worked with a great farm boy from Sudbury, Vermont by the name of Jim Laduke back in the 70's and 80's in Rutland, Vermont. He took me out to his Dad's farm in Sudbury to hunt a few times, and showed me his dads favorite spot to hunt deer. It was the very high spot of the farm acreage, where he could see in every direction anywhere from 200-600 yards of planted fields. He shot well over 100 deer from that stand, and all with the Swift, he swore by it. He was a reloader, so not sure what bullet or load he was using. Always wanted a swift since the day Jim took me there, but to this day have never owned one. Maybe someday.

If I remember correctly the black bears that he shot were around the 150-200 pound range.

I've shot several mule deer and about a dozen antelope with the Swift, and there was only one mulie I had to shoot twice ( first shot too far back) One of the antelope I shot at 550 yds and the bullet was found along its rear spine area after traveling the length of it's body. Shooting a Nosler Solid Based Boat Tail. They don't make that bullet anymore, unfortunately.

I have a old tang safety Ruger 220 Swift that will go into my casket with me. Old lightning is it’s name. I shoot the 50 grain SPSX .

I love 220 swift stories anyone else have one.
Joe

I've killed a ton of white tail deer with the Swift and a 63 grain Sierra. Never needed a second shot. Never saw a reason to change.

on a real humid evening before dark when we shot our swifts a the target range we had a vapor trail when you fired your 220 swift ,that was always impressive !

A vapor trail would be cool!!!

You can make and see mist if you load your Swift hot with a thin-skinned bullet.

Like maybe with one of the bullets designed for the Hornet.

I've killed a few with a 22-250 with 55 grain soft point hornady ammo back in the 80's. Pretty close to a swift, worked fine.

my swifts have not been out of the gun vault for a long time,after reading these stories I think I will put a 220 swift out in my deer stand this fall to crack a nice buck if I get a chance ? a good friend of mine was a sniper in the service was over in the sand countries for a year and also was a sniper at the whitehouse so this sniper know`s how to shoot . his favorite coyote gun for coyotes is a 220 swift in a Ruger #1 and for the last 25 years runnin dogs on coyotes he swears by the swift 220 and he`s killed a lot of coyotes and deer too with his swift 220.

I killed a small buck with the 220 swift with a 60gr hornady hollow point, he went down fast just like lighting, I need to find another with the faster twist!

Lights out......

you might have buy a custom barrel ,8 or 9 twist for a 220 swift in a factory gun would be hard to get. or maybe go to a barnes x-bullet ?

need a custom with the tighter twist just need more fun tickets to get it done!