Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Pics of my new Kampfeld Custom 220 Swift

The 2.45" COAL 75A-Max kiss is a nice geometry,because it doesn't slam the door on 50's and shines with everything rather brightly. All of mine are in that neighborhood,excepting one that is 2.510" with that 75.

Reserve RPM is money in the bank..................

'flave,

Many folks fall to major misconceptions(look at poor BMD here) and increasing throat length to accomodate higher BC's,is a glaring one. Especially in .224 and musing that 75A-Max in particular(a bullet that I've long stated as being worthy to expressly build a rifle around).

Anywhooo...the A-Max's sporty profile is coupled with modest bearing surface and it's ogive location is rather favorable,in the typical SAAMI throat length.

So one needn't throat longer in it's accords,whatcha need to do is simply twist for it and a "regular" throat will put you in the aforementioned 2.45"-ish ballpark in regards to COAL.

With the twist managed via barrel selection and not going crazy in throatiing,all that remains is the modest modification to the magbox(which was mentioned above) and you are there and in GRAND style.

The HS DBM increases COAL,if you groove that notion(I shoot them in s/a .378,.473 and .532) and it isn't a bad way to fly. Glen Seekin's 223 DBM is a great route and roomy. Or you can either go ADL(I've a few) or opt the various drop bottom BM's. I've 223AI's wearing both Badger M4 bottoms and the issue rEmmie potmetal junk.

With a clue and a thunk to both twist and throating,you can easily do it all and then some. While stupidity is often tough to watch(poor BMD here),folks can reliably see the light and ring the bell at another's expense.

Assuredly,this Thread will inspire more useful blueprints and a 700 based fast twist 223AI is rather quite a machine...............

I don't know what i did wrong,but the picture of "pops" is one of the most perfect out doors picture I've ever seen.

'rick James,

I've seen them pics................

I'd in all fairness chalk it to his aura,which is palpable. Rather a remarkable man,on all counts.

Just happy to do him justice,with the outing and the pic. Kharma baby,Kharma...everyone should be so lucky........

I think your rifle looks sweet.

Did I miss something? Is PWC actually Big Stick???

'Tweren't the Mormons................

I can appreciate his rifle for him as it obviously suits his taste. We all like what we like. I'm just more practical. I'd gear it to fight wind and that means more twist to accomodate the many higher BC projectiles now available in .224" diameter. Extending effective range from say 600 yards, out to over 1000 yards has a lot of appeal to me.

I would have skipped the decorative effects, and rolled the money into an A5 stock, and quality bottom metal. Again that's my practical nature.



That rifle will be on the sidelines as soon as the wind kicks up.

I've got my LR stuff somewhat sorted out, but need to move to 7mm one of these days. I don't cry like a girl when someone tells me there's better ways to get there. In fact, I'm all ears. I'm always interested in improving ballistics, interior and exterior. Mainly because I enjoy LR precision shooting. Hobbling potential doesn't compute in my mind.



What's awesome about massive wind drift while trying to engage small targets at long range?

Montana Marine, I don't argue your number crunching, done alot in my days. And I have in past years contemplated a 22BR or 22-250/ai in fast twist for 75/80s, alas I simply use a 6BR w/105 amax and nothing I ever hit argued ballistics. Fast twist I might add, 8" will do 55-105/107s. I K.I.S.S. and use mostly a 70TNT and 105 Amax but sprinkle a few barnes 85gr and 95 BTs.

But I want to share a story with you.

My Father in Law who died with brain cancer years ago at the ripe young age of 56 would marvel at all my shooting near his farm in the 80s/90s and snickered about my getting SO into the stuff we could call here...excuse me if any ladies are present, 'Mental Masturbation' or ballistic gack.

He shot his first deer with a 'pumpkin ball' in a 12 guage (around 100 paces w/no sights nor scope I might add), and later used buckshot for nearly all his deer hunting till close to his death. His younger son bought him a plain vanilla Savage 30-06 w/3-9 simmons scope factory installed. Before his death, he jumped 2 bucks at under 40 yds, as being human, a creature of habit, he looked over the scope, looked at the deer and swung and bolted and dropped BOTH deer w/in feet of each other! Later he wanted to confirm zero and take a pot shot at a 'chicken hawk' - yes not legal, but none the less, he proceeded to kill it close to 200 or more yds out.

He likely could not group 3" or even 5" at 100 yds on a bench w/bags, nor did he know ANY idea of velocity or drop, or ballistics of any kind.

What he did know was enough to ask me this one question one day as I was bragging on a target....."But Can you HIT with it?"....

I have to honestly admit I was a little dumbfounded/perplexed as I had shot many sub moa groups and showed him groups, though he never cared to participate. The man had enough WISDOM to know, no matter what, if you cannot land your bullet on the intended target, NOTHING else mattered.

My point is sir, you can crap on a man's rifle all you want because he chose something different than you, but I can assure you, when his bullets land on his targets/game, they will be just as dead no matter the twist rate.

ALL bullets drop, ALL bullets drift, it's the owners responsibility to LEARN their gun/gear by trial and error. Rangefinders and click adjustable scopes help, but PRACTICE is more important, allowing one to learn their rifle.

The reason many snipers are trained with ONE load, a pretty much standardized 308 load, have scopes set up for them, is not that they are the BEST on paper, flattest etc. they simply WILL get the job done when used properly. Snipers shoot alot, and with only one gun, one load, one scope, etc. "Beware of the man with one gun" applies. Knowing how to HIT, is all that matters and is not all that difficult when one LEARNS thru practice, NOT printing off ballistics. That helps, but not a substitute.

I have no doubt the OP has built a FINE rifle, and it will give him years of satisfaction, and that his rifle is just as capable of hitting and killing anything he aims it at if he uses the right bullet, and does his part.

Nothing else matters in the end, as it's all Mental Masturbation and everyone does not do things the same......and that's okay

Have a good day sir, and happy shooting to all regardless of how you choose to enjoy the sport.

Shane, post your 7mm thoughts sometime will you? I'm thinking of embarking on either a 7-08 journey or 284 trip. Always thought your 308 was a pretty good model to follow.

Thanks, Scott

Hey BMD, back in my 90s I had alot of rifles I tried, one was a 700 VSSF, it shot 50 BTs into .297 for 5 one day, one of my most accurate rifles, I can tell you one morning out near a cotton field I was looking for 'targets of opportunity' and I noticed some sparrows jumping up on the barbed wire fence around 100-150 yds, I took the rifle with either 6-18 or 6-20 leupold, whicher I had mounted at the time and proceeded to WAX one.....POOOF!! Immediately more came to investigate....I had MORE fun watching those PUFFS of feathers and shot nearly a dozen. As you know, the Swift is DEADLY accurate, VERY flat, and very deadly.

Another day I had a different Swift, a VS 26" that had been set in a BDL Varmint wood stock, it shot 5 around 1/2MOA all day itself with 38.5gr 4064 from memory. Happened upon a crow WAY out across a crawfish pond in a cypress tree. The crow was halfway to the ground....what was left......in recoil as the bullet got there so damned fast! I was TOTALLY impressed.

Long story short, had a blast with what became known as the World's Fastest Cartridge as it was VERY effective in the field for what it was designed to do, and I might add, it was a low and behold 1 in 14" twist

Enjoy your Swift sir! I am sure you will have many days with a smile as I did as mine shot like a laser and I seldom missed!

marine,
regardless of the persons choices - they are just that - his choices. Who knows the reason why a person chooses certain items in their build, but it is their choice. There is no rule that says a choice has to make sense to others or match their choices. If we always built to what the seems to make the most sense there would be no diversity in the shooting world. My 1885 HighWall 40/65 is far from being a hot shot caliber - but it does not detract from the enjoyment I get in shooting it. And hunting with a Winchester 94 in 32 WS does not make a lot of sense to others - but it brings me a huge sense of satisfaction because it was my Grandpa's rifle.

I believe in to each their own and showing respect for each other - not ripping into someone because their choices do not mirror our own tastes.

The 6BR/105s makes a lot of sense. There's a reason you opt 105s in your 6BR, and it's the same thing I'm talking about. There's a reason you didn't twist it for 55s. That reason is real and quantifiable. Not mental masturbation.

Building a custom rig with a top shelf barrel, and put together by one of the best 'smiths available, then topping it with expensive glass and all the trimmings is a wonderful thing. Rifling it per 1930s bullet technology makes it a Hot Mess. There's no getting around it.

It's pretty simple really. 7mm has the best BCs going relative to velocity potential of the medium sized chamberings. I like the 308 and 30-06 parent cases. Not too interested in bigger than that. 7mm gives the best performance vs barrel life in my opinion. Just look at the 162 AMax, 168 and 180s from Berger and JLK.

RL17 is bringing the 162/168 projos over 2800 fps in 22" bbl 7-08s for several of the 7-08 shooters on the 'hide. It's just a better mousetrap.

My 30-06 will become a 280, or 280AI, and my 308 will become a 7-08 when the barrels are gone. The 30-06 is close to 5000 rounds now, we'll see how much longer it goes.

Tanker,

I hear ya, but I'm not scolding anyone. Shoot what makes ya grin. I'm just relating some ballistic truths.

Have we become too thin-skinned to compare ballistic possibilities with modern bullets and twist rates? I hope not.

M1, I get you

MM, I agree the 7's have alot going, and honestly have spent VERY little time behind 30s as Long ago decided a 7/08 was indeed a great round and have not changed that thought.

Yet, you might be shocked that I built my 6BR with 8 twist to add flexibility, not to ONLY shoot the highest BC bullet possible as its not the best choice for hunting, not until you get WAY out there (they behave better/up close they BLOW), yet with 70 tnts at 3400 its very flat and destructive on smaller stuff, and has/will kill deer with shot placement, thru the lungs or neck, but I don't try drilling bone with it NOR the Amax. I think one must get to 400-500 + yds to TRULY see a large difference in low bc/high MV vs. high bc/modest MV, but the fact is for MY shooting MOST opportunities are FAR less then 400-500 yds. I did in a DOE at 400 yds double lunged 105 amax, 6BR, 2850 mv, BUT the second furthest kill of mine was 275 paces.......and then the majority ALL fall at 200 or below. That's just deer, but the point is for my application, MANY bullets would/do work and well, twist aside. Likewise in a 20" 243 #1 Ruger RSI, I damned near tore a doe's head off at 42 yds, yes my buddy later ranged it where it dropped, LOL. Why I picked that 70 TNT at 3500 MV in the 243 to deer hunt that day was SIMPLE. Because THAT is the bullet the rifle was sighted in for, and I elected to use the confidence of KNOWING where my gun would shoot, electing accuracy/shot placement OVER a heavier bullet that would offer FAR more latitude in shot placement. Was that TNT inferior on paper vs. the Amax 105 w/.500 BC? Absolutely! Did it make a damn bit of difference when I KNEW my limitations of a very explosive varmint bullet used up close on a deer? NO, because I KNEW what I was using, it's limitations, and CHOSE to shoot NECK only when that doe stepped out. It truly almost decapitated that deer. I admit feeling inept using a miniscule for 6mm, 70gr bullet, and in a TNT config none the less, yet when the time came to face reality, I KNEW my ONLY shot of choice was a soft lethal vital, the neck, and I placed it well. Another doe at 45 paces was purposefully head shot with an amax 105, as it was DARK thirty and I had no plans to chance trailing a deer in the dark when I could take it out with a DRT hit, as the 105 that close was going to blow, and it did�.half the deer�s head gone. Nasty bullet that amax, headshot a coyote at a ranged 172 yds that year also, all from the 6BR. A 70 TNT, even in a 14 twist would have done the same with duplicate shot placement. Getting a sense of a common denominator? Yes, SHOT placement�.making a hit, where you know that given bullet needs to go to do the job. Success can be had from many ways�..if one knows what they are doing.

What would really shock you and many is that I built a 'modern day/higher tech' fast twist 6BR on a Ruger #1 platform. Seriously, WHO builds a custom accuracy set up on a Ruger #1? Not many, but I did, with a Kepplinger set trigger (8oz set) at that, it was fun.

That said, I think I dropped the jaw on a local who now builds custom guns. Reason being, I shot 3 amaxs UNDER 1/2" at 330 yds one morning at our range, with a 4-16x I might add....

UNCONVENTIONAL action, UNCONVENTIONAL accuracy......but no matter.....the bullets STILL went under 1/2"....which puts that at .1515 inch/per 100 yds however that breaks out on MOA, and THAT is not what you or many might expect from a Ruger #1, Pac-Nor bbl or not. That gun avg. 1/2moa, but the above represents what is possible, and I was �on� that day surely, as I cannot consistently aim/hold or see that well I admit, but I did well that day, and the gun and load showed it�s potential. I do recall shooting smaller 100 yd groups than a guy at the range with a Full blown custom BAT in 6mm BRM and Nightforce scope that was next to me�..ya never know.

I just say this all to temper making any 'absolutes' as again, what difference does all this 'Gack' make, IF the shooter of WHATEVER platform they choose, pushing Whatever bullet of choice, hits the intended target, in the intended spot?

All that ballistic talk becomes MOOT. A hit is 95-99% of the equation if it's placed, and the OVERWHELMING factor is the shooter.

Fast twists, High BC bullets, equating to less drift/drop, absolutely, no arguing that at all. Does slower twist and lesser BC bullets yet at higher MV mean it's inferior? ONLY when the bullet fails to connect.

Think of just how �old tech� those Buffalo hunters were, yet they nearly made the Buffalo extinct, kills of very long distances were documented. The hunters/shooters KNEW their rifles, thru experience.

Taking advantage of the highest tech is nice, but not always necessary to get the job done. I normally try getting the most out of my gear by trying to select the best of components, quality and spec, but in the end, I am the deciding factor or success or lack thereof.

The best equipment cannot replace poor operator error. Nor does anything other than the �best� equipment need to take a backseat when the operator knows and uses that equipment just as effectively because they know what they are doing.

I think I beat this horse�..but good safe shooting and hunting to all.



Oh, I guess I did real good shooting with an 1872 Farquharson Rifle styled action�..

7-08 for COAL constraints,unless you are talking 3.00" mag constraints in a 284Win repeater...............

Stupid choices are stupid choices and can't be sugarcoated. A Highwall in 40/65 and twisted 1-84" is equally stupid and that prior to musing throat geometry.

Your 94 in 32 Special is twisted/throated in accordance to it's possibilities,while a 1-14" Swift is just about as stupid as things get.................

Beware the best Indian,with the best arrows.

A guy can have his cake and eat it too.................