Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles .220 Swift

Duckshoot: You and I share the same practice as to resizing. I push the shoulder back just a hair and I too feel a slight resistance upon chambering. It shoots well enough to consistantly hit golf balls @300 yards.
One thing tho: Upon opening the bolt on a fired round, I get resistance upon opening just slightly before the bolt is released and I hear a very laudible ''click''. Any reason for that?

"One thing tho: Upon opening the bolt on a fired round, I get resistance upon opening just slightly before the bolt is released and I hear a very laudible ''click''. Any reason for that?"

This is usually an indicator of high pressure. Try backing off a grain or two and see if the "click" goes away. I am betting that it will.

drover

What kind of rifle are you using, sounds like it could be the ejector popping or maybe the extractor coming back against the rim of the cartridge case as the bolt just starts it rearward movement. My swift is a Remington 700 action and i have never noticed that but on my tang safety ruger 77 there is a noise and a little bit of a dragging feeling as you first open the bolt on a hot round.

Mine is a model 112 BVSS savage wishing it was a remington,thus,
''RAVAGE''. the bolt lifts very easy then the click just before the lugs are released. The cases show some pressure, but not IMO
dangerous. I hate to back off the load for I lose accuracy when doing so. I will examine the extractor to see if that is the cause. I may try bumping the shoulder a bit more. Only four more months of cold weather lock-down,,so I have time to think.

I've been shooting the Swift for 40+ years now and still own several along with a No. 1 Wilson Arrow......First powder choice is H414 followed by IMR 4064 with 50-52 gr. bullets...

See I need to try RL15 as I have never been able to clock 4200 with any 50 gr. bullet....and not sure I really want or need to...

On my first swift, my regular load was a 50 grain nosler b-tip, home mollied, over 43.5 grains of H380. Chrono-ed at 3987 fps average. It hit HARD.

That gun required fire forming before it'd shoot. Standard factory chamber, just didn't like new brass. That load above shot around 3 MOA with new brass or half MOA with fired cases. To "form" I shot the new cases with whatever the min load of 4064 was, maybe 33 grains (guess from memory, don't trust it!) under a 52 grain bucket mouthed speer HP jammed into the rifling. Quarter inch groups. (I couldn't quite reach rifling with the 50 grain b-tip else it might have worked fine, too.)

On the last one, I was shooting 44 grains of IMR 4831 under a naked 55 grain ballistic tip. Never chrono-ed. Of the last 4 shots I fired before selling it, 3 hit the push pins in the 200 yard target I was aiming at.

In case y' wonder why I sold a gun that shot that good, it had a 26" long, 1.23" diameter non-tapered barrel in an HS Precision stock. The balance point was ahead of the front sling swivel and I couldn't keep it on the bags, it'd try to nose-dive off the front of the bench. Today I'd pull the recoil pad and lead the butt to move the balance back, but I never really thought of it back then.

Tom

In the case of HS Presicion stock; I have a remington 700VSf that I installed a muzzel brake on,, that is butt light and hard to shoot off bags. Haven't figured out what I'm gonna do about it. the butt pad is glued on and I have a hunch the stock is honeycombed or the like. I read where a guy drilled a hole and dropped lead BBs,but it drove him nuts.It sounded like a rattle.

If you don't mind me talkin' out my ass here ...

Remove the recoil pad. Hog out material up the back of the stock from behind. You can stir lead shot into bedding compound or pour in a little shot, a little epoxy, little more shot, repeat 'til the holes you hogged out are full, or you can make a carefully shaped hole and glue a lead bar in there with bedding compound or epoxy, then replace the pad. Held in place by the epoxy, it won't rattle.

I haven't done it, but I gather there's a couple ways to remove the pad. Someone told me you could freeze the stock, which makes the glue holding the pad in place brittle, then smack the stock and it'll come loose. Sounds good, never tried it, so I'm just passing on rumor I guess. Other way to do it is to cut right at the glue line.

Talk to the pro gunsmiths here, I'm just a garage hacker. C'n do a few things well, many more poorly.

Tom

TOMmy:

off topic, but where you thinking of attending our S. Oregon Meet and Greet again?

if not, wanted to get ahold of you and do a swap or purchase on that 204 Barrel you talked to me about a while ago..

TOM:
You and I think alike...I have thought about the BBs and epoxy and all kinds-a-junk to add weight to the butt,,,,,,maybe Hershey bars,,,, it works well on women.
Anyway I really hesitate about removing the pad, maybe one day.
Thanks

Seafire -

Didn't know there was a S.O. meet and greet in the making. When 'n' where? I'd sure like to be there if I can.

That barrel is yours, we just gotta connect. I'm not charging you for that, I think it's worn out. If you can make something cool from it, the story is all the payment I want.

Tom

Tom,

check the Hunters Campfire

we are working on dates to fit into everyone schedules..

have a batch of boys that want to attend from Nev, Calif and Washington..

right now I am looking at Saturday Jan 22 or 29th..

the Roadhouse was good last time, unless we have any other inputs...

PM me with your number and I'll give you a ring.. lately I have been over in Medford every day of the week...

I have been a Swift nut since 1976. I use 4064 alot. Standard load 39 gr 4064 50-55 grs of about anything seems to work. Just killed a buck with 40 grs 4064 and 53 gr tsx at 3925 mv, it worked/

Big Stick,
If you did have a .220 Swift and a can of Varget and some 55 gr. Hornady V Max bullets, would this give you a warm fuzzy feeling, or would you have another recipe in mind?
whelennut

'15 is your Huckleberry in the Swift.

I prefer the 50V-Max to the 55..................

If your Swift won't shoot with 4064 get rid of it.

Holy Chitt, Roll me into a 3ft deep puddle of Sheep Chitt, Slicky Sticky actually answered a question without a bunch of derogatory insults and slams. Damn I must be dead or halucinateing.

Swifty

I have respect for his opinion and perhaps it is mutual?
I tried the Hornady 55 gr. V-Max and 36.5 grs. Varget this week and it shot even better than when the rifle was new. (Ruger #1)
At 3700 fps give or take, this should make the coyote pretty sick.
I have other rifles for deer and bear, this is a dedicated varmint rifle for me. I fired during a crosswind while it was snowing and still got 5/8" at 100 yds. I'm happy with that.
YMMV Merry Christmas to all except for the wily coyote!
whelennut

I know a guy who stirs lead shot with Acraglas it doesn't rattle but is semi-permanent.
whelennut

Halucinateing well enough,that you can't even spell it...which is commensurate with your "abilities".

As mentioned prior,stupidity is the gift that keeps on giving,as you so eloquently quantify................