220 Swift or 22-250?

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andym79

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Which of these cartridges is best in terms of:

1. Velocity
2. Accuracy
3. Efficiency
4. Cost to run
 
1) swift > 22-250 but either is probably fast enough
2) depends on platform. My best with my 22-250 is 0.085 5shot at 100y
3) swift may do a bit more with less
4)swift a bit more due to brass but once u own it, pretty equivocal. If u don't reload then 22-250 is much more available

Both are cartridges for the reloader and can be tuned to be pretty equal terminally
 
Loading hot, the Swift might have a 100 ft/sec advantage. Trivial. I've always figured that it's pretty much six of one, half-dozen of the other.

For no reason I could explain, I like the Swift over the .22-250. Just one of those things. Nothing at all wrong with the .22-250.
 
plastik got it pretty well covererd,

1. .220 swift.... but both are crazy fast
2. varies by gun
3. .22-250.... plenty of velocity for pretty much everything (other than winning a race?) on less powder
4. .22-250 due to less components for reloading, or more readily available and cheaper manufactured ammo
 
Kinda like the .243/6mm debate. They are both great, the Swift is faster, only slightly. The 250 uses a little less powder, only slightly. Factory 250 ammo can be found, not so much for the Swift fans. I have both, I knew I wanted a Swift when I was 9, the first time I shot a magpie off a fencepost with one. Glorious explosion of black and white against a beautiful green field!
 
Pretty much agree with previous comments here.

I prefer the Swift over the 22-250. That said, I own a 22-250 but not a 220 Swift. The 220 Swift is an old cartridge and boy would I like to have one in a pre-64 Winchester model 70.

I am a huge fan of the 22-250's parent case, the 250 Savage. In fact I own a 250 Savage in a custom bolt-action rifle and it's a real tack-driver.
 
ART EATMAN said:
For no reason I could explain, I like the Swift over the .22-250.
I can explain it. ;)*

While the Swift got its reputation through extremely fast bullets, the primary advantage
today (for a handloader) is getting 22-250 velocities at much lower pressures
(and therefore longer barrel & brass life).

Please see THIS POST from 2½ years ago









* The fact that I first learned to shoot on my father's Swift (and what havoc the
Swift could wreak) at age 7 back in the early 50's has nothing to do w/ it.) :rolleyes:

.
 
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Which of these cartridges is best in terms of:

1. Velocity
2. Accuracy
3. Efficiency
4. Cost to run

I would like to add:

5. Coolest name and history


Think about it: The alliteration of twenty two two fifty is cool, but the two twenty SWIFT immediately conveys the impression of speed. The .220 Swift also has the cool backstory from the 6mm Lee. For shooting though, make my coyote killer a .22-250.
 
If you handload, go with the Swift. You can load to max .22-250 velocities at modest pressures, giving you longer case and throat life. Plus there's the cool factor.

If you're buying factory ammo, however, the .22-250 is the obvious choice. Factory Swift ammo is fairly watered down, and will break the bank if you shoot in anything resembling quantity.
 
One gun:
• 30-06

Two Guns:
• 243Win
• 375 H&H

Three Guns:
Swift
• 308Win
• 375H&H

That's pretty august company in the 3-gun crowd -- with the quarterhorse 308 sandwiched between two of the coolest ever.

(... and everybody needs three guns.) :D
 
220 swift in the past couple years has moved very darn close to being obsolete

Check current SWIFT ammo and brass availability and I think you'll quickly conclude that 220 is not a viable alternative for 22-250 any more


My favorite 22-250 gif of me personally obliterating a watermelon. How much more splatter do you need?
4A41B181-CD59-4CA2-BF78-7F627F69F2DE_zpssfmubyph.gif
 
220 swift in the past couple years has moved very darn close to being obsolete

Conjecture based on ???????

The Swift has never had huge sales, but has always enjoyed a steady following. There has been virtually no change in ammo or rifle selection for quite some time. A few premium loads, and gunmakers waxing and waning the models they offer it in. When I bought mine in 2006, Remington didn't offer one but Ruger did. Today, the reverse is true. And this has been the story of the Swift for decades.
 
Reminds me the Twain phrase "...rumors of my death have been greatly exagerated." :barf:

Both the Swift and the 45-70 have been declared obsolete/dead so many
times -- and for so long -- that the gunwriters declaring them so have
instead passed on.... :eek:
 
Conjecture based on ???????



The Swift has never had huge sales, but has always enjoyed a steady following. There has been virtually no change in ammo or rifle selection for quite some time. A few premium loads, and gunmakers waxing and waning the models they offer it in. When I bought mine in 2006, Remington didn't offer one but Ruger did. Today, the reverse is true. And this has been the story of the Swift for decades.


EVERYTHING 220 swift being either "unavailable no BACKORDER" or "unavailable seasonal run"

Go online and try to put togeather the components or ammo to shoot a swift starting from scratch

I have personally toyed with the notion of a 220swift numerous times as recently as a few weeks ago and over the the past half a decade or so it NEVER passes the most basic "can I get what I need to shoot one" analysis.

Remember there is no forming 220 swift brass from something more common. The swift and 6mm lee navy are the only two cartridges in the case family
 
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First place I looked:
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0001320257015/220_Swift_Unprimed_Rifle_Brass_25_Count_

The rest of everything else is just normal 223 medium-burn powders & bullets along with standard LrgRfl primers.









postscript: I got five boxes of Norma 220 Swift brass as as a 2Lt back in `68.
It then took 40 years before I finally got my father's original 1952-vintage Model-70 Swift (which he'd rebarreled to 243 back in the mid-60's) and re-barreled it back to the Swift about ten years ago.

All things come to he who waits, ...and knows what he wants. :rolleyes:
 
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First place I looked:

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0001320257015/220_Swift_Unprimed_Rifle_Brass_25_Count_



The rest of everything else is just normal 223 powders & bullets along with standard LrgRfl primers.


Lol you pick the $25 dollar for TWENTY dead soft Norma cases that would do good to hit five full powered reloads.

Find some rem, win or even lapua and we wil talk

Besides being soft the other thing Norma is known for is producing brass and ammo for obsolete rifles like 6.5 and 7.7 jap
 
Gee... you'd think you have a problem with Norma or something. ;)

Those same (NORMA) cases I bought in `68 are still going strong -- 15-18 reloads later.
(Remember, I can get 22-250 velocities with 223 pressures.)



postscript: Twenty-one days from now, Midway with have Norma/Swift by the hundred for $96.
But so far, my `68 Vintage was a very good year.
 
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Gee... you'd think you have a problem with Norma or something. ;)



Those same (NORMA) cases I bought in `68 are still going strong -- 15-18 reloads later.

(Remember, I can get 22-250 velocities with 223 pressure) .



So you're babying your Norma cases and not loading the cartridge to full potential. That's not exactly an advantage.

I get 22-250 speeds at 22-250 pressures which believe it or not isn't a problem in any way. I do so on brass I get 40pcs at a time as bulk ammo for $35

You can even get a 22-250 with a 1-9 twist.

When your pet cartridge is relegated to only Norma making cases that's pretty much as obsolete as you can get. The only reason to choose the swift over 22-250 is you find a shoe box of cases your grandpaw bought in 68 while cleaning out his garage. Otherwize make life easier on yourself and get a 22-250 because in all reality it DOES THE EXACT SAME THING
 
After more research even the pressure difference between Swift and 22-250 is utterly inconsequential.

A quick look at hodgdons data for varget both at max loads with 50g bullets shows

3800fps @ 50,400 cup for 22-250

Vs

3770 @ 50,200 cup for the swift

YMMV


220 swift is nothing more than a funny looking 22-250 with hard to get brass and vise versa
 
Since I have and shoot the Swift
and since QuickLoad and the Swift agree
and ... the Swift runs lower pressure for the same velocities....
and I'm already running 53gr SMk's @ 4,000+ (chrono'd)
with no pressure indicators and 8 reloads on that particular box of soft Norma brass....

... I think I'll keep it. :D





** (who pressure tests using CUP anymore?)
 
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I crunched some numbers using manuals and Quickload. If you use the right powders
(slower), taking advantage of the slightly larger Swift, it looks to me like you can get the same velocity out of the Swift with lower pressure. That has got to be a good thing for brass and the throat!

Propelling 55 grainers

Swift 22-250

3400fps 39KPSI 43KPSI
3500fps 42KPSI 47KPSI
3600fps 46KPSI 52KPSI
3700fps 51KPSI 56KPSI
3800fps 54KPSI 61KPSI

These are using ADI/Hodgdon loads.

39,000 is low for a 55 grainer at 3400fps, in my 223 that same load would run at 52KPSI.

I guess the Swift doesn't need to be a barrel burner if you load it right!
 
** (who pressure tests using CUP anymore?)



Nobody for anything modern. I have no psi data for Swift so I had to choose really old CUP data for 22-250 to compare

SAAMI doesn't even have a psi standard for the swift that I've found

ETA the nominal case capacity advantage swift has over 22-250 is only 7%.

That's on par with what you see in variation in case brands. A N Y T H I N G you can do with 220 you can also do with 22-250
 
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I wouldn't give up either one for the other. That said, I have four .22-250s and no Swifts. And a couple of .223s. And a .308.

If they all were stolen today, I'd replace them with a couple of nice .223s and a couple of 6.5s. I used to frequently shoot ground squirrels out past 400 yards, but rarely need to approach half of that these days. At >200 yards, a .223 will kill 'em just as dead and not wake the neighbors. Heck, a .22lr has been sufficient lately......and I still have ammo!
 
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