220 swift
- Thread starter Cade
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john pruitt
Silver $$ Contributor
at that price it is a STEAL IF IT HAS NOT BEEN SHOT OUT ON A PRAIDE DOG TOWN I WOULD WANT A ROUND COUNT AND A CLOSE UP PICTURE OF THE BOLT FACE
stacy
2 TIMOTHY 2 VERSE 15
WELL SAID JUST BECAREFULL !!!!!!!!!
17VLD
Gold $$ Contributor
If it truly is in nice shape with not much use it is a steal.
I would buy it immediately upon looking it over.I have an older Ruger77V that shoots just under an inch at 200 yards it is perfect for the rockchucks and coyotes I use it for.Try H-414 and any nice 55 grain bullet I think you will fall in love with the ole Swift,don’t know why I waited so long till one fell in my lap.
Matt
I would buy it immediately upon looking it over.I have an older Ruger77V that shoots just under an inch at 200 yards it is perfect for the rockchucks and coyotes I use it for.Try H-414 and any nice 55 grain bullet I think you will fall in love with the ole Swift,don’t know why I waited so long till one fell in my lap.
Matt
7887mm08
Silver $$ Contributor
I gave my 220 swift classic to my son 2 years ago for a graduation present. Him and a whole bunch of friends shoot a lot and when somebody get's to bragging about their new firearm, my son always brings out the swift and they leave humbled every time! Several have offered a $1,000 to buy it but my son knows better.
chuckshooter
Silver $$ Contributor
I have shot several swifts out and currently have two, they hardly leave the safe anymore as there are other choices that will get the bullets out there with less powder, heat, recoil. my 700 classic in 220 swift got turned into a heavy barrel with a hs precision stock. . if you don't have a bore scope, it's really hard to tell the condition. it's not just the round count but how many, how how fast. the bolt face and the area of the bolt just behind the lugs can show bolt wear from cycling the action, also the lugs themselves. if the bolt has been opened under pressure many times, it can show up there, the key word here is it "can" show up , not always. a bore scope is so valuable evaluating a bore. good luck
I take my swift, 700 classic out once in awhile just to dust a crow or coyote. Stiff load of H414 and Sierra 52 matchKing does the trick. Never shot it enough to get the barrel hot, will still do 1/2 inch group or better at 100 yds. Matter fact just seen one at sporting goods store, 900.00 what they wanted for it.
The price is fair enough that if you don't find a use for it and send it down the road the amusement tax (loss if any) won't be much if any. That said IMHO there is very little use for a Swift and less for 1/14 twist barn burner in today's world.
In today's world of range and dial with high ballistic coefficient bullets the Swift is not competitive verging on obsolete. I'd want some real indication of actual use; then again I do have a Gradient/Hawkeye. Perhaps because it isn't much use many Swifts really do have light use. Accuracy is certainly there. As many here will remember Ruger found that run of the production line Swifts were - on average - more accurate than run of the production line .22-250 rifles. Dave Wolfe had a factory Ruger in .220 Swift that Neal Knox said was the most accurate out of the box rifle anybody at Wolfe Publications had ever seen when the article was written.
My own with a tight neck Hart chamber barrel on a worked over Remington 700 with a good trigger and well stocked can be counted on to shoot full power loads in the threes for a while yet. Likely better in somebody else's hands.
The only use IMHO is to show off by taking a shot with Kentucky windage out from under a friend who is ranging and dialing with maybe a fast twist high ballistic coefficient .223 - which would have made the shot except the ground squirrel/prairie dog was a moving target flying through the air -because the Swift really does shoot fast and flat enough for ranges where the .223 has to be dialed in. Maybe an advantage to the Swift for called coyotes where hurried shots might be taken from 50 yards to 500 yards. But the faster twist .223 can be dialed in with high ballistic coefficient bullets at ranges where the 1/14 Swift shows way more dispersion.
For high round count days it makes sense to start with something like a .17HMR for closer shots then a fast twist .204 Ruger for longer shots with eventual range and dial and finish up with a fast twist 6mm for individual range and dial at extreme bragging ranges.
Bottom line, it's not versatile, pays to stock up on components and many other combinations will do more different things but added to a reasonable battery (like a .17HMR, fast twist .223 and fast twist 6mm) it can indeed bring a smile to the face.
In today's world of range and dial with high ballistic coefficient bullets the Swift is not competitive verging on obsolete. I'd want some real indication of actual use; then again I do have a Gradient/Hawkeye. Perhaps because it isn't much use many Swifts really do have light use. Accuracy is certainly there. As many here will remember Ruger found that run of the production line Swifts were - on average - more accurate than run of the production line .22-250 rifles. Dave Wolfe had a factory Ruger in .220 Swift that Neal Knox said was the most accurate out of the box rifle anybody at Wolfe Publications had ever seen when the article was written.
My own with a tight neck Hart chamber barrel on a worked over Remington 700 with a good trigger and well stocked can be counted on to shoot full power loads in the threes for a while yet. Likely better in somebody else's hands.
The only use IMHO is to show off by taking a shot with Kentucky windage out from under a friend who is ranging and dialing with maybe a fast twist high ballistic coefficient .223 - which would have made the shot except the ground squirrel/prairie dog was a moving target flying through the air -because the Swift really does shoot fast and flat enough for ranges where the .223 has to be dialed in. Maybe an advantage to the Swift for called coyotes where hurried shots might be taken from 50 yards to 500 yards. But the faster twist .223 can be dialed in with high ballistic coefficient bullets at ranges where the 1/14 Swift shows way more dispersion.
For high round count days it makes sense to start with something like a .17HMR for closer shots then a fast twist .204 Ruger for longer shots with eventual range and dial and finish up with a fast twist 6mm for individual range and dial at extreme bragging ranges.
Bottom line, it's not versatile, pays to stock up on components and many other combinations will do more different things but added to a reasonable battery (like a .17HMR, fast twist .223 and fast twist 6mm) it can indeed bring a smile to the face.
I have a beautiful old Ruger M77 that's been rebarrelled to Ackley swift and then rechamberrd back to standard swift. The gun will still put 3 shots into a 1/4" at 200 yards if the mug driving it does his job. I won't be without one. I have a new barrel in the cupboard for it, but while it keeps shooting the lights out, I'll just keep on going. One of the best spotlighting rifles I've ever owned.
What Barlow said.
I had one of these several years back, (#2 of 4 Swifts) the gun shot really well, but. The finish on the barrel would rub off by wiping with an oily rag, and under the poor finish it looked like hammer forging marks in the metal. I traded it for a Rem 700 heavy barrel /synthetic that had no cosmetic issues. The dealer I traded it to said it was going back to Remington to get an explaination about the "blueing" on the barrel and get it re-done.
A slight tangent here . . .
I am always intrigued that when Rem. produced the 700 'CLASSIC', chambered in .220Swift, people bought them. Prior to that, as I recall, Remington never offered the 700 in .220Swift - their BIG .22 was the .22/250. How could a Mod. 700/Swift be classic?
That said, those I have been associated with, made excellent varminters.
RG
I am always intrigued that when Rem. produced the 700 'CLASSIC', chambered in .220Swift, people bought them. Prior to that, as I recall, Remington never offered the 700 in .220Swift - their BIG .22 was the .22/250. How could a Mod. 700/Swift be classic?
That said, those I have been associated with, made excellent varminters.
RG
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AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
A slight tangent here . . .
I am always intrigued that when Rem. produced the 700 'CLASSIC', chambered in .220Swift, people bought them. Prior to that, as I recall, Remington never offered the 700 in .220Swift - thrie BIG .22 was the .22/250. How could a Mod. 700/Swift be classic?
Yep. The 220 Swift was first cataloged/offered by Remington in 1992, which was when the Classic in 220 Swift was produced. The Classic series was a odd choice for the Swift with it's ADL/BDL barrel profile.
I suppose the marketing people at Big Green thought that tying all this together was a good strategy. It must have worked as I bought a NIB 700 Varmint Synthetic 220 Swift in 1992!
A great gun that whacked a lot of fox and prairie dogs. I've heard of the original Remington Varmint Specials being chambered in 220 Swift but have never seen such an animal. Remington would do non-cataloged specials like this for a 500 minimum order for large distributors.
Good shootin!
-AlBuy it if it don’t shoot sell it to Beto, I hear he wants to buy guns.
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JohnD
Silver $$ Contributor
I somewhat agree with CEM. I think there are better choices for a colony varmint removal tool. Tried a couple in the PD towns several years ago and just too much wear and tear and muzzle blast for extended shooting. The recoil on my 91/2 pounder became annoying. I think the sweet spot today for a Swift is a point and shoot coyote rifle. Hold on fur from 4-400 and you’ll probably hit him. Have had at least one since the 70’s and use them on coyotes, crows, feral cats and such. Hard to beat for that application and you always have that
cool factor of owning a Swift. And I think it was P O Ackley who said “no matter how wild a wildcat gets, the Swift still runs with the fastest company” Not bad for a 80+ year old.
John
cool factor of owning a Swift. And I think it was P O Ackley who said “no matter how wild a wildcat gets, the Swift still runs with the fastest company” Not bad for a 80+ year old.
John
I thought Beto was a convicted felon ?
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