.220 Swift question

[goodoleboy]

Have any of you tried making long range loads for a .220 Swift using 75 gr. bullets? None of my manuals have listings for bullets that heavy in that chambering. Any advice on where to start is greatly appreciated.

[Campbell]

I don't think you will find a factory barrel in Swift with a fast twist... but if your custom, I guess you could. I had a swift just to push those 50 grainers at 4000+, and never had many shots beyond 300 yards anyway. I had a wildcat built in the late 80's that was a blown out 243 case necked down to 22. We shot 80 grain bergers at 3700 with no pressure signs. I would guess there are plenty of awesome 22 wildcats for distance now, but I'm just not current on that gear anymore.

EDIT: Went back and dug through some junk... there were signs of pressure with those 80 grainers, found a note on a box "pancaked primers". I might have been thinking of a 69-75 grain load we worked up. My shooting partner did all the wildcat loadings and it has been some time ago. I can vouch that while VLDs are not hunting bullets, at those velocities they do some crazy stuff to varmints.

[Quick Draw]

What is the twist rate of your .220 Swift?

You will need 1/7 or 1/8 to stanilize 75 gr or heavier projectiles.

[goodoleboy]

What is the twist rate of your .220 Swift?

You will need 1/7 or 1/8 to stanilize 75 gr or heavier projectiles.

Mine's a 1:12 twist. Would the greater velocity of a swift allow for a slower twist or are bullets over 55 gr out of the question?

[Quick Draw]

Although I do not own a .220 Swift I do have a Rem 700 Hvy Brl Varmint in .22-250 Rem. It is 1/12 twist and does not stabilize anything heavier than 55 gr over 200 yards.

I get excellent results/accuracy with 52 gr Berger flat base hp target bullets. The thin jackets work great on varmints.

The velocity of the .22-250 is not too far below the .220 Swift so I do not believe the increased velocity will compensate for the slow twist.

My ARs have 1/7 twists and have stabilized the heaviest bullets I have fired in them which is 77 gr.

[soulezoo]

I have a Rem 700 in VSSF that I've been shooting for almost 20 yrs with a lot of handloading. It is 1 in 12 twist and as said above, 55 grains is about the limit. Velocity does play a role to an extent. In the early days of the swift, the velocity combined with thin jackets would cause some projectiles to come apart due to centrifugal forces of too much spin. The slow twist rate is built in to save the lighter bullets from this effect. In order to shoot the heavier bullets you wish, a twist of 1:9 is desired. You would necessarily have to stay away from light bullets then. You would have to get a custom barrel and ensure the rifling lands start at an appropriate distance as well for whatever projectile you use for optimum bullet seating in the case. Otherwise, you lose case capacity as you have to seat the longer bullet deeper into the case.

[goodoleboy]

Thanks for the input guys, I guess the 75 gr bullets are destined for the AR