Hey folks, I've been looking into buying a rifle for deer,coyotes,fox, and maybe hogs. My grandfather has a Savage 220 swift that was mostly used for woodchucks and man did that thing shoot! That thing is heavy too! I'm pretty certain that it'll be good for coyotes and fox but, since it's only a .22 cal bullet(but there's a massive charge behind it) would it be suited for deer? I could use my grandpa's reloader that's already set for 220 swift to adjust bullet/charge weight. Thanks for any help!
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"I'll Be Needin' That For Squirrils N' Such"
the swift is an awesome deer, varmit , and pig round. it is a very accurate round, i have one in a ruger m77 mark II VT, shot placement is crucial with the swift as you said it is only a 22 cal.,i have killed hogs out over 200 yds with it, my swift loves the hornady v-max 55 gr. with IMR 4064. it will jellly the inside of a hog or deer. the swift is a shooter, i think it would make you a great deer rifle
With premium bullets such as, a 55gr. Speer Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, or a 60gr. Nosler Partition, or if your gun will shoot them a 75gr. Swift Scirocco, or a 55gr. Barnes TSX., and good bullet placement a 220 Swift will put a deer down with authority. I have shot several deer with a 223 using Speer Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullets, most dropped right in there tracks, the ones that didnt, didnt go more than 40 yards before dropping. Good bullets and shot placement are the key!
Does anyone know when the .220swift was first produced? The reason I ask is that unfortunately money is tight and I wondered if there were any older/cheaper models. I am sold on the gun but price is my biggest problem as of now.
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"I'll Be Needin' That For Squirrils N' Such"
The 220 Swift was developed back in the mid-late 30's for varmint shooting. I have and have had several from Ruger No.1, M77, M77 MKll Target, and the Savage 112 BVSS-S. They all are shooters if you spend the time to find what it likes. Most of mine seem to stay in the 50,52 and 55grn projectile area. I had one that kinda shined on the 63's but not as well as the 55's. Most powders were 4064, W760 and H380. Keep REAL CLOSE eye on case lengths. They stretch real fast!!!!!! Most of the time they like 3/4 throttle to almost full throttle.
Last edited by SecondChance; 03-10-2011 at 07:45 AM.
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The poor man's alternative would be the .22-250 or .243 Win.
I believe the 22-250 has proven less finicky than the .220 Swift, and much more popular these days, something to consider, probably cheaper factory ammo.
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Silence is Acceptance. "To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men." ~ Abraham Lincoln ~ Stand Up and Be Counted !
Great Info Sheridan....I'm thinking about getting a Rifle from CZ-USA in a .204,they have the 527 American lighter Rifle with the regular barrel and the 527 Varmint with the heavy barrel.I've heard some great things about the Ruger .204 Rifles!
220 swift
