220 swift

[RonO777]

I know most swifts and 22-250s come in a 1-12 or 1-14 twists. But what if  you had a 1-9 twist barrel you could shoot some of the heaver bullets with a higher bc. Has anyone tried this or heard of anyone who has?
I was thinking along the lines of a 75gr bullet coming out around 3300 or so fps.
Sorry ive spent to mch time reading reloading manuals.
Ron

[LC Smith]

I did just that.  It works well.

[jasonprox700]

I read an article a while back (Guns & Ammo, Shooting Times, Rifle Shooter??? I can't remember!) about doing just what you are thinking.  They had a .220 Swift and the guy wanted to shoot the 75 gr Scirocco's.  He seemed to have good results.

You may not be able to shoot the lighter stuff is the only problem.  I could see the bullets coming apart if pushed too hard.  I'm not sure though, just my ramblings

[yooper77]

Would be great for the longer heavier bullets.

Whats your intended purpose for wanting a slower twist barrel?

yooper77

[onesonek]

Depending on the actual bullet design of 75 gr. weight, you may need a 8.5 " twist. If I were looking at real long range, I would give up a little more velocity and go with 1-6.5" twist for shooting 90 gr. JLK's
But regardless of what bullet you decide on, it's always better to error a little on the faster twist.

Dave

[RonO777]

The idea was to take a barrel that i have for one of my single shots that is a 223 with a 1-9 twist and have it chambered in 220 swift. I dont really have a reason for it I just want it. I aready have a 223 1-12, 223 1-9, 22-250 1-12, and a 220 swift 1-12. I like 22 cal if you cant tell.
Ron

[onesonek]

Well Ron, it certainly has posibilities and should do well with the 75gr. Berger, which is a good bullet.


Dave

[yooper77]

Are you talking about a single shot break open, falling block or bolt action?

If its a bolt action, opening up a bolt face on the 223 Rem wouldn't be worth it to me.

I would suggest re-barreling a 22-250 Rem bolt and making it a 22-250 Ackley Improved, better brass availability and next to the Swift in performance.

yooper77

[RonO777]

singleshot
Ron

[LC Smith]

PM sent.

[LaOtto222]

I know I buck the trend of fast twist barrels. If you are going to shoot at fixed distances, then the VLD bullets make sense to me. If you are going to shoot 300 yard or 600 yard competitions, then the wind bucking abilities of the heavier bullets makes a lot of sense. You are shooting at fixed distances so bullet drop is not a factor; so wind drift is the biggest factor. The heavy VLD 224 bullets have a higher BC than do the lighter bullets, but the lighter bullets have less bullet drop due to their higher velocity; but the down side is more wind drift. In a field situation, you are guessing at distance and wind drift. To me, a flatter shooting bullet takes a little of the guess work out of the distance part and you only have to worry about wind drift. You get more velocity and accuracy when you have a twist rate just fast enough to stabilize a bullet. I just ordered a barrel in 223 with a 1-14" twist rate. I seriously thought about a 1-16" twist rate for this barrel, but if it does not like the 40 grain bullets, I will not have any options. With a 1-14" twist I can shoot up to 52 - 55 grain bullets as well. I plan on pushing 40 grain bullets at 3800 fps out of the 26" tube. I looked at tables and it will have more wind drift than the VLD bullets, but shoots flatter. Flat enough that I will have no trouble with guessing distance out to 400 yards. The wind drift is another manner, but I feel that I can dope the wind enough with help from a cheat sheet to get my shots in there. I know we all have a different idea on how to get a job done, and that is a good thing. Fast twist rates and high velocity means you need a heavy constructed bullet. Some thing to think about - Most target bullets are not heavily constructed and I do not know how fast you can push them in a 1-9" twist barrel and not fly apart. Most of the VLD bullets are designed with a 223 in mind at below 3000 fps. If you have a single shot and the barrel is already fixed at 1-9" twist then you may need to tone down the velocity to get them to hold together. I am only speculating on this, they may hold together fine. You might want to check sites of the bullets you want to use to see what velocities they are designed to shoot at. Good Luck to you and Good shooting no matter what you decide to do.

[bubbadoyle]

Most target bullets are not heavily constructed and I do not know how fast you can push them in a 1-9" twist barrel and not fly apart. Most of the VLD bullets are designed with a 223 in mind at below 3000 fps. If you have a single shot and the barrel is already fixed at 1-9" twist then you may need to tone down the velocity to get them to hold together. I am only speculating on this, they may hold together fine. You might want to check sites of the bullets you want to use to see what velocities they are designed to shoot at. Good Luck to you and Good shooting no matter what you decide to do.

I have shot the 75 grain A-max in my 22-243 to 3600 fps with a 1" in 9" twist without them coming apart and they shoot very well at that velocity.

[LaOtto222]

There you have it. You do not have to worry about those bullets fling apart.