220 Swift Using Faster Twist Barrel vs 22CM

[bill123]

I keep reading discussions about how modern 22 cartridges like the 22 Creedmoor, outperform the older cartridges like the 22-250 & 220 Swift. The comparisons are never "apples to apples" though. They all compare the older cartridges shooting, for example, 50gr bullets through a 1:12 twist to the modern cartridges shooting 75gr-90gr bullets through a 1:8 twist.

So what happens if you build a 220 Swift with a 1:8 twist and shoot 75-90gr bullets? How would that compare with the 22 CM?

 

[sedancowboy]

Yes it would be close to the same performance. However the more modern design of the 22 Creedmoor will require less trimming and quality brass is easier to get. I have owned a Swift for over 50 years. Pushed to their performance potential they are hard on brass.

 

[LRNut]

I have a Swift with a 1:8; in a nutshell, the wind drift with the heavier bullets is half that of 50-55 gr bullets.

Jim Carmichel, probably the best gun writer of all time, wrote about the .224 Clark, which is a wildcat designed to shoot heavy for caliber bullets.

 

[Gary in MD]

They never compare apples to apples, they need to push the new cartridge with the fancy new name. The Swift has as much case capacity as the CM so if everything else is equal they would be about identical in performance along with the 22-250 AI. Brass quality does favor the newer cartridges however. When my two Swifts need a barrel, it will be the 8 twist.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Another consideration for the faster twist Swift build…you must throat for longer projectiles as well.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I have a fast twist 22-250 that runs 90 grain A Tips just under 3350 with a 25" barrel. I'm not sure a 22CM will run with that.

A properly twisted and throated Swift would be faster I imagine, especially if you AI it.

 

[fruitnut]

A 220 Swift ai would be neat. But that's not really a Swift. It requires forming cases just like the 22-250 ai.

I've shot a Swift since 1959. I'd get a 22 Creedmoor if getting a fast twist 22. No case forming and designed to shoot heavy 224 bullets.

 

[Gary in MD]

There's no magic in the head stamp on the brass...
Case capacities as measured by Layne Simpson for a recent article on the fast twist 220 Swift.
22 Creedmoor - 49.3
22-250 - 44.3
22-250 imp - 50.2
220 Swift - 49.1
Case capacities in grains of water of the case filled with water.