220 Swift VS 22-250

[Echo5Hotel]

I'm looking for a new rifle & have no previous expirience dealing with varmint calibers. I'm not looking to reload just yet so for the mean time I'll go with commercial loads. I'm moving from Yuma, Az to Jacksonville, NC so I'm hopeing to get some hunting done when I get out there. Thanks for any replies.

 

[ol mike]

22-250 gets my vote.
It'll reach across most fields in the east and there's a good choice in factory ammo.
I hear there are plenty of groundhogs in NC and some big coyotes.Best of luck -Mike

 

[Alucard]

I own both of these cartridges and shoot them quite alot. As far as shooting exclusively factory ammo, I would go with the .22-250 Rem. There is a wide variety of good quality ammo available for the .22-250 and it is cheaper then the .220 Swift. Factory loads will get the job done with a fair accuracy and explosiveness. I would say about 3/4 MOA or better with quality ammo at 100 yards with a heavy barrelled setup. As far as performance goes, with factory ammo I doubt you would notice alot of difference between thew two.

Now if you are going to be reloading in the near future, I would most definately go with the .220 Swift. You can start out with some factory ammo to get used to how the rifle will perform and to get a supply of brass. Once you are ready to reload, the additional performance with handloads will be quite noticable. Accuracy will go up and so will explosive performance. The .220 Swift is in a much higher category of varmiting then the .22-250. The .220 Swift is a VERY potent varmint round. You can also load the .22-250 with fantastic results, but as far as explosiveness, the .220 Swift wins in that category.

Another good choice for a varmint rig would be a .223 Rem. Factory ammo is cheaper then dirt for the .223, and there is a good selection of match ammo available as well. The .223 Rem is a fantastic shooting cartidge, with explosive performance out to about 300 yards. Anything past this and you will notice that the .22-250 and .220 Swift will get the job done much better. Also, if you are shooting a .223 with factory ammo, and you decide to handload later, brass is CHEAP for the .223. Handloading for the .22-250 or the .220 Swift will be more money, but also much more performance.

One thing to keep in mind with the high velocity rounds like the .22-250 and the .220 Swift is that you WILL have to clean these rifles more then usual. Also, proper barrell break in will get you a long way in cleaning. With the .220 Swift I clean about every 25-30 shots - I am anal about my rifles - and with the .22-250 I can stretch it to about 50 at THE most. With a .223 you can let is slide to about 100 rounds on a good day, but try not to let is go more then 50 rounds. Also barrell heat comes into play here as well. You should not let the the barreel heat to high with a .22-250 or a .220 Swift. These are high performance rounds and as such will be harder on brass and barrells. With a .223 Rem, heat is not as much of an issue as it is with the the larger varmint rounds.

Either way, if you choose one of these rounds you will not be disappointed. All 3 are blast to shoot.

 

[Russ Vernon]

Hey Echo

Alucard pretty much nailed it. If you going to shoot factory, yup- the 22/250 cant be beat. Ammo is cheaper, easier to find, and there is a greater varity. Plus factory 22/250 beats most of the 220 Swift factory stuff in velocity. BUT if you are going to reload as Alucard said, I too give the nod to the Swift. Now hey, we only talking about a couple of hundred feet per second, OK? But I have shot or seen shot prairie dogs with the 17 Rem, the 204 Ruger, the 223 Rem, and the 22/250 and the Swift. All in the same day. Now let me tell you something. The 17 centerfire, the 204, and the 223 will kill them dead. Some right now, and some, well, some make it to their holes. Hit one with the 250 or the Swift, and it will rain pieces of pasture poodle for 5 minutes. Expecially the Swift. And hardly any hold over compared to some of the others too. Now I like to shoot them with that CZ 527 17 Reminton if i can, because that will do it to them real quick. But I paid and extra $160 for a Vais muzzle break on my Kreiger barreled Swift just so I could watch them pop. And they pop faster than cherries on prom night. Give them the swift, and you be just like that old beer commercial:"Man! It dont get any better than this!