220 swift barrel chop

[1984nitro]

I am new here and this is my first post though I have been research everything possible on this site.

So here it is I have a Ruger m77 mk II in 220 swift. It has a 24" barrel.
I want to have a stiffer barrel on it but my wife says I have a limited budget.

I was wondering if it would work to chop the barrel down to 20" to make it stiffer but I still want to be able to shot out to 700yd accurately on coyotes and/or rock chucks.

It shots good holding sub moa groups at 100 yd but just want more accuracy at longer range.

Side note this rifle is glass/pillar bedded and floated barrel.

Thanks for your help
Eric

 

[winmag]

I dont know if it'll make your bbl any stiffer, but youll certainly loose alot of velocity. I think the avg is 50-60 fps per inch. I would deffinately not recomend lopping it off.

 

[Autorotate19]

Cutting down the barrel is the last thing that will help your long range accuracy. Especially with the swift, it needs a long barrel to burn all the powder. If it is sub moa at 100 what kind of groups have you been getting at longer range? Do you handload or shoot factory? I have the same gun in .204 and its a shooter.

 

[1984nitro]

I have grouped it at 200 and 300 of a steady bench. At 200yd it wasn't bad about 2" and at 300 it when out to 6" with 3 shots each.

I do handload. The load data on these is:
powder: h380
Brass: Remington
Primer: Winchester
Charge: 42.5 gn
bullet: 50gn nosler b-tip
Grouping. .6" on calm day and 1" on windy day. @ 100 yd.

I was thinking about going to a 55gn bullet to help with the wind.

I see that chopping is not an option, thanks for that.
Eric

 

[Hairtrigger]

Easier to ask the wife for forgiveness than permission

 

[shortgrass]

Don't cut off the barrel! Like the previous post have stated, "you'll just be loosing velocity". In my experience it takes a 'heavy for caliber' bullet in the .22 & 6mm centerfires to be accurate at 700yds, and then , conditions have to be just right. Those 55g. and 60g. bullets just 'run out of steam'. Those 'heavy for caliber' bullets (80/90g in .224, 107++ in .243) need a tighter twist than most factory rifles come with.

 

[1984nitro]

Thank you all for the info this helps a lot. I guess I will have to start saving my pennies for a new barrel.
Eric

 

[Varminator 911]

If I were to rebarrel my Swift, I'd get a tight twist to shoot the 75 amax or another of the long bullets. But it's such a hammer out to 400 yds with the 50-55 bullets that I can't change barrels right now. Maybe I need another Swift