Joe, for what you want the rifle for, check out Barnes TTSX offerings for the "game part" of your formula, also the Nosler .224" Partition.

For an alternate powder for that Swift, my old Ruger tang safety really favors RL-15 with the 55gr NBT. Never tried the Barnes in it, as mine is for LR rockchucks, but a friend has had most excellent results on mule deer with his.

 

There is definitely a consistent trend here. My Savage BVSS-S Swift really likes the 55gr VMAX with RL-15 or Varget. For a more hunting style bullet I would first try the Sierra GameKings, either the SPBT or the HPBT. Both are much tougher bullets than the VMAXs. IMR 4064 is a great powder, but it doesn't feed well in most powder measures for me. I have loaded some 55gr VMAX development loads with IMR4320, H414/W760 and AA2700, but haven't gotten to shoot them yet.

 

For bigger than varmints I have had good liuck with Game King and Federal Premium which is the barnes triple shock as well as the plain old Speer HP. These were not at .220 velocities but i believe tbey would all hold up well at higher speeds than I have used then at

FWIW I have shot probably a couple dozen Does with .223

 

55 VMAX and a full house load of IMR 4064 YOUR ON TRACK !...I'll go look for my book.......
ps..WD is your huckleberry !

 

I've owned a few Swifts in my hunting lifetime. The first 2 liked 4064, which is difficult to work with (IMHO). I found that one should weigh each charge due to it bridging and or not flowing particularly well.

The one that I have now has never liked 4064, but thrives on WW760 (maybe the same as H414), N550, and has shown very good promise with R-17 ..... and next spring I intend to do some more work with R-17 to see if it was a pretender or a contender. My go to powder is WW760 and have shot it from 20* through 95* and had no serious issues with temperature sensitivity. For my hunting I prefer the 50-53gr bullets.

LOVE the Swift for chucks, crows, and coyotes. WD

 

How about the 53gr v-max? I like it alot in the 22-250 and have some loaded in my swift I need to test yet.

 

You guys recommending the V-max... do you really expect them to be able to perform in any acceptable way on deer???

 

Yes...headshots are very effective

 

55gr BT with IMR3031 was what my RUGER VT liked.
Shot it for several years and it would shoot with my
6ppc for the first 3-5 shots. Never shot it hot and never
loaded to the max.


Donnie

 

Doug I have head shot a lot of Does but still would not recommend such a thin jacketed round. What if you cant get an ethical head shot?

 

The safety doesn't come off then....personally I don't suggest headshots to very many people.

If OP didn't specify a 55gr (although I suggested the 53gr because I just like that bullet better) I would say 60gr Partition, 62gr fusion, or 64gr Nosler bonded because of the deer part.

 

I had 4 HB Swifts at one time. I believe the PD load was
42GR of H380 w/40Gr Vmax. Shot flat as a light ray @
3900 FPS. You can shoot 10 rapid shots w/H380 w/very
little barrel heat. You cant do that w/stick powder. LDS

 

Sierra makes a 63 gr SP #1370 that will work in 14 twist barrels that does work on deer.

 

Hornady

55 gr sp with cannuler always shot well for me and Varget

 

N550
Varget
IMR 4064

...in that order with 55 grain bullets in a 12-14 twist bbl has been my "goto" load for "ever", not that others mentioned won't work too.

That said, N550/Fed 210M and either a 55 V-max or Nosler BT (the BT especially) have cut so many sub 3/8 MOA groups, I've lost count! (You might remember that "postal" match you held, many moonz ago and awarded a GGVG hat to the winner? It was N550/210M and a 55 V-max, as I recall that won the prize. I still have that hat!!)

That same barrel has over 1500 rounds through it now, and I noticed the groups starting to creep out a little. Switching to the 55gn BTs (to move the center of gravity forward a tad) pays off! In fact, I've always shot my best groups with the BT pills.

As for a non-varmint bullet, I dunno: the Swift has always been my designated varmint exploder. To me, the Swift was born as a varmint caliber, and IMO it really shines in that capacity. But, when it comes to deer size critters, I grab the 25-06 instead. JMO.

P.

 

thanks all

good food for thought.

with powder supplies as they are - I may be limited to what I have on hand.

as far as bullets go, I may consider a heavier bullet. Not looking for a laser beam trajectory, deer sized targets are a stretch for sure. But a guy never knows. I guess I was asking about a bullet other than a VMax type. Explosive varmint type bullet.

My heavy barreled Swift was he!! on prairie dogs out to 350 or so with very little hold off or dial spinning. It flat hit like a hammer... Very solid whops even way out there with a 55 gr Vmax.

I'm printing and filing this thread, that's for sure.

Thanks again to all...

-joeniv-

 

I don't know about the V-Max, but my friends uses H-414 and Sierra 52 grain MKs. I've seen that ole Ruger shoot some decent groups with that combo.
Wayne

 

I've done a bit of poking around

I think that 63 gr Sierra Semi-Pointed is what I'm looking for.

I did a quick comparison - at 400 yards (which is out of my range) you only give up 3 1/2 inches of drop and 3 1/2 inches of drift in a 10 mph wind (against a 55 gr boat tail GameKing)

DAA has had me convinced that light and fast is the way to go, but in this application - a bit heavier and a bit slower seems to be what I'm after...

BTW - with the influx of social media - it's nice to have the good old GGVG board to ask this sort of question... without any of the drama found elsewhere, well thought out answers, well worded responses, etc.

-joeniv-