Gentlemen....I'm not new to hunting or firearms but I've never gotten involved in coyote hunting, something I'm planning to do now. I'll be buying a rifle for this and pretty much have it narrowed down to a .223, 22-250 or .243. I would like to hear some opinions on the .220 swift. Somehow, in all my years of hunting, I have never become familiar with this cartridge. I guess it's been around for a long time and is still considerd a good load. Tell me about it....thanks...Bill

the swift is the very best coyote caliber (except for the 22-250 ackley improved MAYBE) for coyotes in the open. the 223 will work ok but won't reach as far. the .243 will cause heavy pelt damage. i survived many winters selling coyote pelts, and the swift won't fail if you use the right bullet.

monty

the swift is the very best coyote caliber (except for the 22-250 ackley improved MAYBE) for coyotes in the open. the 223 will work ok but won't reach as far. the .243 will cause heavy pelt damage. i survived many winters selling coyote pelts, and the swift won't fail if you use the right bullet.

monty
monty...just wondering...what does a coyote pelt fetch in montana? Also. you say it's a good caliber if there "in the open". Could you explain that.....Bill

the pelt prices vary dramaticaly from year to year, and sometimes hardly worth skinning the animal. usually i wait for the fur auctions at the end of the season, so i haven't sold any this year. i'll let you know.
the area i hunt is rolling sagebrush hills and riverbottoms with heavy brush. the rolling hills can be very productive, but the shots may be long... that's what i mean by the open.
the riverbottems are a different game, and the swift will perform equally well there, but the high power scope is less of an asset (shots will be short).

monty

The Swift is a bit faster shooting that the .22-250, which can help on the long shots, although we're talking inches or fractions of an inch out past 300 yards, truely splitting hairs. You still gotta deal with the wind with either one. Also more velocity helps ensure that the bullet breaks up inside the animal and doesn't ruin the pelt, possibly a more important consideration to the hide hunter.

Rick Jamison in Shooting Times wrote that he preferred the Hornady V-max to the Ballistic Tip as the heavy solid base on the BT would sometimes exit whereas the v-max would almost never.

Given he supported himself for a while in the 70's shooting coyotes, he's a good one to listen to.

All in all, I'd say you're not going to see a huge difference in the field between the .22-250 and .220 Swift. For the non-professional, it probably makes no difference whatsoever. .22-250 ammo and brass should be a little easier to find for what it's worth, and the .22-250 burns a tiny bit less powder.

My father-in-law has shot tons (literally) of prairie dogs with both and never really seemed to indicate much preference one way or the other.

You'll have a good bit larger selection of rifles to choose from in the 22-250. The Swift is a little faster, but unless your a hard-core "mines faster than yours" kind of guy....there's little practical advantage of the Swift over the 22-250 in a production rifle.

The Swift has been around since 1935. It had barrel problems, or so the story goes, in the early days. It was given up for dead by Winchester, replaced by the nearly dead .225 Winchester, eclipsed by the 22-250, and has made a comeback since Ruger, I think, started chambering it again about 10 + years ago.

mikeg hit it. the advantage of velocity between the swift and 22-250 is more terminal ballistics than exterior ballistics. not a big difference, but noticeable. bullet choice is much more important.

monty

The Swift will do anything the 22-250 can and more. How insignificant that maybe it is still a fact. If you are a handloader there is no handicap in choosing the Swift. I've owned 2 Ruger Swifts and both of them are accurate. Jim Carmichael wrote in the Book of The Rifle that when Ruger tallied up all the test groups that were fired in their plant between the Swift and the 22-250, the Swift was more accurate. If you handload, buy the Swift. AA-2700 will push a 50gr. bullet out of my Swift at 4050 fps. If you are coyote hunting you'll be lucky if you get to fire more than half a dozen rounds a day, so barrel wear should not be a concern. Good hunting.

Guys...thanks for your replys, very useful information. I am neither a handloader or a professional hunter and, based on your input, I'm now zeroing in on a .22-250. Besides, I have my rifle selection down to a (1) tikka t-3 (2) CZ or (3) savage and none of these are chambered in .220 swift. Thanks again.......Bill