.220 Swift Ackley improved

[Mhinagoya]

Finally!!

I have owned a couple of Swifts and frankly, even with all their warts, I love them. I bought the original rifle through Buds because they were nearly impossible to find. I wrung it out at the range, running a few pressure series of handloads through it, only to find out that even with a good stock and good bedding, it just didn't want to shoot (rare for a Swift).
So, off to Benchmark Barrels in Arlington.
It's back, bedded, and I have begun fire forming cases in a donor rifle with a disposable barrel, as I do not wish to burn up a Benchmark. They are too expensive for that foolishness.
Anyway, onward:

This is the finished rifle. Barrel is Benchmark's #8 profile, six flutes, 26 inches.

The part that everyone asks about. The original/stock Swift case is on the right. The Ackley case on the left:

Till I get cases fireformed and pressure series together for testing, that's it for now.

Bill.

 

[Ricksplace]

Beautiful rifle! P.O. Ackley led the way for efficient, sharp shouldered, blown out case design.
Parker Ackley published a two volume set of gunsmithing methods and rifle modifications. It's a great read. I don't know if it's still in print. I wish I could remember who I lent my copy to.

Edit: I remember a section of his book where he purposefully blew up several military surplus actions to see how much of an overload the actions could handle. There was only one action he couldn't blow up, even with a compressed load of bullseye. Blew the barrel off the action, but the action and bolt were unscathed. The rifle? A Japanese Arisaka. (early war production)

 

[Ad Astra]

Beautiful rifle! Awesome choice.

Yeah, I miss turning to the back page of Shooting Times for the P.O. Ackley column ... They were giants, those old men. They knew so much ... Heck, they invented it!


AA

 

[Mhinagoya]

Thanks Gentlemen.

I will only pick up 150-200 fps or so. The real reason for the Swift AI is case life. The original Swift eats cases. When you run them hard (no reason not to), you only get 3-4 loads out of a case and end up trimming them after every firing. The Ackley version may go 10-20 reloads, so long as the primer pocket remains tight.
By the way, this is a 1:14 twist, as I have no intention of shooting bullets heavier than 55 grains. I have an 8 twist 22-250 and an 8 twist 22-6mm wildcat for shooting the heavies.

 

[kelbro]

My Benchmark .308 barrel was a fantastic shooter. I like AI. I have a 223AI that was built around a Shilen Select Match barrel on a lefty Savage action that was timed and trued by Fred More. Also have a spotter barrel re-chambered to 223AI for a field gun. Cases last forever.

 

[noelekal]

OOOooo... I like the look of that bad boy!

I'd love to hear more about your rifle and handloading experiences as you compile them.

I shoot a lot of regular ol' .220 Swift. I've not had a problem with short case life, but I don't run mine full throttle all the time. Many of my handloads are "just for fun" benchrest accuracy efforts and are "throttled back" to .22-250 levels. I do hot rod them on occasion but use once-fired cases then regulating them to the "lesser" loads.

I made an effort to go for speed on an occasion and worked up a load with the Sierra 45 grain spitzer using IMR 3031 that averaged 4255 fps for a 10-shot string. It happened to also be one of the most accurate loads I ever fired off the bench rest at 100 yards. All five shots could be completely covered with a .38 Special case mouth.


The .220 Swifts here, a 1937 vintage Winchester Model 70 (top) and a 1972 vintage "flat-bolt" Ruger Model 77 V (bottom).

 

[Mhinagoya]

Noelekal, those are magnificent!! I'm envious.

In the smaller bolt actions, I have a .17 Remington, .204, 223, 22-250, Swift AI, and 22-6mm. I will run the Swift, the .17, and the 22-6mm as hard as they will run. That is why I built them, but then again, they aren't the classic beauties like yours. For my rifles (of recent manufacture), barrels are consumables. I expect no more than 1000 rounds out of the 22-6mm before the barrel is toast. I will throttle back on the 22-250, because there is no sane reason to try and make it run with the Swift or the 22-6mm. It is an 8 twist where the Swift is a 14 twist. Two different animals. The Swift was built purely for going fast, limiting bullet weight to no more than 55 grains. I suspect I can break 4k with a 55. I know it can be done with a 50. Varmint grenades can be pushed real close to 5k. The 22-6mm was built around 75-80 grain bullets.
I am finishing up on my retirement toys. This is just one of the last. Benchmark currently has my 6.5X284. They are making an 8 twist 28" barrel for it.

By the way, hope you never live just up the road from someone like Benchmark. I have spent so much money in that place that Tom and Barry (the owners) both know me by name. It's financially disastrous, but I sure do have some nice stuff in the safe. Bill.

 

[noelekal]

With that stable of hotrods, it is apparent that you have a "need for speed." What fun all those cartridges sound!

One can reach 4000 fps with the 55 grain bullet weight with the Swift using published loads, at least with published loads from bygone loading manuals. It doesn't hurt to have a long barrel. The Winchester above will do it with its barrel which is an inch longer than the Ruger's. The same load in the Ruger clocked 3980-something fps and that is the weight bullet I've used for deer hunting with the Swift. On Texas whitetail the .220 Swift is like the hammer of Thor on broadside shots out to 200 yards or so.

Our now 37 year-old eldest son and his first deer hunting experience at 11 years old. First photo was taken while two doe were moving into the road from the scrub. They were visible but didn't show up in the photograph. Second photo records success at 136 steps from the stand, dropped in her tracks.

 

[Mhinagoya]

Not only to have the memory but a photograph as well. I envy you.
I will be retiring to Kansas next spring. The hot rods are for long range varmints. I have three Italian O/U shotguns, purchased expressly for Dove in September, though they do occasional service on clays.
You mentioned a long barrel. I had Benchmark put a 29 inch barrel on the 22-6mm. I haven't shot it yet, but when I do, it should be interesting.

 

[noelekal]

I realize that I am out-of-style. One gets that way after retirement and I've been retired now for just over three years.

I love long barrels on rifles and on revolvers for recreational activities.

I think 24 inches is a good place to start on rifle barrels and 26 inches is even better. You ought to be able to get up a "good head of steam" behind a bullet from out of that 29-inch barrel. When handloading for "performance" it's like cheating to have more inches of barrel. Want to turn a .30-06 into a .300 Magnum? Barrel length can help in a meaningful way.

I used to first submit all "experimental" high-velocity .30-06 handloads to the 26-inch barrel of my 1917 Enfield in a mistaken notion that it'd "hold them" if nothing else would. In the event, it did shrug off everything I threw at it in my youthful ignorance. One particular effort with a 150 grain bullet and IMR 4350 cracked 3100 fps over the chronograph screens from out of that 26-inch barrel.

I then worked the same load up in a Ruger 77 .30-06 with a 22-inch barrel. Couldn't quite reach 2900 fps from the shorter barrel. So, if ya' want to hamstring a .30-06 to .308 performance then subtract barrel length. This has proven true for me with several calibers over the years and with .22 rimfires. I don't admire compact rifles with short barrels.

Just an aside; but a naked grab for the ultimate velocity out of the .30-06 cartridge had a 110 grain spitzer bullet exiting that '17 Enfield's barrel at 3440 fps with a maximum charge weight of the now-obsolete Reloder 11 as listed in the Lyman 45th manual. Even the 22-inch barreled Ruger managed 3353 fps with the same load. Just what was to be done with such a handload remains open to conjecture. With the ballistic coefficient of dirt, the retained velocity of that 110 grain bullet downrange would not be anything to write home about.

Very infrequently with certain propellants in certain loads the longer barrel will register a lower velocity than the shorter barrel. It's always with faster-burning powders or minimum charge weights. Some .22 Long Rifle ammunition will register a slower velocity out of a long-barreled target rifle as well. This is not often seen though.

Snub revolvers and a few compact autos are on hand. I strive to leave 'em at home and tote 4-inch revolvers or 5-inch automatics. At the range or in the field anything from 4-inch to 8 3/8-inch has my admiration. Barrel length aids in handgun performance too and makes 'em easier to shoot with pinpoint accuracy at distance.

 

[Mhinagoya]

Noelekal.
I'm not far behind you, having turned 65 last year. I've bought exactly two 30-06 rifles, both for the actions. Fine cartridge to be sure, but I've just never messed with one. My "big" rifle is a .375 H&H that I bought because it was a safari grade, 1983, unfired, Whitworth Mauser in Turkish walnut. I couldn't walk past it. Now that I have it, I have no earthly idea what I will ever do with it. It sure is purdy though and the only 'conventional' rifle I own. If I'm ever under seige by one ton plus animals, I have the solution. Everything else is custom this or special that. I reload for everything and always have.
One of the most accurate rifles I have ever owned was a tang safety Ruger 77 stainless in 220 Swift. I also had a 77 in 25-06 that took me a year of load development and re-bedding to get it to shoot to just under an inch. That was the most frustrating rifle I have ever owned.
Neither of my children has any interest in firearms, so when I kick off, my wife will probably just hand things off to a local store to put out on consignment. As I said, I envy you.
I am very anxious to see what the new Ackley will do and hope I get to it before Benchmark finishes my 6.5 X .284.

Bill.

 

[Esox]

I suspect I can break 4k with a 55. I know it can be done with a 50.

It can be done with a Sierra 52 grain HPBT Match. I cant remember what my brother in laws loads were but I think either IMR 4895 or IMR 3031, but it was right at 4200fps MV and would put 3 touching at 200 from the bench.

A Remington stainless fluted with a Bausch & Lomb 6-24.

I almost bought its bigger brother, the Remington Sendero in .257 STW. I should have bought that rifle.

I pushed my Savage 110 single shot .22-250 to 3900 fps with 52 grain Sierra and Hornady match bullets but the accuracy fell off at 3800fps. I loaded IMR 4895 to 3750fps.

With a Leupold 6.5-20. If you're up to it, it will put 5 in one ragged hole at 100.

My "big" rifle is a .375 H&H that I bought because it was a safari grade, 1983, unfired, Whitworth Mauser in Turkish walnut.

A friend of mine had a matched pair of Whitworth Express rifles, one in .375 H&H and one in .458 Win Mag. I shot the .458 quite a bit. A beautiful pair of rifles.

My do it all on anything rifle was a Sako TRG-S in .338 Lapua. 3500fps with a 200 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. 3150fps with the old Winchester FailSafe 230 grain. 3030fps with a 250 grain Sierra Game King boat tail. My nephew has it now and he's loading Barnes 225 TTSX boat tails at 3200fps.

 

[jkingrph]

Noelekal.
I'm not far behind you, having turned 65 last year. I've bought exactly two 30-06 rifles, both for the actions. Fine cartridge to be sure, but I've just never messed with one. My "big" rifle is a .375 H&H that I bought because it was a safari grade, 1983, unfired, Whitworth Mauser in Turkish walnut. I couldn't walk past it. Now that I have it, I have no earthly idea what I will ever do with it. It sure is purdy though and the only 'conventional' rifle I own. If I'm ever under seige by one ton plus animals, I have the solution.

Bill.

I'll be 74 in a few months and have fun with a lot of calibers, but have never gone for the super high velocity types. Lately I have been playing with the 6.5 Grendel, actually made a lot of brass from 7.62x39. The only difference in my sized and fireformed cases is that they use large primers vs small in true Grendel cases. My first centerfire about 56 years ago was a 30-06, a Win 70 featherweight my dad won in a sales contest just in time for my high school graduation present. Starting college i had to learn to reload in order to afford to shoot it. Fast forward nearly 50 years and i walked into now defunct Gander Mountain and spotted a CZ 550 Safari American in .375 H&H with a drop dead pretty stock. Needless to say i bought it. The nice thing is with the weight and the wide buttplate it does not kick nearly as hard as my old 30-06, so i have a lot of fun with it. Needless to say there are no elephants in my garden.