Fast Twist Swift

[DennisPA]

This build began back in October of 2013. I wanted to try a new shooting discipline the Ridgway VBR match. It’s a long range benchrest silhouette match with ranges between 850 and 1000 yards. I had most of the equipment I needed from my time shooting informal short range benchrest “Ground Hog” matches. But I needed a spotter for the long range match. My wife was willing to spot for me. After the match she said the only way she would keep spotting for me was if I built her a rifle too. So a year later she finally got to shoot a full match with her rifle “The Phantom” as she calls it. She calls it the phantom because we thought the parts would never show up!
Being completely new to benchrest I wanted to build her something that was light recoiling. So of course the 6BR and its variants came to mind. But I wanted to do something different. I had inherited a 220 Swift so the thought of doing a long range fast twist swift came up. Knowing all the pitfalls of doing a Swift throat erosion, brass trimming and the list goes on and on we decided to try it anyway. So here this adventure begins.
With only a course load development the rifle is under half MoA. The muzzle velocity is not where I was expecting it only 2850fps. I haven’t seen any signs of pressure yet so I’m hoping I can push it faster my goal was 3100fps.

Rifle Specs:
Savage “J” series left hand action
Rifle Baxis SAV-2 trigger tuned to 6oz
McGowen 30 inch stainless barrel 1:7 twist with McGowen’s turbo break
Sharp Shooters Supply Dog Tracker Stock pillar and glass bedded
Nightforce 15x55 Competition Scope FCR-1 reticule
Burris Signature Rings 10 degree offset
Gun Smith work by Tim Smith of Warren PA

Ammo Specs:
Berger 90 grain VLD
Hodgdon 4831SC powder
Remington brass fully prepped
CCI BR-2 primer

[scope eye]

Nice rig and a swift to boot a man after my own heart, it is very hard to build velocity and get good FPS with a 7 twist barrel, there is another member with a with a 22-250 and a was saying the same thing how his numbers were way off the data, it shot well but was down on FPS, you might want to try some Win 780 or RL22, you will need to use all available space in that case to extract the numbers you want.

Dean

[drybean]

I am jealous, great job

[7stwluvr]

Very nice love me some swifts !

[DennisPA]

Thanks guys it's been a great learning experiance doing our first build. There is a lot of satifaction hitting steel at 1K with a swift!!

Below is a group I shot the other day while sighting in the scope. The flyer was a scope adjustment then I shot the group.