Is a 250 or a swift more accurate due to the case geometry and powder column etc? I know that a PPC or a BR cartridge is just more accurate based on the case dimensions.

Looking to have my ruger rebarreled 1x9 twist to shoot 75 gr amax's or 80 gr SMK's. A 9 twist is my fastest option so this is not up for discussion.

I thought about the 250 AI then read that it basically duplicates the swifts performance so now it's a 250 (non AI) vs swift. Looking at it accuracy wise, same bullet, same velocity, does one have a better potential than the other?

I think that in this case the barrel/ammo will make more of a difference then the cartridge itself.These two are pretty much at the top of the heap for .22 performance, a slight fps advantage going to the swift but accuracy I think is a toss up.

Both are overbore, which does not help accuracy. You can't compare the big 22's with the BR/PPC.

I'm not trying to directly compare the BR or PPC with one of the 22's. Just trying to find out if the overall shape of the 250 would give it more accuracy "potential" over the swift case. The BR/PPC were used as an example. If one will be just as accurate as the other, I'll go with the swift.

with the 250ai once you prep you brass the first time they strech very little so you dont really have to work on the brass again. the swift is prone to the brass streching because of the amount of case taper. had a friend that would have to trim his again after 4 or 5 firings where as my ai i am on my 8th firing and not had to touch them. i know you have to fire form the ai but with mine i get 1/2moa performance and lose only about 100fps to a regular 250 while doing it. they are very usable for target shooting or hunting while fire forming. just my two cents.

Of all the options mentioned, IMO 22/250AI would be the ONLY option.

I have the 220 and the 22-250.
Once you reload the 220 to head space off the case shoulder there's no real accuracy edge to either cartridge.
I lean toward the 22-250 just cuz it looks so kool with the 80 grain bullets all lined up in the box.

I had a friend that claimed his 22-250AI ALMOST shot as good as his ppc. Lee

Michael, what kind of accuracy are you getting out of your 22-250?
Have you chronoed your loads & if so what velocity are you getting?

I finally started to reload for my 22-250 & hope to test loads next sunday.
The factory 52gr win supreme match were averaging 3749.1 fps on ten rounds.
I still need to contact Steyr to find out the twist rate but i think it is 1 in 12

If you can go with a 220 Swift, can you get to a 220 Swift AI?

There's lots of taper in that case to remove, it would be probably the fastest thing out there short of a 224 Allen Mag or something like that.

Unless you're shooting BR with this rifle (in which case you already know you want to go PPC or BR) then the negligible differences in inherent accuracy I would think are trivial when compared to the other issues involved with shooting fuzzy things at long range.

AWP,
Scarey accurate, even better than you could shoot on the internet. Couple "Hide members have shot the 250 and could attest.
With the 80 grainers it's a very capable 1200 yard rifle once you sort out the wind with the 80s.
24.5 to 27.25 moa depending on altitude and temp for 1000 yards with a 100 yard zero. I run mine with VV-N160 at 3100fps from a 26 inch barrel.

I'd say neither have an inherent advantage over one another. Inherent accuracy doesn't neccesarily make one more accurate than the other, it just makes it easier to load for. I have both a 22-250AI and a 220SwiftAI.

Michael,
Thanks for the data. I may try some heavier tips in mine to see if they will group. I think my issue will be the twist of the Steyr varmint (26" bbl w/dbbl set trigger). What is the twist rate on yours?

My 220 AI pumped 55 grain VMAX's out the 24" barrel at 4200 fps into 1/2 MOA groups. 40 grainers rarely made it to a 100 yard target.

WYK

I've tried 1:8 and 1:9. The book says 1:8 is right. I found 1:9 is more accurate and don't have any stabilization issues with it.

Thanks for the info! I prefer to get real data from people that use them versus book data. For me book data is a reference point only.

You need to look at the 22br for accuracy stand point, a 220swift is a brass stretcher and if you build a 22250 get it AI. JMO

Well, it's being chanbered in the swift. I guess in 6 months, I'll see how it shoots. Thanks for all the info.

Never been behind a 220, but I regularly shoot a 22-250 and it is a tack driver. I won't trade it for anything. The cool thing about it is it is just a stock Savage 12. I have held some pretty tight groups with it out to 300 shooting 50 gr V Max. Can't speak to anything heavier as the twist is just wrong for it at 1 in 12.

Own and shoot both and love both, the swift is a '57 mod 70 varmint it is a true .5 moa gun with Hornady 55 gr Custom factory ammo. the 22-250 is an '89 custom shop mod 70 sporter varmint and is very accurate with most anything you feed it from the Win USA 45 gr cheap 40 pack ammo to the Hornady 60 gr stuff. A lot more factory ammo avaliable for the .22-250 but if Im shooting a 400 yard crow on a bet gimmie my ole swift! Had a late 70's Ruger 77V in Swift that Douglas made the barrels for that was an absolute tack driver, sent many "hotshots "to the house in N FL,SW GA with that gun, sold it to a fellow in NM that loves it! Both Swifts liked the slower loadings, 3800' vs the 4000' stuff. Personally both are plenty fast without going the AI route.

My ruger 77 varmint vt11 used to love the hornady 40gr factory loads. Got rid of it because it was not used. Bought one of the rem prairie ghost camo 22-250 that shoots very well with 55gr ballistic tips. Both are/were accurate as all get out. The 220ai is a smoking round but would most likely burn out a barrel pretty quickly.

own a swift for the past 9 years , any fox out to 400yds is as good as dead . wouldnt swap it for anything

When I built mine I decided on the swift as well. Then I stumbled on an article on the 220 Weatherby rocket. It's what Weatherby chambered his 22 bore in before he developed the iconic double radius belted magnum cases he's famous for. It's basically an 220 swift improved with the 28 deg shoulder instead of the classic 40 deg Ackley. What this does is blow most of the case taper out greatly slowing the case stretching process. By some accounts it helps preserve the throat as well. It also gives a tad more case capacity, not that the Swift needed any more. Fire forming is all that is necessary and those loads tend to be just as accurate as later reloads. I love mine, but I guess we all say that about our pet guns. If you find the swift is annoying for any of reasons some associate with that cartridge it's pretty easy to have it made into a Rocket or AI.

Best of luck,

Mike in Abq