220 swift for deer bullet placement

shootingmad

Hi lads an ladys new to the site I have been shooting for the last 6 or 7 years an have decided to get into deer stalking I have a 220 swift already for foxing and am planing on using this for my first couple of seasons till I c if I like it or not before I invest in a bigger rifle anyway question is where is the best bullet placement with the swift for a clean kill.

Don't want a debate about the swift being to light for deer sick of reading it its legal with 60 grain bullets and plenty of lads use them for deer I think people underestimate them

FISMA

shootingmad wrote: »

where is the best bullet placement with the swift for a clean kill.

I was always taught to go for the boiler room - heart/lung area. However, you may want to avoid this if you prefer the heart, perhaps, the delicacy of venison.

I have found that covering the front leg with the six o'clock reticle and centering on the shoulder works well and is a fast way to acquire the target.

Neck and head shots are very much in fashion in Ireland and do the job. You will not ruin the heart and you'll save other bits of meat that can be used in making sausage. Ribs aren't really a consideration as they have maybe a pound of meat on them - not much loss.

The only issue with a neck shot is when spinal fluids contaminate the meat. This is a concern where chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been identified. Fortunately, CWD has not been reported in Ireland.

shootingmad

Thanks for the reply do you use a swift for deer yourself how do you find it?

FISMA

shootingmad wrote: »

Thanks for the reply do you use a swift for deer yourself how do you find it?

Sorry to say that I do not. However, I have friends in the States, who have a choice of rifles, that only use the Swift or a 223 and will not change.

I am shooting a big bore long action. Everyone informed me that my barel would demand a 150gr. However, it prefers to digest 180gr bullets. It has even pushed 220gr with great precision. The benefit of course to such massive bullets is that they are very forgiving than lighter rounds. A bit of grass, rain, twigs, or other less than ideal conditions still result in a cull. If I can do my job, there is little doubt the bullet will do its.

The thing I like about the 223 and 220 swift over a long action is the low recoil. Not worrying about the kick makes for better shot placement. Precision is going to be the name of the game with a Swift. A well placed shot will take down a deer.

I would probably suggest a head/neck shot since a shoulder shot, if not placed well, could be an issue in destroying meat or penetration.

If I were you I would do some research, maybe find a board in the States where more users have experience with the Swift. They'll have experience in which bullet worked best. Ideally, you will find someone that has your rifle and twist and has worked out the best bullet.

You'll want to do a bit of research on your barrel too. Is it a fast twist or slow? If it is fast, the more massive bullets just might stabilize in your barrel.

Personally and optimally, I would try keep the shots inside 200ya.

I am a big fan of Sierra Gameking and Nosler Partition bullets. I would check them out first. Then Barnes. If memory serves me correctly, Federal Vital Shok Ammunition uses a Gameking.

It would be great to find a 60 or 65grain bullet stabilizes inside of 200ya in your rifle, you'd be set.

Aside from the head/neck shot, if you are patient and get close enough, I bet you could sneak a shot behind the shoulder and into the heart - lights out, no question. Just don't try to go through the shoulder if you can avoid doing so.

Brian5

Hey man I got the lend of my buddies .220 swift for foxes and I am more than impressed,it fires like a laser dead flat up to 300 metres,what type swift have you?


Only place to hit deer is the centre of the neck!!!!!your hitting windpipe and food pipe and it's certain the deer will drop on the spot!!!!head shots can easily be misplaced and heart and lung shots the deer can run off and never be seen again they just bleed out so neck shots all the way

4200fps

I wouldnt push the swift beyond 200 yards on a deer. Great caliber in the right hands. Deer are easy knocked if you hit them right with any deer caliber. I've seen people say 243,25-06 is not enough. That just tells how poor they are with the rifle

leica

have a swift for years ,and let me tell you in the right hands they are deadly , i shot dear beyond 300 yards , i'm not condoning long range shots at deer with a swift but an accurate neck shot does the job as far as i am concerend , they don't get up an run away with a broken neck , i used to use 55gr boat tail hollow point ,

meathstevie

Brian5 wrote: »

Hey man I got the lend of my buddies .220 swift for foxes and I am more than impressed,it fires like a laser dead flat up to 300 metres,what type swift have you?


Only place to hit deer is the centre of the neck!!!!!your hitting windpipe and food pipe and it's certain the deer will drop on the spot!!!!head shots can easily be misplaced and heart and lung shots the deer can run off and never be seen again they just bleed out so neck shots all the way

Neither oesophagus nor windpipe direct hits on their own are lethal. What you're aiming for in neck shots is severing either an artery or the spinal cord.

Brian5

My direct hits work anyway lol ��

hiddenmongoose

Iv used the swift for deer and taken them out to 250meters with both head and heart shots.Know your limits, learn how its flying with wind and you will have no bother out to that distance.

Larry60

I find that if you are shooting broadside shots, these small caliber bullets are ok when well placed, ie in the heart or head.
The problem with lighter bullets is that they expand fast and if they have to get through a lot of tissue, they are spent before they have done enough damage to kill outright resulting in an animal that might run a considerable distance before they die. It was not uncommon in the 80's when most deerstalkers were using 22-250's to have to fire a number of rounds to get a result if ones shot was a bit off.

rowa

Larry60 wrote: »

I find that if you are shooting broadside shots, these small caliber bullets are ok when well placed, ie in the heart or head.
The problem with lighter bullets is that they expand fast and if they have to get through a lot of tissue, they are spent before they have done enough damage to kill outright resulting in an animal that might run a considerable distance before they die. It was not uncommon in the 80's when most deerstalkers were using 22-250's to have to fire a number of rounds to get a result if ones shot was a bit off.

If reloading was legal, stronger bullets could solve this problem, sadly its not.

cookimonster

Larry60 wrote: »

...........It was not uncommon in the 80's when most deerstalkers were using 22-250's to have to fire a number of rounds to get a result if ones shot was a bit off.

I know Fe*k All about the .220 swift, but the uncles spent many years using 22-250s after their bigger calibers went into safe keeping in the castle so to speak.
Any how one thing I remember them saying that thier preference was for neck shots kept in and around 100 yards. Any of the animals given to my Dad where always necked and showed huge trauma with powdered / splintered bone and jellified tissue. I know from my own stalking experience these where instantaneous knock down and disabilitating wounds.
The point is that they felt that the small fast round had a limited reliability over greater distance in regards to deer, not saying it can't and is not done, but that was thier opinion.