Winchester introduced the .220 Swift in 1935 and it was the fastest factory cartridge in the world. Ninety years later it still is — the Federal 40 grain leaves at 4,250 feet per second, quicker than anything in the .22-250 table and quicker than anything else on this site.
Nine factory loads, which is more than the cartridge’s reputation suggests.
The loads
| Brand | Load | Bullet | Grain | BC | Test barrel | Muzzle | 300 yd | 500 yd | Muzzle energy | 500 yd energy | Drop at 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | V Shok | Nosler | 40 | 0.221 | — | 4,250 | 2,766 | 2,003 | 1,604 | 356 | -27.3” |
| HSM | Varmint Gold | Match Target Flat Base | 55 | 0.209 | 24” | 3,497 | — | — | 1,494 | — | — |
| Hornady | Varmint Express | V-MAX® | 55 | 0.255 | — | 3,680 | 2,514 | 1,884 | 1,654 | 433 | -33.9” |
| Winchester | Varmint X † | Polymer Tip | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint † | V-MAX® | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Winchester | Super-X † | Polymer Tip | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Remington | High Performance Rifle † | Pointed Soft Point | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Federal | Sierra GameKing † | BTHP | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HSM | Varmint † | Sierra BlitzKing | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
What it does
The 55 grain V-MAX is the coyote load. It gives up 570 feet per second at the muzzle to the 40 grain Federal and arrives at 500 yards carrying 433 foot-pounds against the Federal’s 356 — the same lesson every page on this site keeps teaching, which is that ballistic coefficient beats muzzle velocity once the range opens up.
The Swift’s reputation for burning barrels is largely history. It was earned in the 1930s and 40s with the powders and steels of the day. Modern barrels shot at sensible rates last acceptably; it is still not a cartridge for a high-volume prairie dog day.
Against a .22-250 the two are close enough that it does not matter, and the .22-250 has twice the ammunition choice. Buy the Swift if you have one or if you want one. Do not buy one expecting a ballistic advantage that the table does not show.
Notes on the data
These are the manufacturers’ published figures. Sources: Hornady 220 Swift 55 gr V-MAX, Winchester, Federal and Remington.
Hornady’s published figures for the 55 grain have moved slightly since this table was first compiled — a few feet per second at each distance past 200. The row above is the current published set. That is a small thing worth knowing generally: these numbers are not fixed for all time, and a table built once and never re-read will drift away from its sources.
★ marks a load added in the September 2026 catalog check. The bulk of this table was compiled some years ago and the makers’ current line-ups were re-read while building this page.
† marks a load that exists and whose published figures are not yet on this table. The rows are here so the list is honest about being incomplete rather than looking finished.
Know a load that should be here? Tell me and I will add it. And check your state’s rules before you go.