I have a line on one- stock fits me perfectly, no scope, bull barrel--mint bore & chamber- 2 ??'s- unlike my other pre-1964 M70's and my one M54- this gem has no serial number 174XXX engraved on the long extractor bar on the bolt? Factory fubar?? How much of an issue could this be? You can't interchage, within the same caliber/familt M70 bolts, as you can with 190's-How expensive and scarce is factory ammo n .220 Swift and what are the best bullet weights for varmints?? RWTF

I thought the thing about Swifts was the possibility of having a burned out throat. I don't know if that kind of thing would be visible without a borescope?

I am given to understand the main cause of early lack of accuracy with the 220 Swift was incomplete cleaning of the bore. I believe serial numbers were not actually required until the "Gun Control Act" of 1968. If I am wrong, it isn't the first time.
Mike

I've heard this same thing-the throat and barrel check out O-K here are some "pro and cons"- the gun is with a dealer I know well- no scope, but std M70 D&T for 1" ring mounts. Wood and metal 95%-no narrel bore wear, stock is a Monte Carlo comb with roll-over style, std steel butt plate with the spur at heel- std qd sling studs-- trigger pull is clean and crisp. Cons are: barrel was cut down from 26" to 22.5" by a previous owner- why?? I surely can't guess. How much does that affect accuracy with a hot caliber like the .220 Swift?? And how hard to ind and at what high price is the ammo to feed this Winchester in today's crazy ammo market? RWTF

Fox,

I assume you mean that the action is stamped w/ a serial number but the bolt does not have the matching # electro pencil engraved on it?

If so it could be a simple as someone has polished the bolt body & removed the serial # or it could be a replaced or mismatched bolt. I would want to check the headspace & feeding function on that rifle before buying it.

As far as shooting the .220 Swift, I have owned 3 pre 64 model 70 Swifts over the years & they are "the bomb" for a varmint rifle as far as I'm concerned. All shot very well & one was exceptionally accurate.

Brass is available & they are easy to load for with the exception that the cases tend to stretch & require frequent trimming. I always had the best accuracy w/ 50 or 52 grain bullets but that was 35 years ago & bullets have improved a lot. The Swift in the Pre 64 M 70 rifles has a 1 in 14" twist so I would not try any bullets over 55 grains (I tried some Nosler 60 grain bullets back in the day & couldn't get them to shoot as well as the lighter bullets).

FWIW, I don't think barrel throat erosion or barrel cleaning frequency is any worse than a 22-250 Remington.

Yes- that is what I meant-- It does indeed look like the electro-etching was buffed off- I have a M54 in SG .270 made in 1934- used a fair amount, but the etched matching number to the stamped serial number is still visible on the bolt group. 1 in 14: twist- fairly shallow rate, as compared to a .308 or a .243"?? My main concern is the "ampuated" barrel, albiet crowned-- how much does this affect long range accuracy at S. Dakota prairie dawg ranges-?? I checked Midway and ammo, albiet a tad pricey, is available. I'm taking my pre-Garcia Sako L59 in .243Win this summer as my "main stay" dinger- going to West SD, late August early Sept--So I am thinking of this older "cherry" M70 as a "second"..

As for scopes, I'm open right now- thinking a 10X or 12X Unterl- or a Kahles, Leupold, Redifeld- and Hornady factory--Thanks for the input. RWTF

RWTF, can you add a little clarity to your comments, is the receiver body serial numbered? Is the serial number engraved on the bolt body with an electric engraving pen or missing from here?

Yes-the serial number is stamped on the barrel boss of the receiver- bolt side and at he front- #174793-- but is NOT etched, at least visibly, on the extracyor claw or anywhere else on the bolt body--or may be worn off- hard to guess. 1950 era- one of the best years for M70's- and soetime later, by 1951-52, according to R. Rule- they dropped he hand lead barrel lapping process and went to broach rifling., RWTF

The bolt might be a replacement for a lost original assembly.
A standard 30-06 bolt will work,or one from a 270. Two common M70 calibers.
The case head size on the 220Swift is 30-06 size,,the case body slightly smaller in dia leaving it with it's semi-rim case.

Perhaps a replacement bolt with it's non-matching ser# to the Swifts recv'r # simply had the bolt number polished off.
Better looking as a -blank- than a mismatched part.

The ejector in the 220Swift M70 is a longer length than the standard ejector used in the 30-06/270 calibers
due to the shorter 220S case length. Same one used in the 257Roberts and 243.
The mag box is shorter than the standard 30-06 box .

Run With The Fox,
Shortening the barrel shouldn't affect accuracy, if properly crowned, velocity will be somewhat lower however. As far as case stretching is concerned, that can be largely eliminated by adjusting the sizing die to just "kiss" the shoulder. This will also solve the problem (if any) of excess headspace due to a possible replaced bolt. The 1 in 14" twist was a match to the 48gr. original bullet, loaded to 4000+ fps, for the obvious advertising benefit. The critical factor is bullet length, weight only matters insofar as it affects length. The Nosler 60 gr Partition bullet is simi-spitzer and is shorter than a common 55 grain soft point. This bullet works in a 1 in 14" twist barrel and will make a varmint rifle into a deer rifle, without the bullet "blowing up" as the 220 Swift was known for.
Mike

You'll probably give up 150-200 fps as a result of the barrel's having been shortened by 3-1/2 inches, which is probably irrelevant for any purpose to which you might otherwise put the rifle.

RWTF, a word of advice, with no matching serial number on bolt or none at all does effect the value of the rifle. Usually it doesn't mean any thing with functionality but people lower the the value they are willing to pay for these guns.

Thanks to all- I have found Nosler and Norma factory loads locally at $52.00/box of 20-- now that I know there are no barrel or velocity losses with the shortened barrel, we are negotiating the "cash on the barrel head price. Will advise if I am successful in getting this older M70( way better IMO than the 1955-1964 "pre-64" M70's.. RWTF

My last .220 Swift purchase was a Gunbroker gun that I decided to buy because the selling price was just a couple of hundred above the value of the Lyman Targetspot mounted on it. The price was low because the stock was uncheckered and appeared to be a restock. When I unwrapped the gun, it was found to be a rare factory original Sniper in quite high condition. Test firing resulted in two holes about a half inch apart about a half inch to the right of the bull. I can't afford a Rule book, so I don't know anything about the Sniper model except that it should have been left in the Winchester lineup. Way lighter than the target model and equipped with target blocks and an uncheckered sporter size stock, the way a varmint rifle should be configured.

Bill, as an avid pre-1950 M70 man, I can NOT afford Not to have a copy of the Rule book-even covers the M54 and the transition to the way better pre-WW2 M70 (IMO).. RWTF

Thanks- Mr. Remington-- bought the rifle Sat--has some SG characteristics, as per the stock-- made in 1950-195i-- but it has the earlier "clover leaf" style top tang, and a fine grained Monte Carlo stock, 22 LPI checkering, steel checkered and inletted butt plate, black plastic checkered grip cap and black forearm tip-- std. QD swivel studs-- However, the barrel is not set into the stock with a relief to the channel- you cannot fit a dollar bill into any clearance, because there is none. Before I set a scope on this .220 Swift M70, should I have the channel relieved and the stock acra-glassed, or just go ahead and mount the scope and run 4 or five boxes of Hornady or Norma factory loads through it and see what it does, both on paper and on splat targets- woodchucks, coyotes, fox, raccoon, etc-- the varmint group I love to shoot--RWTF

Pre-64 Model 70s used to shoot just fine without being free floated. If they didn't shoot well, use some card stock between the front of the stock and the barrel to put a little pressure up there which the gun may like. Don't ruin a good gun by carving on the stock.

Words of wisdom indeed Mr. 8 bore.. I will get it scoped and bore-sighed, then set for zero at 250 yds. with the loads I'm gonna use in it- Son-in-Law and grandson and yours truly are looking to a summer SD "safari" for prairie dawgs--should have this M70 ready to "rock and roll" way before that. RWTF