Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Swift A- Frame in Action

We Hear about the Nosler Partition results on big game (elk and up) all the time, I’m interested in the Heavyweight A-Frame 7mm & 30 caliber bullets in action.

Anyone?

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In general, they don't penetrate quite as deeply as Partitions of the same weight, despite retaining more weight in 7mm and .30 caliber. (Partitions in calibers from 9.3mm on up retain about as much weight at A-Frames, due to the partition being farther forward.) This is because A-Frames expand wider, which has more effect on penetration than retained weight.

The other thing that many hunters don't realize about A-Frames is that only the front core is bonded. The rear core isn't--which is why the rear of the bullet often bulges at shorter ranges, or when hitting heavier bone at longer ranges. This also tends to reduce penetration vs. a Partition of the same weight and diameter.

But this definitely does NOT mean A-Frames don't work. Have seen them in action on game from deer to Cape buffalo, in calibers from .25 to .416, and they kill very well.

I’m a fan of Swift A-frames and have shot a fair amount of game with them, including black bears, elk, moose, caribou and several deer. IME the 180 Swift A-frame in 30-06 has had the most consistent terminal performance on game of any of the relatively few bullets I’ve tried.

It has been accurate in my rifles, penetrates deeply in a straight line, retains weight (on the few I’ve recovered) and makes a large wound channel without explosive expansion. I think my closest animal was a smallish fork horn blacktail at about 4 yards (12 feet) and my longest kill with the Swift was an elk at 450 yards. The Swift performed well at both ranges without blowing up nor failing to expand. My son has killed several large Roosevelt bull elk with Swift A-frames in his 30-06 and more recently his .338.

Before settling on the Swift I had killed a fair number of big game with 165 Sierras and 180 grain Nosler Partitions. IME the Partitions worked well but never delivered the accuracy of Swift for me. They were considerably less consistent in terminal performance in terms of retaining weight, traveling in a straight line once inside the animal and consistent expansion/wound channel. I’m not down on the Partitions and load them for my 6mm and my .243, but not for my .30-06. A small comparison is two bullets from two similar sized elk, both shot corner to corner, both through some leg/shoulder bone with bullets recovered. The Swift A-frame retained 92% of weight and the 180 Partition retained 62%. Both killed well and efficiently.

John is right about the rear portion of the Swift expanding and bulging the jacket, which makes a curious and distinctive shape but has not caused any negatives that I know of. I’ve recovered several Nosler Partions that stayed together and formed the same bulge in the rear portion behind the partition wall. IME both bullets penetrate a looong ways in big animals.

Ron Kesselring from the legendary Kesselring gun shop near Mt. Vernon, WA recommended the 180 Swift A-frame to me over 20 years ago and I haven’t looked back. I confess I’m more of a hunter than an experimenter trying out new loads, so tend to stick with something when it proves to work. For another comparison I’ve also killed a number of deer and a caribou with 165 Hornady Interbonds, a bullet that has worked well for me.

Review from a dinosaur.

The bulge for me has always been smaller in diameter than the mushroom but yes, the energy used to create bulge must rob the projectile of penetration? Never personally had a problem with them. But the total end diameter is often greater than the partition.

This reminds me, the Winchester Failsafe use to have a steel liner in the rear core, they then took it out which resulted in the rear bulging. And if I remember correctly… Winchester tried to market this “double expansion” as some kind of double whammy to game. If someone has an old add… correct me if I am wrong.
S.

I just loaded up some 100gn A Frames in one of my 257 Roberts'. They are the only A Frames I've ever bought. The 100gn Partition was a good bullet so if the A Frames perform similarly then they should be good. Hopefully I'll get to test them on a couple of deer this April.

My other Roberts is loaded with the 100gn Swift and that's a tough little bullet.

I like A-Frames just like I like the Trophy Bonded Bearclaw. I have 50 for my 35 Whelen in 280gr and 50 for my 338wm in 275 gr.

in my 257 Weatherby mag 100 gr. Swift A-Frames worked very well as did 100 gr. Nosler Partitions on game ,this year i tried 100 gr. 25 caliber Hammer bullets they work well too , the Hammer bullets are more accurate than the other two in my rifles.

The Trophy Bonded Bear Claw factory load .35 Whelen 225 gr is an elk stopper for sure. Probably a great Bear load as well. 160 gr TBBC in 7mm magnums is a superb deer and elk round. My only experience with A-Frames was with some 180 gr Remington loads that didn’t shoot very well in my ‘06.

4 cape buffalo and 2 zebra 400 grain .416 Swift A frame. 1 brown and 1 black bear with 250 grain .338 Swift A frame. No tracking required. I like Swift A Frame bullets.

A number of trips to Africa with the .30-06 and .375 H&H, always with A-Frames. My favorite bullet.

Upcoming trip with the 9.3x62mm, again with A-Frames, taking both 286 gr. and 300 gr. loads. Looking forward to recovering examples.

If I have time, I'll be taking a 325 gr. Oryx load with me as well.

I can attest to the performance of A-frames from my 458Lott

Not 7MM or 30 caliber but 140 gr from my 270 worked well on two aoudad this past week. One at 237 yards and another at 331.

Does Swift have a factory store and sell seconds at Quinter?

I used the 175 gr. A-Frames in my .280 on plains game in Africa a few years ago. I prefer Heavy bullets in Africa, and I know the 160 A-frame would have done the job, but the 175's were flawless. Zebra, one frontal shot, 50 yds, DRT. First Kudu, one shot, 286 lasered yards, the A-frame broke both shoulders and kept going DRT. Second Kudu my wife shot through the heart at 125 yds. complete penetration and ran maybe 30 yds and hit the dirt. Gemsbock around 100 yds, one shoulder shot, DRT. Impala. same story, and headshot a Warthog at 50 yds. for leopard bait for another hunter DRT. I have also used A-Frames in Africa in 300 gr. 375 for Giraffe and Buff and have always been happy with the results, now if Swift would just get caught up, I need more 175's and want some 225 gr. 35 cal. for a project. Op asked about the 7mm and thats all I got!

EXACTLY what Mule Deer said. I've used (and use) Aframes in 416Rigby, 375 H&H, 300 Weatherby & H&H and all have worked superbly. Their mushrooms are almost too perfect, round and smooth and that is what MD is attesting to that hinders penetration a bit.

Jorge,

Or at least hinders exits--and a lot of PHs prefer that bullets NOT exit on Cape buffalo, so they don't inadvertently wound another one. And their big mushroom definitely makes a big hole in the vitals.

bingo!

Would sure like to try the 180/200 grain A-Frame in '06 ..... but A-Frames in most every diameter are about as rare as hen's teeth.

Yeah, they're getting to be one of the harder-to-find bullets.

In my experience Norma Oryxes perform similarly if they're the same weight/caliber, at the same velocity--but they haven't been exactly easy to find recently either.

I really like the bulging of the rear portion of the bullet that forms when the front of the Swift bullet expands.

Why…the bulge supports the mushroom formed when the bonded front half expands. No chunks of the mushroom break off.

Contrary to some opinions, having a relatively long unexpanded shank does not contribute to in-line penetration. Check out centripetal force vectors. Or notice that 44 Magnum 240gr hard cast lead bullets are known for in-line penetration despite being short for their diameter.