30-30 swift a-frame

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My local Wal Mart has Federal .30-30s now for $24/box. Prices are definitely coming down for a lot of standard hunting cartridges. Except for my favorite.338WM. They’re MIA! LOL

@CoElkHunter
And the should stay MIA mate. Get a Whelen.

 

[CoElkHunter]

@rookhawk
I have seen the A-FRAME advertised as a component for the 444 marlin in 280gn but the price was thru the roof so I suxk to the Woodleigh 280gn RNSP
Bob

I just checked Swift's website NOW. They have a TOTAL of 14 rifle bullets (4 are solids) out of ALL their available bullets selections IN STOCK at this moment. Their bullet prices are stratospheric! Examples: .257 100gr. AF 50ct. $76.75USD ($1.53/bullet). A few weeks ago I bought some .257 120gr. NPs 100ct. (factory overrun-not blem) from Midway for $35.67 ($.35/bullet). They also CURRENTLY have .375 300gr. AFs for $96/50ct. A few weeks ago, Midway had 300gr. Barnes TSX bullets for $.88/bullet on sale, and they still have 350gr. TSXs on sale for $.97/bullet. Swift bullets may be one of a couple best choices for DG, but for everything else I wouldn't consider them due to their outrageous prices and seemingly persistent unobtanium status even as most other bullet manufacturers have ramped up their bullet production and availability.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Swifts are expensive, yes. But they are way better than a trophy fee on an animal that is wounded and lost. They just plain work!

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I haven't dabbled in lever specific bullets a whole lot, despite being very lever-centric. I had not heard of the Swift versions. I'm intrigued but my intrigue would likely get checked at the price.

Like @rookhawk said, the LEVER stuff is really good. I was skeptical of the FTX bullets at first, but after 8 bull moose, a crap-ton of caribou, and 8 African animals, to include a couple of kudu bulls and a large wildebeest, I am no longer skeptical. They work; I trust them.

I shoot a 170 grain Partition out of my .30-30 (Savage 24). This bullet is made for the slower velocities of the .30-30 and supposedly will open nicely at those lower velocities. I have yet to kill anything with one yet.

Other companies - like Cutting Edge and Maker also produce stuff designed to open at lower velocities, so there is stuff out there. It's a matter of what do you want to pay.

I will also say that the factory LEVER ammo is the most accurate ammo in several of my rifles. I can handload for every rifle I have, but a few of them I have sighted for the factory LEVER stuff because it is so accurate.

I'll be toting a Savage 99 for Sitka blacktails next week. I put together a .308 load using the 160 grain FTX bullets. I think they'll do just fine. Right or wrong about that, I'll let folks know when I get back.

Have a terrific weekend everyone.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Swifts are expensive, yes. But they are way better than a trophy fee on an animal that is wounded and lost. They just plain work!

Your right. But if you can't get them, what's the point? I had never used Barnes TTSXs before my first African PG hunt this past June. I took twelve animals with their 180gr. .300WM and all were one shot kills. I felt almost "over bulleted". LOL Anyway, I'm staying with the TTSXs here for at least elk and probably deer. Unlike the Swifts, I can find both bullets and factory ammo on a regular basis now for a reasonable price, and sometimes even heavily discounted.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Your right. But if you can't get them, what's the point? I had never used Barnes TTSXs before my first African PG hunt this past June. I took twelve animals with their 180gr. .300WM and all were one shot kills. I felt almost "over bulleted". LOL Anyway, I'm staying with the TTSXs here for at least elk and probably deer. Unlike the Swifts, I can find both bullets and factory ammo on a regular basis now for a reasonable price, and sometimes even heavily discounted.

@CoElkHunter
Read @one day post on how effective the 100gn TTSX is 8n the 257 Weatherby. He wasn't driving then that fast, about 3,500fps and took everything with one shot including zebra and kudu.
You can get them to 3,400fps in your 25-06 so they will be fine.
Sight in 3 inches high at 100yds and pert near spot on at 300. A backing hold on a whitetail will see you fine to 400 plus yards.
Load some up, go shoot shit and stop complaining. You never know you may get rid of that 338 now you have real caliber.
Bob

 

[Arac]

I agree with the comments on availability of Swift bullets being a barrier. That, and they are really expensive. I purchased 4 boxes of 270gr TSX for my .375 H&H at $1/bullet - that’s US$0.72/bullet. The only Swift A-Frame I can find is 3x the price and when that place is out of stock I will be out of luck.

Unfortunately it’s the same story for Nosler Partitions here - I can’t remember the last time I saw 7mm 175gr in stock. And prices have increased 2.5 fold for whatever is actually available.

 

[ftrovato]

Nosler makes a partition specifically for this application in 170 grains.

I suspect it would have fantastic frontal expansion.

With the flat nose it is designed to be safe in a tube feed action.

I have a box of tips but never took the time to work up a load with them. I just grab the Core-Lokts when I go out for deer with the 30-30.

Not sure I'm really missing out since the Core-Lokts work fantastic in the 30-30 (and several other calibers).

 

[ftrovato]

Just pointing out from the chart, one example. A 350gr load out of a 45-70 should be going around 1900fps. That would likely impact an animal somewhere around 1750fps to 1400fps. The appearance of those bullets at that velocity would be underwhelming.

I'm sure a single shot 45-90 or 45-120 would be epic with such a bullet, but not so keen on that photo of expansion at typical velocities. If the 30-30 opens similarly, I think you're still slinging "solids" at distances over 100 yards. Just my skepticism.

I dont think it would be underwhelming at all. At least my understanding is that Swift specifically developed these for the 45-70.

I've worked up a look 2000+ fps for my Ruger #1 for bear. But I have not been lucky enough to test them out yet.

However to your point, I don't think that I would be using a 45-70 beyond 100 yards either.

 

[gbflyer]

The Nosler 170 Partition for 30-30 is also stupid expensive. I reload for 30-30 because I don’t have a store that carries cartridges that doesn’t require a $400 round trip. I have plenty of powder and primers. If I didn’t, $24/box for factory ammo at Sportmans is the way.

 

[farmer_john]

Swifts are expensive, yes. But they are way better than a trophy fee on an animal that is wounded and lost. They just plain work!

And how many swift hunting rounds is the avg person shooting shooting a year? I use lapua scenars 185grn as analogue to my 180 swifts.
I feel if we can spend thousands going hunting a 2 dollar bullet is just a professional courtesy

 

[deewayne2003]

Cost effective great 30-30 is the Fusion 170gr for factory ammo.

Loading would be the 170gr Hornady interlock flat point - that’s what I use in my .30-30.

Although I have used federal premium 170gr partitions which are superb.

 

[steve white]

Why would Swift produce a solution to a problem that doesn't exist when they can't get around to manufacturing the bullets that sell out immediately, like the 300 gr A Frames, lol?

 

[gbflyer]

I found a somewhat reasonable buy on Barnes Original 190gr at Brownells. Barnes load data doesn’t show them too far behind a 170.