Stopping by Swift Bullet today

[Vintageguy]

I get all this speculation on why A-Frames are so limited but the people buying bullets are not the types who will just jump back and forth from brand to brand on availability. As far as commercially loaded ammo goes, I won’t use it to hunt with and when I do buy a box, it’s for the brass. I spend a lot of time working up loads and I shoot a lot more than the average guy buying a box of cartridges for his big game rifle at Walmart. I think that’s probably the norm for most serious handloaders. I have loads for Barnes that are wicked accurate. Mostly because they are always available and don’t mind target shooting with them because I can always order more and they’re about the same price. Not so with A-frames. I fire very few of them, reserving them for hunting. That’s the lighter calibers too. My 375 likes them but also shoots Barnes great. My 458 loves Barnes 450 grain TSX bullets and shoots them in the same hole as 500 A-frames. But 90 percent of my shooting is, again, with Barnes. So, while I’m loading and shooting newly purchased Barnes, my A-frames will be gaining a patina of age on the shelf. If Swifts were available, I wouldn’t have the multiple boxes of Barnes on my bench in the first place. When people ask me what bullet to load I recommend Barnes and if I mention Swift, it’s with the caveat of availability. The target was a sighting in session with a newly mounted Trijicon scope on a Winchester Model 70 in 458. The final 3 on the top of the bullseye are Barnes, the 3 directly under are Barnes with a 500 A-frame. Yeah, I ask myself all the time, why do I bother with Swift.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Duly noted and for the record I agree with you; so Swift is a modern company using modern business practices and headed by a man that loves to talk at length about his business experience.

Now having said that, I’ve been able to acquire more Woodleigh bullets in the last five years than Swift and Woodleigh had a factory fire and is on the opposite end of the earth.

So I’m willing to wait and even get my own ATF permit to import bullets from a company that is trying to meet demand and rebuild from the opposite hemisphere; it’s perfectly understandable since they have rebuilt from a fire but they are still producing big bores and in infinite more calibers and weights than swift ever thought about producing in the AF.

Where as, Swift is located in a neighboring state and I haven’t been able to source AF for years on end and never in a quantity that makes it worth working up a load for.

Yes and you’re part of the percentage of people being under serviced who’ve gone away from the brand/product you like in favor of something else. The unknown a business is trying to account for estimate.

I love woodleigh’s myself. I’ve used their Hydro Solids in my 375 and 458. Additionally, I’ve have been searching for the 480gr .458 Dia 450NE RNSP and FMJ Solids from them but they still haven’t produced any since well before the factory burned down.

Another thing to consider is Woodleigh once had large OEM contracts with several ammo manufacturers. So while Woodleigh did experience a fire and rebuild it’s not to the level it once was (evidenced by still not making a large percentage of the catalog) and by a large OEM customer no longer purchasing from them, evidenced by some manufacturers like Federal moving away from them and discontinuing loadings of their ammo. This has basically resulted in freed up inventory for you, I, and the general consumer to enjoy. I’m assuming that while Woodleigh was trying to rebuild, it wasn’t to service you and I, rather it was to meet their production contracts.