Where have all the Swift A-Frames Gone?

[deewayne2003]

Guys,

I have no dog in this fight. However, I do know a few things about hard business. I was 12 when my mom tells me that the tire factory my dad worked at was going to close down and 2,000+ people were going to loose their jobs. Dad started a construction company.

The guy who owns Swift Bullets is an old guy. He happens to run a business in the middle of nowhere, because that’s the hand he was dealt. Probably started as nothing and would cost millions to relocate. He happens to make an above average product.

Let’s not pretend he can just pay more wages, or move the company; business is too complicated for such easy solutions. If he charges 50-75% more per bullet, that’s not the answer as so many other qualified competitors exist in his exact market.

Business is hard, really hard, there are hundreds if not thousands of influences on why a guy would or would not choose to modify any slight nuance of his business model. Simple math, regarding the “just pay your people more” every single person who works for me would gladly accept a $10 an hour wage increase. That would bankrupt my company in about 4 months.

If I raised my hourly rate $10 an hour in probably 18 months we would have zero back log of work. Meaning only the most desperate and least likely paying customer would hire me. I would go bankrupt.

I am guessing the bullet business in Kansas is hard. Let’s not vilify this guy because he is an anomaly with a great product in a really challenging industry.

YMMV.

John the electrician

If I remember correctly from his interviews - He's a former Pepsi executive that bought Swift bullets many years ago.

That doesn't take anything away from his great products or the stellar reputation that he's built; but the lack of availability is frustrating when you are aware of so many competitors that are by comparison much easier to obtain.

For instance Woodleigh, Not the easiest product to find even before the fire but you could get them; after the fire happened they were approached by an investor that wanted to buy the company and move it to the USA and Woodleigh declined, now their back up and running with two different USA retailers, one of which being a sponsor of this forum.

 

[Vintageguy]

I find it odd that a company puts as much advertising into a specific bullet for dangerous game and yet leaves it woefully understocked. I keep seeing comments about the smaller calibers being more popular and maybe they are but I don’t know a single person who uses those bullets. It’s the A-Frame that’s made Swift yet as of right now there’s not any 30cal, in stock along with 375, 416, and 458 A-Frames. They are clearly not meeting their demand. I spent over $300 for the SCI auction for Swift yet they are unable to fill it still. I have, in effect, their IOU.
If you announce availability of a product only to be shortly stripped of all your inventory for that product, you obviously aren’t making enough and are likely loosing potential sales and customers. That’s undeniably true when you consider they’ve had many of their A-Frame offerings available for mere weeks out of the past few years. There may not be that much demand but they obviously aren’t coming close to meeting what they do have.
My conclusion is they are satisfied with where they are at present and I don’t expect to see any change. That’s their choice and our loss. Going forward I will treat the A-Frames I have as game only loads and not for poking holes in paper and pray the airlines don’t lose them.

 

[dogcat1]

You all should listen to his podcast on This Is Africa. That would clear up a lot of confusion.
He is a small shop in Kansas. He has a large cattle operation and other businesses. He has the bullet manufacturing. He has business pretty well figured out and has no debt.
Should be lesson to all of us.

 

[towserthemouser]

I buy as many as I can afford when they become available, I am short on 375 300gr A-Frames though. I will have to buy a few boxes the next time they are available. View attachment 712489

Ok now you're just showing off.

 

[RichieG]

Swift make a great range of reasonably uncomplex products and have not been able to meet anywhere near customer demand. It’s a pity given how good the Aframe in particular is.

There are clearly issues with production and have been for a while. Regrettably as my stocks in any particular calibre have dwindled I’ve moved on to other more reliable producers. Sadly I’m sure it the same for most people. A lot of effort and cost goes into reloading in particular, so you need to pick a manufacturer who actually reliably manufactures. Swift unfortunately isn’t that company anymore.

 

[pilar]

I think I am completely sold now on Barnes their QC looks amazing, ( testing every production lot )
And availability is amazing I have no problems buying ammunition.223 - .375
This daily test proves that they are on top of their game

 

[Jefferry404]

For those of us that read such things
full patent is attached.
The first 3 claims are forming the "lips" at the base and the partition
and claim4 is the lead to copper bonding by heating and
the insertion of the non-bonded lead base.
Steve

a

 

[CoElkHunter]

I share your frustration, I've never been able to find Swift AF in decent quantities; on the rare occasion I can find them in stock it's always for one or two available boxes and the last thing I want to do is work up a good load and then have have 20 or less projectiles remaining, then left to wonder when I can get my hands on them again.

I find it very odd that even with the Woodleigh fire on the opposite side of the earth I've still be able to find them more readily than the Swift bullets that are manufactured a couple hundred miles from where I live.

I don't use Swift A Frames for hunting because I don't like them, I don't use them because in years of looking I have NEVER been able to find them in a quantity worth buying..... But I would love to!

I too find it very strange that Woodleigh’s factory burned down yet with the rebuilding they are producing more bullets than Swift now? Or at least enough of them in stock that you can buy.

 

[uplander01]

Forget about swift and just buy North Fork, Barnes, or Woodleigh when they are back in play. A Frames aren’t a magic bullet, they usually don’t shoot as good as the aforementioned brands IMO. Swift are expensive, never available when you need them. That guys been making excuses for years about why he can’t produce more bullets. Woodleigh is somehow managing to rebuild their entire facility in a matte rod a few years and you don’t hear them complaining.

 

[Franco]

These came in a shipment of ammo I purchased, I do not reload - is this anywhere close to what you are looking for?

 

[Tex .416]

Forget about swift and just buy North Fork, Barnes, or Woodleigh when they are back in play. A Frames aren’t a magic bullet, they usually don’t shoot as good as the aforementioned brands IMO. Swift are expensive, never available when you need them. That guys been making excuses for years about why he can’t produce more bullets. Woodleigh is somehow managing to rebuild their entire facility in a matte rod a few years and you don’t hear them complaining.

Barnes seems to do an excellent job of keeping inventories well stocked. I have gone to them in all of my rifles for hunting. I started with Partitions in the 1970’s and still have several boxes, but Barnes flat out work better on every angle with great accuracy too.

 

[Hyde Hunter]

These came in a shipment of ammo I purchased, I do not reload - is this anywhere close to what you are looking for?
View attachment 714958View attachment 714959View attachment 714960

I could make good use of them, just let me know. thanks

 

[Franco]

I could make good use of them, just let me know. thanks

PM sent

 

[fourfive8]

Not necessarily piling on Swift as I have used their A-Frames in the past for DG with good results. I reload exclusively for hunting ammo so am not interested in loaded factory ammo. A few years ago I called Swift about the crimp groove location on one of their bullets. In certain calibers like 458, the crimp groove location is not ideally universal for all cartridges. I got a terse, short response from the rep… something like, “just trim your case length to adjust the OAL”. The conversation didn’t last much longer. So much for brand loyalty. Barnes and North Fork can easily supply my need for quality hunting bullets.

 

[colorado]

I received my 100 7mm 175g A-Frames about a month ago, I'm still waiting on the 200 .510 caliber 570g A-Frames I ordered on May 7th.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Where have they all gone? Sometimes it looks like they are all in my ammo room