Where have all the Swift A-Frames Gone?

[JimP]

 

[DesertDweller62]

I spoke to both Bill and Tony a couple of years ago at DSC and they told me about having difficulty with their raw material supply chain. I love their ammo, it just not available! DD62

 

[Doug3006]

I’ll poke around a bit. Another member PM’d me suggesting I call Swift and ask about the bullets I need. He has done this in the past, and they found some in their warehouse. GB is another option but I hate paying by the troy ounce!

Ultimately, the solution maybe simpler….just keep using TSXs and forget about Swift altogether.

 

[JimP]

When it comes down to it you have to use the bullets that you can find and purchase if your are a reloader.

If you shoot factory ammo you are at the mercy of the manufactures and their yearly or even biyearly runs of a certain ammo. DG ammo would be even harder since it is such a small amount of users.

I load all my own ammo and have almost enough bullets that I like to use and that I shoot for the rest of my shooting life.

 

[BJH65]

I’ll poke around a bit. Another member PM’d me suggesting I call Swift and ask about the bullets I need. He has done this in the past, and they found some in their warehouse. GB is another option but I hate paying by the troy ounce!

Ultimately, the solution maybe simpler….just keep using TSXs and forget about Swift altogether.

Have you considered the North Fork Semi Spitzer? They seem like a very viable alternative to the Swift A Frame although their design seems more similar to the Trophy Bonded Claw. They are my choice to replace the SAF and TBBC.

 

[Russ16]

Have you considered the North Fork Semi Spitzer? They seem like a very viable alternative to the Swift A Frame although their design seems more similar to the Trophy Bonded Claw. They are my choice to replace the SAF and TBBC.

That’s where I’m about to go. On the verge of ordering some north fork. They get great reports. But every PH I hear from says the A frame is the gold standard so I hate to even try anything else.

 

[WC86]

I was lucky and bought a couple hundred when they made a run of 375 300 grain last December. Near as I can tell they don’t have any A-frames available in any caliber over 7mm.

I know they are in a small town and have a labor shortage but given what seems to be the demand I would think they could raise the price and use it to pay higher wages and smooth out production.

In the meantime I’m in the market to buy any 300 gr 375 bullets anyone has. But it seems that so is everyone else.

Sent you a pm

 

[BJH65]

That’s where I’m about to go. On the verge of ordering some north fork. They get great reports. But every PH I hear from says the A frame is the gold standard so I hate to even try anything else.

If I had a supply of 200 A Frame 500 grain,.458 bullets I probably wouldn’t but I’ve really no choice. I think the North Fork Semi Spitzer is every bit as good, it just doesn’t have 30 plus years of history like the SAF and TBBC.

 

[Russ16]

If I had a supply of 200 A Frame 500 grain,.458 bullets I probably wouldn’t but I’ve really no choice. I think the North Fork Semi Spitzer is every bit as good, it just doesn’t have 30 plus years of history like the SAF and TBBC.

I’m just a bit of a hoarder. If I have 100 rounds of loaded ammo I feel like I have no ammo.

200 isn’t a lot when you consider I want a minimum of 40 for a safari and 10 to confirm velocity and zero before the trip and at least a couple practice session to out to 200 with the 375 for plains game.

So in my view 200 basically covers slightly more than two trips. And I hope to do more than that.

Also I already burned 50 on load development.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

Whenever we discuss proper bullets for Dangerous Game, the Swift A-Frame is always at or near the top of the list. I’m planning my next Buffalo hunt and will use my 416 Rigby. I have a mostly full box of 400 grain A-Frames on hand, but I’m afraid to use them for load development since I can’t find more ANYWHERE! Not even on Swift’s website. What’s the deal with Swift? Are they experiencing supply chain issues? Barnes seems to be cranking out TSXs in every caliber and weight imaginable.

If you cannot locate any by mid-week, I can go digging. I know I have some that I got back earlier in the year. New, unopened boxes, just cannot recall how many boxes, somewhere between 2-4. Would prefer to trade for a-frames for the 470 or 505, but would be willing to sell them to someone in need for load work/hunt. I had planned to do the same for my Rigby but after the Barnes factory ammo shot so well in the gun, I had my local shop get me two cases, so no load development for that rifle for a while and no immediate need for them.

Shoot me a PM if you haven't found any by Tuesday and I will confirm how many boxes and look back at what they cost me, which is what I would want for them.

Cheers,
Will

 

[Philip Glass]

I suspect we still have many hoarders. How many boxes of big bore ammo/bullets does a guy really need? Even with my .450/400 I am not panic buying but keeping enough for the foreseeable future.

 

[375er]

Doug I agree with above comments. Get some North Fork semi Spitzers and you will not be disappointed.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

@Doug3006, there aren't any 400gr versions of the SS here, but 4 boxes of the 430gr are. Would be great buff medicine out of a 416 Rigby.

North Fork Bullets .416cal 430gr Semi-Spitzer 50ct

reloadinginternational.com

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Just a thought….move! There are plenty of midsized town in the South and Midwest that welcome them.

Going to play devils advocate, but why don’t you move to him and start working there?

You’re asking him to bear the financial burden of relocation when things are near their highest in terms of cost. What if he doesn’t want to move, to take away one of the only businesses in the area, and abandon long tenured employees? To turn off production of a bullet he might sell a million plus of like a 30 cal, in favor of loading a 416 bullet that has such a niche market he might only sell 10-20k units when 50 people on AH each buy 200-400 to hoard and sit on for the next 2-10 years when they won’t need to buy more next year.

He’s selling everything he can make, with demand for more. That’s the best place for a consumer product to be. The issue is when demand vastly out paces production, and the competition benefits because they’re tired of waiting. It sounds like certain niche products are at that point but not the entire product catalog, Controlled sustainable growth is good rather than huge spikes and drops

 

[Doug3006]

Going to play devils advocate, but why don’t you move to him and start working there?

You’re asking him to bear the financial burden of relocation when things are near their highest in terms of cost. What if he doesn’t want to move, to take away one of the only businesses in the area, and abandon long tenured employees? To turn off production of a bullet he might sell a million plus of like a 30 cal, in favor of loading a 416 bullet that has such a niche market he might only sell 10-20k units when 50 people on AH each buy 200-400 to hoard and sit on for the next 2-10 years when they won’t need to buy more next year.

He’s selling everything he can make, with demand for more. That’s the best place for a consumer product to be. The issue is when demand vastly out paces production, and the competition benefits because they’re tired of waiting. It sounds like certain niche products are at that point but not the entire product catalog, Controlled sustainable growth is good rather than huge spikes and drops

Simple answer really. I’m the customer. I get to choose where I live, what I do for a living, and more relevant to this discussion, what I buy. Swift has a business problem. It’s not limited to just this one customer. They are not meeting market demand for their products. Not only is this lost opportunity, but it also forces buyers to seek alternatives. Once they find suitable alternatives, they are lost possibly for good.

The owner has the right to stay right where he is and continue to disappoint his customers. I have the right to buy other bullets.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I’d venture to say like many higher quality products, the disappointment in consumer is the inability to access when desired. Often seems when smaller businesses making a quality product try to grow to meet demand, the required change causes issues with quality. Whether it be the increased labor brought in to step up production not having the quality of the main force or the new tooling, modern equipment, so glitch somewhere causes things to falter. Certainly not always, but if folks really look, you can think back and see many places where a great company with great service and a great product grew too fast or was bought out by larger company wanting to capitalize on that market potential, which wanes when quality falters. For a mom and pop or family business, that hiccup can prove fatal.

No idea how big or flush Swift is a company. They make good bullets and hope they continue. If they are happy with what they make and put focus on quality versus quantity, making things the way they want because it’s how they like to do it, I personally have to respect that. There are a lot of other quality bullet manufacturers out there for sure, and people are fickle. Sticking with what has worked and keeps things going and your folks employed and working to the capacity desired isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and one of the great things about owning your own business…you can decide when enough is enough and when big is too big.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I suspect we still have many hoarders. How many boxes of big bore ammo/bullets does a guy really need? Even with my .450/400 I am not panic buying but keeping enough for the foreseeable future.

We always will…and while I try not to be, there is a fine line between having what you need when you need it and hoarding. lol. My problem is I like to have what I need on hand when I need it, but my interests really cycle through different shooting sports and just fun shooting (our club has standing steel targets every 100 yards to 1000, and keeping a daughter in bullets, that there is such a variety. Then a new interest, chambering comes along, etc…rinse and repeat. Then buying up a couple lots from two different guns stores locally that closed in the last 15 years, just to get some of the powders I wanted, I have enough primers for 7 lifetimes at minimum.

With Swift and few others, it’s good to just sign up for the notifications when they get stock. Don’t try to hoard but get what you need so you have it, not a bad idea. BUT, like me, you end up later finding you don’t need it, or at least not right now and it sits.

 

[Green Chile]

Ultimately, the solution maybe simpler….just keep using TSXs and forget about Swift altogether.

This is what I concluded a few years ago. I just didn't like the writing on the wall, as they say. I don't mind supply chain issues lasting a quarter or two but multiple years is another problem all together. I don't care how good they are...if you can't get them! TSX are always available online in all weights and calibers.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I’ll poke around a bit. Another member PM’d me suggesting I call Swift and ask about the bullets I need. He has done this in the past, and they found some in their warehouse. GB is another option but I hate paying by the troy ounce!

Ultimately, the solution maybe simpler….just keep using TSXs and forget about Swift altogether.

There are two listing in GB and neither look to price gouge, unlike my sore spot ad which was 505 Gibbs Jamison brass in lots of 5-pieces for over $10 apiece. I feel your pain after recently jumping into the 505 Gibbs pool at the exact wrong time for components. Raven Rocks was flush with quality Norma brass, even on clearance, and presently it’s a desert.

To that end, because another kind forum member hooked me up with a bag of Norma brass, no up charge at all, I’m happy to do the same if you find you need it. One of the lots on GB is less than you’d pay elsewhere though, fyi.

I confirmed I have 3-sealed boxes directly from Swift back in April. Yours if you want them, what I paid + usps priority shipping.

PM me if you need them and I can text you a phone photo this evening and go from there.

 

[Tex .416]

There are two listing in GB and neither look to price gouge, unlike my sore spot ad which was 505 Gibbs Jamison brass in lots of 5-pieces for over $10 apiece. I feel your pain after recently jumping into the 505 Gibbs pool at the exact wrong time for components. Raven Rocks was flush with quality Norma brass, even on clearance, and presently it’s a desert.

To that end, because another kind forum member hooked me up with a bag of Norma brass, no up charge at all, I’m happy to do the same if you find you need it. One of the lots on GB is less than you’d pay elsewhere though, fyi.

I confirmed I have 3-sealed boxes directly from Swift back in April. Yours if you want them, what I paid + usps priority shipping.

PM me if you need them and I can text you a phone photo this evening and go from there.

Well done.

The quality of men, and the few women, are what make this forum so enjoyable.