Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr – Proven Deep Penetration Ammo

Description

Most 357 Magnum ammunition is built for defense, which means light fast bullets that open quickly and stop inside a target. The Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr is built for the opposite job. At 180 grains it is heavy for the cartridge, and the bonded dual core A-Frame construction is designed to hold together and keep going through bone.

• A hunting bullet in a defensive cartridge
• Full specifications
• Handgun hunting and woods carry
• Honest notes before you buy
• Barrel length, twist and point of impact
• The bottom line

A hunting bullet in a defensive cartridge

The 357 Magnum has been a legitimate handgun hunting round since the 1930s, but it needs the right bullet. A 125 grain hollow point at 1450 fps is devastating on soft tissue and stops short on a deer shoulder. The Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr flips that. Heavier, slower, and constructed to reach vitals rather than dump energy on the surface.

Swift builds the A-Frame with two lead cores separated by a solid copper wall. The front expands and bonds to the jacket, the rear cannot expand at all. The result is weight retention above ninety five percent and expansion held to roughly twice caliber, which is why the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr penetrates the way it does.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 357 Magnum
• Bullet weight: 180 grain
• Bullet: A-Frame bonded dual core hollow point
• Muzzle velocity: 1363 fps
• Muzzle energy: 742 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): not published by Swift for this load
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: SB10003

At 1363 feet per second and 742 foot pounds, the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr is not fast by rifle standards and it does not need to be. Sectional density and construction do the work here. A 180 grain 357 bullet that retains its weight will out penetrate a 125 grain bullet travelling far faster, every time.

Handgun hunting and woods carry

Whitetails inside seventy five yards from a revolver with a good sight picture is exactly what this load is for. So is hog hunting, where a shoulder shield defeats lighter bullets regularly. The Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr is also a sensible choice for a woods gun in black bear country, where penetration matters far more than expansion.

Lever action carbines chambered in 357 are another good home for it. A sixteen inch barrel will add meaningful velocity over a revolver, and the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr loaded in a lever gun becomes a genuinely capable short range deer rifle with very mild recoil. Check your own velocity rather than assuming the published figure.

Honest notes before you buy

This is expensive handgun ammunition, and the A-Frame bullet is the reason. It is a labor intensive design and it is made in small quantities. Practice with cheap 158 grain ball to build your trigger control, then confirm zero with a few rounds of the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr before the season.

This is not a defensive load and should not be treated as one. A bullet engineered to penetrate deeply and hold its shape is a bullet with a real risk of passing through, which is the last thing you want in a home or a public place. Keep the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr for hunting and load something designed for the purpose if defense is the job.

Barrel length, twist and point of impact

A 180 grain bullet is long for the 357 Magnum and some older revolvers with slow twist rates may not stabilize it as well as a 158. Most modern guns are fine. Shoot a group with the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr at twenty five yards before you trust it, and look for round holes rather than elongated ones in the paper.

Point of impact will also shift. Heavy slow bullets print higher from a revolver than light fast ones because the barrel has more time to rise before the bullet leaves. The difference between the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr and a 125 grain defensive load can be several inches at fifty yards, so sight in with what you intend to hunt with.

The bottom line

For handgun hunting, hog country and a woods carry revolver, the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr is one of the few factory 357 loads genuinely built for the work. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Swift A-Frame 357 Mag 180gr is a sensible place to start.