Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr – Proven Elk Hunting Ammo

Description

When the animal is big and the cover is thick, bullet construction matters more than ballistic coefficient. The Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr is Swift’s answer for that situation in the most popular belted magnum in America. Two lead cores, a solid copper partition between them, and 160 grains at 2899 feet per second, built to reach vitals from an angle that would stop a lesser bullet.

• Why the A-Frame is different
• Full specifications
• Elk, moose and anything heavy
• Honest notes before you buy
• A-Frame or Scirocco II in a 7mm magnum
• The bottom line

Why the A-Frame is different

A conventional bullet controls expansion with jacket thickness and hopes for the best. The A-Frame in the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr does it mechanically. The bonded front core mushrooms and stays attached to the jacket, then a solid wall of copper stops the process dead, leaving an unexpanded rear core that behaves like a solid and keeps driving.

Weight retention runs above ninety five percent and expansion holds to about 2.2 times caliber. That is less frontal area than a tipped bullet and a great deal more remaining mass. On a bull elk quartering away through the offside shoulder, that is precisely the trade you want, and it is what the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr was designed to deliver.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 7mm Remington Magnum
• Bullet weight: 160 grain
• Bullet: A-Frame bonded dual core soft point
• Muzzle velocity: 2899 fps
• Muzzle energy: 2986 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): 0.450
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: SB10039

The 0.450 ballistic coefficient is respectable but below what the tipped Scirocco II achieves in the same cartridge, and that is the deliberate tradeoff. A partitioned round nose does not slip through air like a polymer tip. Inside 300 yards the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr gives up very little, and past 400 the lighter tipped load is the better tool.

Elk, moose and anything heavy

This is the load for the hunt where you might need to shoot through something. Elk in dark timber, moose in the willows, big black bear, and any shot where the angle is less than ideal. The Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr penetrates deeply and predictably, which is what separates a clean kill from a long night of tracking.

At 160 grains the sectional density is excellent for a 7mm, and combined with the A-Frame construction the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr punches well above what the numbers alone suggest. Hunters who have used A-Frames on heavy game tend to keep using them, which is about the best endorsement a bullet can get.

Honest notes before you buy

The price reflects a labor intensive bullet. Two bonded cores and a machined internal partition cost more to make than a cup and core soft point, and the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr is priced accordingly. Practice with something cheap, confirm zero with a few rounds of this, and hunt with the rest.

Do not expect match accuracy. A good rifle will typically group the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr around an inch and a half at a hundred yards, which is entirely sufficient for its purpose and not what you would choose for a target match. Buying an A-Frame to shoot small groups is buying the wrong bullet.

A-Frame or Scirocco II in a 7mm magnum

Swift sells both in this cartridge and the choice comes down to your country. If your shots are long and across open ground, the tipped Scirocco II holds velocity better and shoots flatter. If your shots are close, angled, or on animals with real bone, the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr is the one to carry. Neither is wrong, but a mismatch will cost you.

Some hunters split the difference by carrying the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr in the magazine and a tipped load in a pocket, switching if the country changes. That works, provided you have shot both and know where each one prints. Assuming they land together is a good way to miss.

The bottom line

For heavy game, thick cover and shots that have to go through bone, the Swift A-Frame 7mm Rem Mag 160gr is one of the most dependable 7mm magnum loads made. 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 7mm Rem Mag 160gr 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 7mm Rem Mag 160gr is a sensible place to start.