A tribute to William Mike Willard of Swamp Fox Ammunition
A tribute to William Mike Willard of Swamp Fox Ammunition
By Wade Landeche
SWAMPFOX PREMIUM
MAXIMUM VELOCITY AMMUNITION
The 10mm ammunition, which was revered by many, was produced by owner William Mike Willard in his small own shop of Florence South Carolina. To many of us that frequented the GlockTalk forum, he was known as ?Mudrush?. He was also a 10mm enthusiast who had a great love for the cartridge and it ballistic potential pushing it to its limits from semi auto pistols.
Mudrush, was a kind gentile person and loved to openly discuss all things 10mm and the guns that fired them. I had several conversations with him over the years as we bounced ideas back and forth and discussed many aspects of the 10mm ballistics to include trouble shooting things that were seen happening in various guns. He even shared some of his load data knowing that it would help as others posted their results from testing they did. There were a couple of guys that had serious issues, which included case blow outs, that resulted in firearm damage and he took it to heart, only to have their firearms fixed and make the customer happy. His said a lot for his character and the type of man he was. At a time when 10mm ammunition was becoming watered down, he produced a product people desired, so his business thrived and products were appreciated by those who used them.
We lost a good friend in the 10mm world when William Michael Willard, age 50, of Florence, SC, died Saturday, November 5, 2011 at his residence.
The 10mm ammunition he produced had some impressive velocities as used from the various semi auto pistols. Here is a list of some of the popular ammo he was selling. These were the results of pull-downs which were documented in the effort to preserve his work.
175gr Winchester Silvertip JHP 1360 fps LongShot 10.2 grains
180gr Speer Gold Dot BJHP 1340 fps LongShot 10.6 grains
180gr Remington GS BJHP 1325 fps LongShot 10.0 & 10.2 grains
200gr?Hornady XTP? 1200 fps? LongShot 8.8 & 9.0 grains
200gr?Hornady XTP? 1240 fps LongShot 9.4 & 9.6 grains
200gr?Hornady XTP? 1325 fps LongShot 9.7 & 9.9 grains
Some of this ammo did come with some warnings such as the 200gr @ 1325 fps (XTP & FMJ) FULLY SUPPORTED AFTERMARKET BARREL. The lower listing of the 200gr @ 1200 fps XTP was more than likely setup as a Delta Elite loading where the lack of chamber support caused sever bulges in the brass. Not to be left out was the ?Glock Smiles? where the brass is being stretch across the fed ramp to the point of shearing on a molecular level.
There were other bullet weights and styles which I have not had the opportunity to do pull-downs for documentations of the actual load recipes? so that they can be duplicated and further appreciated. Some of the offerings missing are the 135 grain, 150 grain, 155 grain and 165 grain bullet weights. While most of this ammo was probably used up, the search continues to try and find any of the original loads in these weights to preserve what was used to develop the ballistic potential achieved.
Here is an example of the Pull-Down documentation;
Cartridge is from Ammo Manufacture: Swamp Fox 200gr Hornady XTP? Provided by Shadow
Ballistics Information: 10mm Auto
Muzzle Velocity: 1240 fps
Muzzle Energy: 682 ft. lbs
Brass Make/Headstamp: Star Line – Brass
Bullet Make/Weight/Construction/Info; Length 0.6800″ / Dia. 0.4000″: 200gr. Hornady XTP
HP depth 0.1300″ / inside Dia. 0.1315″ / mouth Dia. 0.1960″
Actual weight 199.6 grains? ?Crimp dia. 0.3995″
C.O.A.L.: 1.2520″ / 1.2525?
Primer: Large Pistol Nickel color
Case: Diameter 0.4215″ Crimp Diameter 0.4215″ (medium) Length 0.9880″
Powder Description/Positive ID/Type/Charge LongShot? Weight: 9.4 / 9.6 grains
More of these documentations can be found at the 10mm Firearms Forum http://10mm-firearms.com/index.php This forum is free and has no advertisements and is straight forward, I am one of the moderators going by my screen name The_Shadow.
Please if anyone reading has some original Swamp Fox Ammo please consider sending 1 or 2 rounds for the pull-down study and documentation.? Maybe someone will spare a round or two if they have any of the ammo left in their inventory please consider sending one or two to be documented. Should you want them returned, I can put them back together exactly and arrangements can be made to send them back to the sender.
In closing I have been an active handloader since 1979 and my love of the 10mm cartridge and guns began early 80?s when it was developed. My personal experience started March 1st 1990 when I took delivery of my first 10mm firearm, the Smith & Wesson 1006 with adjustable sights and began handloading for it from day one, developing my own loads, where none existed for some powders. My love for the 10mm continues and the addiction for the firearms chambered for it is very real.