Swift A-Frame & Trophy Bonded Bearclaw Performance

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Just back from a month in Africa. I thought I’d share some recovered bullets.

Right: 7 mm, 175 gr Swift A-Frame recovered from a Nyala. 2300 fps muzzle velocity (7x57), 180 yd shot, 1 shot kill, recovered weight 168 gr (96%)

Center: 9.3 mm, 286 gr swift A-Frame recovered from a Cape buffalo. 2450 fps muzzle velocity (9.3x62), 50 yd shot, 1 shot kill, recovered weight 275 gr (96%)

Left: .45, 500 gr trophy bonded bear claw recovered from a Cape buffalo. 2300 fps muzzle velocity (.458 Lott), 100 yd shot, 1 shot kill, recovered weight 470 gr (94%)

In my opinion this level of performance is as good as it gets. Not to mention that each of these loads shoot sub moa. You know that you can put the bullet where it needs to go and trust that it will do it’s job when it gets there.
I need some quality go to factory ammo for the 458 Lott I just bought and my usual favourite swift A-frames are not currently available in Australia in factory ammo but the TBBC is. Looks like they perform really well! I think the Federal Capeshok loaded with TBBC is going to be my pick. Thanks for the pics!
 
Be aware of when the Trophy Bonded bullets were manufactured as Federal made changes to both of Carters products and both failed which is recorded in Doctari’s and Van Der Walts books. The Sledgehammers jackets were fracturing.
Supposedly Federal was correcting the issue.
 
View attachment 302887

Just back from a month in Africa. I thought I’d share some recovered bullets.

Right: 7 mm, 175 gr Swift A-Frame recovered from a Nyala. 2300 fps muzzle velocity (7x57), 180 yd shot, 1 shot kill, recovered weight 168 gr (96%)

Center: 9.3 mm, 286 gr swift A-Frame recovered from a Cape buffalo. 2450 fps muzzle velocity (9.3x62), 50 yd shot, 1 shot kill, recovered weight 275 gr (96%)

Left: .45, 500 gr trophy bonded bear claw recovered from a Cape buffalo. 2300 fps muzzle velocity (.458 Lott), 100 yd shot, 1 shot kill, recovered weight 470 gr (94%)

In my opinion this level of performance is as good as it gets. Not to mention that each of these loads shoot sub moa. You know that you can put the bullet where it needs to go and trust that it will do it’s job when it gets there.

My Ruger #1 375 H&H loves the Federal factory rounds topped with either of these bullets and like you I have been pleased with the results!
 
Be aware of when the Trophy Bonded bullets were manufactured as Federal made changes to both of Carters products and both failed which is recorded in Doctari’s and Van Der Walts books. The Sledgehammers jackets were fracturing.
Supposedly Federal was correcting the issue.
Resurrecting a dead thread: I can find TBBC component bullets as pulled bullets. No age/mfr date stamp of any kind. No idea why they were pulled. Could be known mfr defect, could be a QC check defect (ding, discoloration). Should I try and get those or just wait for a-frames in 375 to get back to market?

TBF this would just be a camp rifle in bear country unless I finally get to Africa. At that point, I would have gotten a-frames.
 
There is quite a bit of 375 H&H Federal Premium ammo loaded with Swift AFrames currently available if you need loaded ammo.
 
300Gr Federal Premium Trophy Bonded Bear Claws (in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum) were my favored medicine for Cape buffalo from 1993 (when Federal began to load them) to 2019 (at which point, Federal constantly began to keep listing the as “Out Of Stock”).

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.458 400 GRAIN TBBC RECOVERED FROM A LION MY SON TOOK IN THE KALAHARI LAST WEEK.
 

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I have a good friend who just commented on another forum about the same topic of Bearclaws and A Frames. He said he’s shot 54 buffalo, all with A Frames and sees no reason to switch to anything. Another viewpoint.
 

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