Well, this has turned out to be a convoluted but interesting project. Just what handloaders love!
1) This is not the early Sierra bullet.
2) The "Trophy" brand was a specialty bullet at the time - pure copper jacket bonded to lead, created by Jack Carter of Houston - a big game hunter, tinkerer and businessman. He was hugely disappointed with the results of firing seven 300 gr .375 H&H Magnum bullets at a cape buffalo, "seemingly with little effect" per the article cited below, and decided to make a better bullet.
3) My research indicates that Federal had been using Barnes bullets, replaced them with Trophy bullets which they bought out. Now the Federal 110's (at least) are again Barnes. I guess because as of 2005 or earlier, Mr. Carter passed on to better rewards.
4) Speer, owned by Federal, at least at one time offered these bullets as their own. Speer manual 13 and 14 don't even offer a 110 .270 Win loading, although Federal offers a 110gr. loaded .270 Win bullet and Sierra still sells a 110 grainer; different than these 110's and 130's that I am purchasing.
Here is some of my research proof:
Rich Machholz, Ballistic Technician at Sierra Bullets, gave me a courteous and quick reply. He stated that he could not find evidence of the company ever manufacturing a bullet packaged as a "Trophy" designation. He said their boxes have been green, and the slip top boxes from the 40's and 50's were green.
He advised that they still make the .277" diameter 110 and 130 grain 270 bullets. I sent him a photo of these boxes, and if he can find any more info he will get back to me.
I finally found a record, in an old online article, of the company that manufactured these:
Trophy Bonded Bullets, Inc., 900 South Loop West, Suite 190
P.O. Box 262348, Houston, TX 77207
FAX: 713-741-6393 / Phone: 713-645-4499 (Disc) /
Toll Free: 800-480-3006 - now an online offer for a "Free Caribbean Cruise" blah blah
"Texan Jack Carter" was the owner of Trophy bullets, and here is one article about his history:
http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammun ... ts_021111/
Then, there is:
David E. Petzal's Complete Guide to Choosing the Best New Bullets for Your Rifle
By David E. Petzal July 31, 2005
"Trophy Bonded
"BEAR CLAW
"Jack Carter, the Houston big-game hunter and bullet tinkerer, is hunting in a better world now, but his Trophy Bonded bullets are alive and well and being manufactured by Federal and sold to handloaders through Speer Bullets. Federal has swapped Carter's pure-copper jackets for gilding metal, which is stronger, and made the bullet points more streamlined. The new Bear Claws are more accurate than the originals.
"I have a .270 that will shoot nothing but Bear Claw bullets accurately and have been using it regularly for nearly 20 years. When a Bear Claw hits, the bullet opens up like a propeller, and because it retains 90 percent or better of its weight, it goes zipping right through whatever you've shot.
"THE UPSHOT STRONG POINTS: Does a lot of damage, giving very quick kills. Also penetrates very well despite huge expansion. WEAK POINTS: On smaller species they do a little too much damage to suit me. Also, in some rifles, they simply will not shoot accurately, period. USE IT ON: Big, tough critters: elk, moose, bears, African game.
FACTORY LOADED BY: Federal"
Chuck Hawks' site also mentions Carter's bullets in an article - "Big Game Loads" or similar title.
So... the Speer and Federal lines are the same phone number. I talked to a gent at Federal; he stated that the Speer representative is tied up but he would call me back. I told them that I am looking for load info on the older bullets for a safe start at working up my loads.
If no further information is available, then it's time to measure them to match them with any other bullets in my QuickLoad tables, or alter the stats from a similar bullet (Sierra) to produce a rough prediction of capacity and pressure and start with a modest charge.
This has turned out to be quite a hunt.
- no comment...
I'd never seen those boxes, they just reminded me of the early Sierra I used to buy.