Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles What's up with Speer?

Speer announced a couple of years ago that they were discontinuing Hot-Core bullets and replacing them with Deep Curl. Only a few Deep Curl rifle bullets ever saw the market and then they were all quietly removed from the catalog. Now I get a email from Midway on a bullet I had backordered way before Sandy Hook.

Speer 6.5mm 140gr Hot-Core at Midway

It would seem that Hot-Core is back.

Great way to run a company.

They must have had some sort of falling out with Cabela's as I haven't seen any Speer bullets in the store in a long time.

They are a company without direction. The Deep Curls have been discontinued ((just like the Deep Shocks a few years back). and replaced by Hot Cores. What a Charlie Foxtrot!!
You gotta wonder about whomever is running the show. Really sad end to a fine old company. Wonder what Vernon would think.

What in THE HELL?!? Now DeepCurls are out? Yeah, it was Hot-Cor is out for a while, then they were back in stock, now it is the DeepCurls that are out. That is a big WTF. I use some Speer bullets, but in rifles it is the BTSP I like because they open so readily and still penetrate.

I've been reloading for about ten years and Speer has never even been on my radar. I guess they don't market their stuff as well as Hornady, Nosler and Sierra because I have a ton of bullets from them. I always wondered who shoots Speer in the same way I wonder who is buying Lyman reloading press'.

It is a bit confusing but I've been reloading since about '66 and I've used Speer bullets for different cartridges and found several rifles that shot certain Speer bullets very well (240 Wby with the 105 spitzer hot core and 30/30 with the 170 hot core) and was disappointed when I heard the Hot Cores were going away so I bought enough to last a while.

On the other hand I've got s couple of 7 Mags that shoot the 160 Deep Curl REALLY well so maybe i'd better buy up the ones at the local gun shop.

I was excited at some point to try the DeepCurls. They've just never been available. I still think they'd be a very good bullet for low velocity stuff, like out of my 30-30 contender. Oh well. Still planning to shoot either the 165 Speer BTSP or the 168 Amax out of the 30-30 for big game.

No love for them. They are a confused bunch!

I've always had some time for them because they were good bullets for the price. But now - here at least - their price has crept up and made them more expensive than competing products like the Interlock which I think is a better bullet, so I'm off them unless I see a good deal on them.

I suspect with all the looney bastards in the US buying ammo like mad, Speer can afford to just supply Federal factory ammo and have abandoned us handloaders to some extent.

Is speer owned by the same multi national corp that owns CCI, Federal Premium, RCBS Alliant Powders, Savage, Bushnell etc...?

Owned by ATK,yes.

ATK (aka Federal Premium/Speer) was going to make the Trophy Bonded Tip available as a component as well. Even made it to the catalog on the website. Something changed and it never happened, and they no longer list them as a component. I like the 200 Hot Cors, but when it was announced they were discontinuing Hot Cors I stopped buying them.

I always liked the older Grand Slams and still have a supply that I use in 4 different calibers. Have used the HotCor, BTSP, and the 80 grain soft point is still my favorite bullet in the 243 for coyote, groundhogs etc. Also have a Lyman Orange Crusher press to go along with the Redding Turret...

Admit to being a bit unhappy with the Speer offerings of late. Still plenty of products from other mfgr's to fill the gap though!

I wonder how much autonomy a company like speer has under a big parent corp like ATK.

In my circle 0f shooting friends we call Speer the "puzzle palace". I could care less what they are doing as I have enough .257 87 grain Hot-Cors to keep my Savage 99's shootin in my life time and probably my kids.

I like their ogive-forward BTSP design. They don't seem to jack with them and they are usually available.

Yeah, I had a great load for my Ruger .44 carbine with the 270g Gold Dot and now it's gone. I have a box of 270g Deep Curls that I haven't tried yet. I heard somewhere that all they did on these was change the name.

Same bullets...

Very little I suspect.

I have numerous boxes of various Speer bullets and am out the door in an hour on the last day of deer season w/my HVA 7x57 loaded w/145 Speer Grand Slams and max load of I-4350, I have used Speer's since the 60's and love em. Muddy