The reason they dropped the DeepShock is the bullets were originally planned as a relatively inexpensive bullet with premium performance. They got the performance right, but as it turned out the bullets couldn't be mass-produced inexpensively.
Have told this story before, but a few months before DeepCurls were announced, a bunch of gun writers were invited on a tour of the Speer and CCI factories in Idaho. When we got there, more than one person took us aside and asked us to please plead with the Speer PR guy, who'd come up with the name DeepCurl and was determined to use it even though hardly anybody else liked it.
The DeepCurls were essentially Federal Fusions for handloaders, which had been a big hit in factory ammo and were getting good name recognition. It made some sense to just announce Fusions as component bullets, but Speer (understandably) wanted them to be known as Spoeer bullets, not Federal bullets. Obviously it didn't work, partly because the DeepCurls that appeared ended up being somewhat more expensive than the Hot-Cors they replaced.
Plus, many handloaders, especially those that like saving money, prefer using the same old components, even if they've actually changed over the years (as many "same old products" have been, without any publicity). Aside from price, DeepCurls often didn't come in the same weights as the Hot-Cors, and the pressure characteristics were different. Loyal Hot-Cor fans (apparently there are many) either had to use time, powder and primers working up new loads, or switch to other brands of bullets of the same weight/diameter that cost less. Many apparently did.
Another factor may have been that many handloaders heard the word "bonded" and, combined with the name, assumed DeepCurls would penetrate deeply. But they weren't super-deep penetrating--like some other wide-expanding bonded bullets.
MD: thanks for the info. So am I to understand that there is not a concern with pressure spikes with the DCs?
