Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Lets talk about Herter's Inc of Waseca, MN

You're correct.

In the early '60s I bought a Herters "O" model reloading press and reloaded several rifle and handgun rounds. That thing was a monster but it worked very very well. But you had to use Herters Shell holders. I later went to Dillion reloading equipment so gave the Herters press and related reloading equipment to my brother who still uses it. About 25 years ago I saw an ad in one of the gun magazines for that shell holder adapter for Herters presses and bought one to give to my brother. He said it worked fine for RCBS and Lyman dies, which he used.

Of course that "O" press was "Perfect!"

I can not remember just where I ordered that adaptor, but they might still be around. (??)

L.W.

I was in Waseca summer of '79 for a week or so and passed by the Herter's warehouse every day, it was closed a couple years by then.

About 30 years back I gave a co-worker $20 for a gym bag full of "reloadin' stuff" he had in his garage. There was a set of Herter's 44 mag dies along with a couple actual desirable items. I sized a few cases with them and could pretty easily see that concentricity wasn't their thing. They're still around here, somewhere.

When I started trap shooting, I would go to Herter's and buy their broken bags of shot.....they contained lead shot from #2 to #8 shot but for $5.00 a bag of 25 pounds the stuff broke clays as well as the more expensive stuff....the year was around 1965 or so.

Funny. Reminded me that I just last year or so gave my last box of 'Wasp waist ' bullets to a friend. I think that they were compared, in at least one catalog, to the F104 fighter.

Herters solid foam, burlap wrapped decoys were the best decoys going. Cabelas sold them for awhile after they bought the name, but sadly discontinued them.

I ordered my first revolver from them a “model perfect” 357 magnum.
I ordered it through the mail and received it directly from them through the mail.
As I recall I just sent them a check and maybe a statement that I was old enough - that part I’m not sure if.
I ordered a “C” grade stock from them for a 98 Mauser. Beautiful wood.

I got one. I reload on a Herters press and the thing weighs a ton. When I bought it, I got the shell holders with it. I had to buy the adapter when I started reloading .223 and .204

As a poor country kid in the 60's and 70's, I use to love to look at and read the old Herter's catalog. I could not afford much of anything out of it at the time but it was like having a Sears Christmas catalog that lasted all year long.
I did buy some archery stuff, I think it was arrows best as I remember, because reading the description, I figured "how could I possibly miss anything with these". I do still have a crow call and the box it came in down in my "man cave".
Oh, for the great old days.

Shop rag or should it be framed ?

Amazing how far away from that freedom we have gone.

"I can not remember just where I ordered that adaptor, but they might still be around. (??)"

I bought one about fifteen years ago for an old Herters C press but I don't remember where I found it. The press had the shell holder for 45 acp / 30-06 on it when I got it. Despite being MASSIVE there was some slop in the ram, and I never did get the hang of getting dies set up right with the cam over action. A buddy who did all his reloading on a Dillion thought he could use it so I gave it to him.

I still have a set of Herters 222 dies. I don't use the sizing die, but the sliding sleeve seating die is great! I use it for all kinds of 22 calibers.

A lot of good memories about Herter's. My first press was a large heavy Herter press. That was a long time ago.

I grew up about a hundred miles east of Waseca, but I think I only got to their store once that I can remember. It was a bit of a let down after many hours going through the big catalog. Some of their stuff was junk, but they also had some quality items; all of it "worlds finest". A few years ago I shot trap with a friend who inherited an O/U that obviously was a FN Superposed, but was marked Herters. I have some 6mm Rem brass marked Herters that I think was made by Norma a long time ago.

When I got my first shotgun, an 870 Wingmaster, I was given or found some of their all plastic hulls that could be reloaded "hundreds" of times. They had a plastic disc that snapped into the end instead of a crimp. I ordered a Lee Load All, some of their discs and wads and figured I was set. Unfortunately the plastic rim on the shell was not strong enough to stop the shell in the magazine when you racked the action and it was an instant jam. Many years later I came across the box I had reloaded and thought "these will work great in my O/U for shooting Annie Oakleys on trap night". I tried one at the patterning board and gave up immediately. With a full choke the pattern looked worse than a normal IC. Probably still have the box of discs and wads somewhere.


Jerry

A hunting pard and stock maker had a contact at Herters.

We were first on the scene when Herters received a shipment of stock blanks......pickup loads of blanks , all the good ones went home with us.

Jacque Herter had a pet squirrel.

I wonder if anyone remembers their Herter's "Banana Peel" bullets?

I bought my first set of rifle reloading dies back in 1972--they were Herter's. They have worked great for assembling hunting loads--still have them.

But this thread reminds me of a story....

Back about 50 years ago, my old bud Bob S. went out shooting with old man George D., the owner of the Powderhorn. They went to the gravel pit just east of Belgrade. Bob shot a tight group with his 22-250, which made old George D. fairly envious. Then, Bob proceeded to shoot the numbers out of the target, which shocked old George. To ice the cake, he then shot the two tacks--the one in the upper left, and then the one in the upper right. The target fell to the ground. Old George was aghast. On the way home, he said to Bob, "now what was your load for that rifle?" Bob told him, but when he went on to say that the loads were assembled with a set of Herter's dies that he picked up from the Beaver Pond for $5.00, Old George couldn't take any more of it....

You just jogged my memory. I think PaPaw had some of those for his 244. Definitely remember the Banana Peel moniker.

I got all my archery and fly fishing stuff from Herter's back in the 60's and enjoyed looking thru those catalogs. Sometime in the 70's I ordered a pair of Engineer type boots with a buckle and strap that were high and "snake proof" which seemed important. They were brown leather and I wore them for years. Then about 98' I inherited a Herter's J9 or U9 rifle (BSA) in .338 magnum from a great uncle. I still have it, and another uncle killed an elk with it in 2019. Now it wears a high-comb Weatherby style glossy stock in figured walnut. Believe it was made in 1957. She sports Conetrol bases and rings, which are also the World's Best and a fitting tribute.

George Herter frowned on cowboy boots, calling them Spanish Dancing Boots, and claimed they were unfit for outdoor use.

I've been to that old Herter's store in Beaver Dam. Lots of stuff to look at. I was mainly looking for trapping supplies, they had plenty of trapping gear.

I have a down vest I got when I was in college. I also have some 222 mag cases with Herters stamp. The brass is very good. I miss the catalogs as well.