Ever heard of Herter's ammunition? A friend of mine just bought 3 old boxes of 300WM. Made in 1965. Think it's safe to shoot?


The labeling is funny-

-the most perfect mushrooming bullets ever made.
-magnum international match grade velocity ultra accurate.
-ultra magnum velocity.
-International grade ammunition less than 1/20 grain powder varition.
-virgin brass cases.
and the best - 180 grain soft point banana peel bullets
-brass and bullets made in Finland. Sako maybe??

G.L.Herter's hyperbole not withstanding, their ammo and cartridge cases were very good. There is lots of speculation about who made the stuff for them; it's safe to say that it's mostly Scandanavian in origin. I grab the stuff whenever I stumble onto it. If I had 3 boxes of Herter's ammo made in '65, I would shoot it- but that's me and I certainly wouldn't presume it's safe to fire from an Internet chat!

The banana peel bullet reference concerns the way the jacket peels back on impact. Pretty much what one would expect from any expanding bullet.

George Leonard Herter was certainly not one to mince words when coming up with descriptions for his wares. It was part of the Herter's allure- the fun of reading the ad copy in the catalogs.

A few years ago I picked up an old box of Herter's .257 117gn bullets at a gun show. I haven't fired them yet. I'm not sure whether I should or keep them as an interest item. They only cost me $5. I might put them through the .257 Roberts one day.

Thank you very much.

For you kids: Herter's catalogs were the height of hyperbole. Many of their products were named "Herters Model Perfect ...." Everything they carried was the world's finest and they devoted many column inches of copy telling customers what was wrong with the ordinary, run of the mill competition. That said, I was always pleased with anything I got from them. In the pre-internet days of the '60's they were the single biggest source of a lot of stuff for those of us who were kids in remote areas. Mail order truly was mail order, and if your stuff arrived in less than four weeks after you ordered it, it was nothing short of a miracle. My brother gave me a 1964 Herters' catalog for Christmas a few years ago, he bought it off E-bay. It really takes me back. You young guys would sure enjoy looking through it.

Lived 50 miles from Herter's in Mitchell SD as a kid growing up. Was like a dream come true to a kid! Paradise I tell you! Their old catalogs were the best. In their heyday they were easily an inch thick. They certainly expounded on their products but I shot alot of those old banana peel bullets out of my 30-06 at sod rats! Their powder was about half the price of Dupont! Shoot em say I! I think Norma was the manufacturer of their brass. Could be mistaken though. Others more knowledgable here would know for sure.

I have some 6.5x55 Herters, same box... I understand it is Norma.

g

I sure remember the Herter"s catalogs, they were great. I purchased a ton of stuff from Herter's based largely on the hyperbole in the catalog - everything was the "world's greatest", but then what did a '50's teenager know.

Whatever happened to the company then?

Thank you very much.

They did a lot of business selling guns through the mail. The Gun Control Act of 1968 put them out of business.

Death by Democrat.

At one time they even introduced their own cartridges. The .401 Herter's Powermag, a revolver cartridge, comes to mind. You could get it in a Single Action Colt clone they sold. If I recall correctly, Herter's son killed a jaguar in Arizona with it.

Didn't they also develop a rifle cartridge with 2 shoulders? My dad always had an ongoing Herters' order, as cra mentioned they were damn slow to ship. Was entertaining to read the catalog, all their stuff was the worlds' best BAR NONE! Still have the U9 rifle I bought in 78, a BSA w/ their name stamped on it. Was a treat to go thru the store in Mitchell SD

Herter's catalogs were just great! A lot of fun to read and their products usually were good. Their ammo and bullets were very good and, as posted above, I believe they were made by Norma, which wasn't very well known in the U.S. over 40 years ago.
I would probably shoot the ammo.

I went to the Waseca store many times. I have a several Herters presses, a couple of U9s (shot a deer with a very,very accurate 300 WM U9 this year. The advertising was a little over the top, but most of the stuff was good to outstanding. The prices were always decent. We all lost something when Herters went under.

Herters' catalogs made for some good reading for a kid back in the day. I don't remember that I ever got much stuff from them , but I could sit & read that catalog and it was as good as any book.

Mike

Not sure exactly whether Herters became Cabelas or Cabelas bought out Herters , but Cabelas sells Herters branded products to this day.

http://www.herters.com/

Mike

Cabelas bought the rights to use the Herters name some years after Herters closed up shop.

Hudson Bay, Guide Tested Approved. I have one of their old catalogs somewhere and love to look through it. I visited the Waseca store once and got a bottle of Herter's 5 Alarm hot sauce. It was "not for women or the faint of heart" according to tle label. It was quite good in a pot of snapping turtle stew we made. His Bull Cook Book and Historical Recipes was a hoot. It had a recipe for Spinach Mother of Christ that was, according to Mr. Herter, the meal Mary ate just before Christ was born. They had their own line of bullets that had a wasp waist. I used their duck decoys and still have a whole bunch from the 1960's that are still going strong. Overton's bought the name several years ago and offered their decoys and some of their clothes. They sold the name to Gander Mountain, Cabela's, or one of the other biggies that still offers products with the Herter's name on it.

I have a full can of Herter's 102 powder that is labeled "Made in Scotland" and which I have researched to learn that it is Scot Brigadier 3032 powder re-packaged for Herter's. Scot Brigadier powders are long gone, but I still have most of a can of 3032 on my shelf (along with cans of their 4197, 4065 and 4351!) They're all very good powders.

How about Gopher's shooters supply, anyone remember them?

Dober

Picked up a few assorted Savage cartridges and a box of Herter's 250 Savage unprimed brass a gunshow this weekend. Nice box, happily paid $5 for it..

What did in Herter's was not the 68 gun control act, he got himself in a pissing contest with the U.S. Wild Life Service and the sale of Jungle Cock and Polar Bear fur. That put him out in 1974 or 75 or so. I have to admit, his books was a hoot to read. Self published. George Herter was a piece of work to be sure. At least that is how it was explained to me, I knew a fellow that worked for him. Who knows for sure. I still have some Trade jars I bought from him, for sugar and flower etc, Hudson bay trade goods. It was an interesting time to be sure.

In my teen years, I bought quite a few things from Herter's: complete reloading equipment (press, scale, powder measure, etc.), two U9 barrelled actions (one in 7x57 for me and one in 7 RemMag for my father), a 3x scope, a pair of downhill skis, and a bunch of smaller items. Everything was good quality. The only purchase that I regretted were the skis; they were designed for competition skiing and were incredibly stiff - not the type of ski for a beginner to have. Also, I bought them too long for my size and skill, which made them even harder to control.

Loved the catalogue and would spend hours pouring over it.

I remember the Herter days well even back to the 60's. Alzheimers hasn't kicked in yet.
I think their 2 shouldered cases were called "Ram Magnums" If a single "venturi" shoulder worked for Weatherby, hell, 2 of them were even better. I tried a few of their "Wasp Waisted" bullets, but in my guns the accuracy was not very good.
Somewhere on my book shelf I still have a reloading book by the Herters.
I bought several things from Herters including a few rifle and shotgun stocks. I think their idea of 95% inletted was way off, but the wood was always better than I expected.
I think their claim to the best in the world for all their products were really about, FOR THE MONEY you pay, you can't find something better. That part could be true. I have a die or 2 laying around, they worked fine, but other brands exhibit a lot better finish detail, course, they don't really work any better than the Herters.
I sure do miss the "days" when you could get stuff mail ordered and reading the Herter Catalog always made me smile.

Yes, they sold the 270 Herters cartridge and presumably a rifle for it.

In this forum on 05/21/08, Bandukwallah pointed out that there was a photo of it on the cover of the 2nd edition of Cartridges of the World. I scanned it and posted it then, but that link is kaputt. Here's the imagae again:


--Bob

Remember the book George wrote, "How to Live With a Bitch"? Have seen a couple of copies on Ebay, they always go for more than I'm willing to pay.

I bought a rifle in 6mm Rem a year or two ago. It came with a bunch of Herter's brass and a box of loaded ammo. It looks like good quality brass so I will use it when I need it.

Anybody remember their all plastic "reload a thousand times" shot shells? I have some of them too. They had a plastic disc that snapped in the front. No crimp. They didn't work in a magazine though. The brassless rim wouldn't stop on the fingers and it would jam up the gun. Worked Ok in O/U or SxS, but didn't seem to shoot very well.

Jerry