Is Big-Box Store Ammo Really Inferior?
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How bout Herters? Believe it’s a BPS brand, have heard mixed reviews. My cousin who shoots a lot uses it all the time for ducks and swears it’s no different. I’ve bought a lot recently because it’s actually available and well priced.
Recently i was shooting herters 243 100gr and had a case split and everything above the neck got stuck in my rifle. Took the unused rounds back to bass pro for full refund and was told herters was now being made by Winchester. They are under contract to provide a set quantity per month or face penalty. (According to Google)
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I bought Herter's @ Cabela's in the past with no issues. I don't know who makes them as the only label on the boxes I have say they are made in Italy. I only shoot clays and they seem to work fine.
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Wow, what was the outcome on your rifle? Is it okay, expensive trip to the gunsmith? That really sucks.
Rifle is fine now. Took it to a buddy of mine who is a gunsmith, took him 15min to get the piece out and check things over. My cost was coffee and a bottle of plum jam
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There is no way a maker is going to set up a completely different manufacturing run with all of the costs of changeover, etc. to make a cheaper version in the same packaging.
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My first reaction is that people who believe that, also believe that they can buy an edge. Everyone makes money off of them and laughs all the way to the bank.
On the other hand, quality does matter. So if you have a shell that is marketed with the takeaway message that it's made with better grade components, it may provide a shooter with confidence he or she may not otherwise have. Maybe even less FTF as well.
On the other hand, quality does matter. So if you have a shell that is marketed with the takeaway message that it's made with better grade components, it may provide a shooter with confidence he or she may not otherwise have. Maybe even less FTF as well.
Old thread, but was new to me, so here I am commenting.
From perspective of an old guy......two things. First, depending on the products, it is well documented that box stores sell some different quality branded products than some smaller retailers. For example, a Michelin tire sold at Walmart is not same tire sold at tire store. That from a local tire dealer. A Sony TV sold at Walmart not same as local retail outlet. A DeWalt power tool from Home Depot may look identical to tool at local tool store, but is not. A John Deere mower from HD not same as JD mower from JD dealer. Have had this explained to me numerous times. So is reasonable to ask the question. Having said that, if the product code is same, it likely is the same.
But from perspective of an old guy who took a break and is getting back up to speed, I'm seeing a lot of changes.....and not sure what to make of them. Even 50 years ago, there were differences in quality of shells. Cheap stuff and premium stuff. Big difference between a Win AA CF case and and cheap Winchester Dove and Quail load, which were the cheap poly formed hulls. One you sought out for reloading, the others you pitched. What I have recently discovered however, is for some lines, they were using steel head cases even then. I have Rem/Peters high brass Express........and was shocked to find they have brass plated steel heads. Always assumed they were brass. They are not.
So fast forward to modern era and one of the things I'm seeing these days is too much marketing and not enough product. Vista/Federal has recently moved to sell the Remington STS hulls branded as Federal HOA ammo. The initial marketing stuff I found said there would be 16 different iterations / combinations for the HOA product line. Really? There needs to be maybe 4 or 5 at most. Having 16 different versions would leave them way overextended.....in trying to please everyone, they can't please anyone. Proof? Try finding one to buy.
Then there are the bottom dwellers. Cheap, blammo shotgun shells. One and done. The Euro trash, plus the cheap stuff from Federal (who have always catered to the bottom feeders). Shells designed to use once and toss. From perspective of a vintage reloader, none of this a welcome development. What also gets to me is the price difference. As of today, Midway has little to no stock of STS, but if they did, identical loads of STS are priced $7 to $9 per box higher than Gun Clubs. Presumably, they would use the same primer, powder, shot and wad, so only difference is the hull. Hard to believe an STS hull costs $7 to $9 a box more to make. So it would seem they are using price to slowly wean shooters off the high priced spread......then stop reloading.......and rely solely on new factory ammo. Fine and dandy provided they have capacity to make that much ammo (to replace all reloads), and can reliably be counted on to make and ship it. I'm having grave concerns about this one.
One of the reasons I've resumed reloading.....both metalica and refreshing my stash for shotguns......is the realization of how many eggs are now found in the Vista basket. The wrong sort ever get control of that and ammo for shooting sports in US can go from scarce to non-existent. I don't intend to get caught short, and hope you don't either.
From perspective of an old guy......two things. First, depending on the products, it is well documented that box stores sell some different quality branded products than some smaller retailers. For example, a Michelin tire sold at Walmart is not same tire sold at tire store. That from a local tire dealer. A Sony TV sold at Walmart not same as local retail outlet. A DeWalt power tool from Home Depot may look identical to tool at local tool store, but is not. A John Deere mower from HD not same as JD mower from JD dealer. Have had this explained to me numerous times. So is reasonable to ask the question. Having said that, if the product code is same, it likely is the same.
But from perspective of an old guy who took a break and is getting back up to speed, I'm seeing a lot of changes.....and not sure what to make of them. Even 50 years ago, there were differences in quality of shells. Cheap stuff and premium stuff. Big difference between a Win AA CF case and and cheap Winchester Dove and Quail load, which were the cheap poly formed hulls. One you sought out for reloading, the others you pitched. What I have recently discovered however, is for some lines, they were using steel head cases even then. I have Rem/Peters high brass Express........and was shocked to find they have brass plated steel heads. Always assumed they were brass. They are not.
So fast forward to modern era and one of the things I'm seeing these days is too much marketing and not enough product. Vista/Federal has recently moved to sell the Remington STS hulls branded as Federal HOA ammo. The initial marketing stuff I found said there would be 16 different iterations / combinations for the HOA product line. Really? There needs to be maybe 4 or 5 at most. Having 16 different versions would leave them way overextended.....in trying to please everyone, they can't please anyone. Proof? Try finding one to buy.
Then there are the bottom dwellers. Cheap, blammo shotgun shells. One and done. The Euro trash, plus the cheap stuff from Federal (who have always catered to the bottom feeders). Shells designed to use once and toss. From perspective of a vintage reloader, none of this a welcome development. What also gets to me is the price difference. As of today, Midway has little to no stock of STS, but if they did, identical loads of STS are priced $7 to $9 per box higher than Gun Clubs. Presumably, they would use the same primer, powder, shot and wad, so only difference is the hull. Hard to believe an STS hull costs $7 to $9 a box more to make. So it would seem they are using price to slowly wean shooters off the high priced spread......then stop reloading.......and rely solely on new factory ammo. Fine and dandy provided they have capacity to make that much ammo (to replace all reloads), and can reliably be counted on to make and ship it. I'm having grave concerns about this one.
One of the reasons I've resumed reloading.....both metalica and refreshing my stash for shotguns......is the realization of how many eggs are now found in the Vista basket. The wrong sort ever get control of that and ammo for shooting sports in US can go from scarce to non-existent. I don't intend to get caught short, and hope you don't either.
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Resurrection alert
I purchased 2 flats of Herters at my local BPS, one in 20 ga and one in 28 ga. Last Sunday I set up my thrower for some SoDak tuneup time busting clays over the gator ponds. My BIL's and I blew through two boxes of 28 and 8.5 boxes of 20. Nary a hiccup in either of my Ethos guns. I had stuck the full choke in my 28 last spring in hopes of using it to bag a gobbler, and I could not find where I had stuck the rest of the chokes. So I used the full choke and busted a good percentage of birds.
The 28 hulls are a dark gray color, the same color and smooth texture as some 12 ga AA ammo I had on hand to run through a short barreled G Force I wanted to check out.
If the need exists I will buy more Herters.
I purchased 2 flats of Herters at my local BPS, one in 20 ga and one in 28 ga. Last Sunday I set up my thrower for some SoDak tuneup time busting clays over the gator ponds. My BIL's and I blew through two boxes of 28 and 8.5 boxes of 20. Nary a hiccup in either of my Ethos guns. I had stuck the full choke in my 28 last spring in hopes of using it to bag a gobbler, and I could not find where I had stuck the rest of the chokes. So I used the full choke and busted a good percentage of birds.
The 28 hulls are a dark gray color, the same color and smooth texture as some 12 ga AA ammo I had on hand to run through a short barreled G Force I wanted to check out.
If the need exists I will buy more Herters.
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