Federal Deer Thugs Ammo

there is so much special edition ammo out there that it's moronic.
troy landry CCI rim fires
hog buster 223,
deer thugs centerfire....

it's all the same as the standard brand but with celebrity endorsement.
 
JMR,
It may say Power Shok on the box, but I think that just means it is Federal's economy line of ammunition. It also says "Bonded Soft Point" on the box, and the original Federal Blue Box Power Shok ammo had standard cup and core bullets. I agree with the other posters that believe the new "Deer Thugs" ammo are loaded with Speer's new Deep Curl bullets. Probably why it is so hard to find the Deep Curls for reloading. Walmart is buying 90% of Speer's production. I guess ATK is trying to outdo Hornady in the awful marketing effort. (Zombie Max vs. Deer Thugs? I don't think anybody wins, unless it would be anti-gunners...)
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powershok has nothing to do with what bullets they use, there are a half dozen of different options in the same blue box. it has to do with their QC and powder charge. the box says power shok... the ammo inside is powershok. I've never heard a more moronic argument in my life...
 
powershok has nothing to do with what bullets they use, there are a half dozen of different options in the same blue box. it has to do with their QC and powder charge. the box says power shok... the ammo inside is powershok. I've never heard a more moronic argument in my life...
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I beg to differ. The ammo inside the box is not the same ammo as the blue box powershok Federal has offered before. It isn't the same as the red box powershok that Walmart offered previously either. At least not in the .243 Winchester cartridge. The ammo in those boxes had conventional soft point bullets, where the new Deer Thugs ammo has bonded soft point bullets not previously offered in Federal's budget line of ammo.
And I was offering my observations, not arguing. But hey, if you have all the answers, I don't know why you bother reading others posts, unless of course, it is to point out "moronic arguments" when you see them.
 
I beg to differ. The ammo inside the box is not the same ammo as the blue box powershok Federal has offered before. It isn't the same as the red box powershok that Walmart offered previously either. At least not in the .243 Winchester cartridge. The ammo in those boxes had conventional soft point bullets, where the new Deer Thugs ammo has bonded soft point bullets not previously offered in Federal's budget line of ammo.
And I was offering my observations, not arguing. But hey, if you have all the answers, I don't know why you bother reading others posts, unless of course, it is to point out "moronic arguments" when you see them.
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I believe the red box was game shok, not powershok but I could be wrong there but you are insisting that the ammo in the box is something other than what is being advertized... I doubt ATKs lawyers would be very happy about something like that.
 
I believe the red box was game shok, not powershok but I could be wrong there but you are insisting that the ammo in the box is something other than what is being advertized... I doubt ATKs lawyers would be very happy about something like that.
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Well, the 3 red boxes I have in my reloading room say Power-Shok, and the only obvious difference between them and the blue box Power-Shok is that they used thinner cheaper cardboard for the boxes. As for ATK's lawyers not being happy with changing what constitutes Power-Shok ammo, here is the quote from Federal's current website:

"When hunting the woods and clearings, you need a bullet that handles any situation. Power-Shok provides you with consistent and proven performance without a high-dollar price tag. It’s an great all-around choice for medium to large-game. Find good quality, standard bullets in a variety of calibers, including less popular calibers."
Note it states nothing specific about exactly what constitutes Power-Shok ammo other than it provides consistent and proven performance without a high dollar price tag. So Federal is free to load those with the cheapest powder they can find along with their own primers and probably Speer's cheapest bullets, since they are part of the same conglomerate.
I still maintain that the Deer Thugs Power-Shok ammo is not the old Power-Shok ammo and in the .243 Winchester is most probably loaded with the Speer 80 gr and 90 gr Deep Curl bullets. The old blue box Power-Shoks were loaded with 80 gr and 100 gr lead tipped pointed spitzer bullets. If anything, these new "Deer Thugs" are the old Power-Shoks loaded with a new and improved bonded bullet. I did notice a fairly significant price increase over the previous red box ammo at the local WalMart. No surprise there, given the current market conditions.
 
Federal power shock in the blue box has always used different bullets in any given caliber from mostly Speer or Sierra. I used to buy some .25-06 blue box ammo that was loaded with Sierra Pro-hunter 117 grainers.

Does the Deer Thugs ammo have the flat skived tip on the bullet and a flat base? If so it is most likely the Deepcurl.
 
Does the Deer Thugs ammo have the flat skived tip on the bullet and a flat base? If so it is most likely the Deepcurl.
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I haven't pulled one of the bullets to check, but I believe the .243's I looked at while at Walmart had the flat skived tip and the same boron nitride coating that the Deep Curl 6mm bullets I have. I have seen other posts stating that that the Deer Thugs have a flat base, also like the Deep Curls I have. Apparently, that is the main difference between the .243 Fusion ammo, which are moly coated, have a boat tail base, and weigh 95 gr. The Deep Curl 6mm bullets are offered in 80 and 90 gr weights, as are the Deer Thugs. The evidence is pretty strong that the Deer Thugs are indeed Deep Curls.
I haven't loaded my Deep Curls yet, but am looking forward to comparing them with the Speer Deep Shoks and Nosler Ballistic Tips I also have on hand. (all 90 gr in weight). Since my Sako A-7 seems to prefer the flat based 70 gr Speer TNT to the semi boat tailed Nosler 70 gr Ballistic Tips, I expect the flat based Deep Curls to perform well. So far, the Deep Shoks haven't been able to match the Ballistic Tips accuracy wise in my rifle. FWIW, the older Federal Power-Shoks group as well or better than my handloads so far. And the factory Fusion loads are not far behind pretty much matching my best handloads so far.
 
Different deer thugs bullets

I have two different boxes of deer thugs ammo in .308 but the differences are not apparent until you shoot. When deer thugs first appeared I bought a few boxes. The next year I bought more but they looked different (coated). I pulled a bullet from each and the difference was realized. The earlier version which registered at 2700 fps were boat tail soft points (165gr). The newer bullets which were also 165gr registered at 2650 had a flat base. The difference at the range was noticed as well. Groups at 100 yards with the boat tail were 3/4 inch and the flat base bullet was 1 1/2 inch group. The only way to tell the difference when buying is to look at the picture on the back of the box and notice the subtle difference of the flat base vs the boat tail base.
 
"Deer Thug" Power Shok ammo

I agree it sounds like a stupid name. According to Mossy Oak, however, it is an acronym. See their quote below. Good cause, unfortunate tag.

"In addition to providing hunters a reliable, deadly bullet, the Deer THUGS line helps supports a noble cause. THUG is actually an acronym: Today’s Hunters United for Good. All of the products licensed under the name, including the TV show, provide support for wounded veterans. A portion of the proceeds from each box of Deer THUGS ammunition goes to the Outdoor Recreation Heritage Fund, which was created by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, a service organization devoted to helping veterans with spinal cord injuries or dysfunctions. The fund provides opportunities to paralyzed veterans to participate in hunting trips and recreational shooting, as well as supports fishing, handcycling, triathlon and track-and-field activities."

My '49 and '62 Win. Mod. 70's in '06 like these cartridges better than boat-tails.
 
"12ga dear thugs for thoothers wif a thpeash impedidiment"
--Daffy Duck and/or Elmer Fudd and/or Porky Pig

TC
 
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