Herter's Aluminum Cased Ammo

J

johnbergsing

New member
I just got the Cabela's shooting catelog in today's mail. Looking through the ammunition section I noticed Herter's aluminum ammo. It's manufactured by Blazer. Anyone have any experience with it?

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"I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop! " ~Bob Mayne
 
Can't imagine why they wanted to resurrect the defunct Herter's name...

I have no experience with the "Herter's" aluminum ammo, but have used the Blazer 9mm aluminum cased ammo in the past with good results...

Found this page that states the "Herter's" ammo is made by Wolf in Russia...It also states that the cases are steel, and not aluminum:

This newer ammunition is not made by G.L. Herter or anyone associated with him. Apparently, an Indonesian company purchased the trademark, and it is being distributed by Cabela's. It's Russian polymer-coated, steel case Tula surplus. Some of the casings are headstamped Wolf.

http://lonelymachines.org/2010/07/19/herters-ammunition-isnt/
 
This discussion came up last week I think. you can use the search heading and look for it that way. Saw the same thing in Cabela's as well. Looked like a decent deal but I've not used them, just Blazer but only in my 586. No issue with Blazer.
 
Years ago I fired some Blazer aluminum in a brand spankin' new S&W 586. The cases split and made a mess on the cylinder and frame. I took the ammo back to the gun shop where I bought it. The the first thing the owner said was "it must be the gun, what kind ya' got". When I told him, his tone changed and he said he would send some of the cases back to Blazer. That was the end of that. I won't use aluminum in anything I care about.
 
Can't imagine why they wanted to resurrect the defunct Herter's name...
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Marketing. I assume it based on the nostalgia for us older farts that grew up looking forward to the arrival new Herter's catalog in the mail and the positive reputation that Herter's ammo had back then.
 
Found this page that states the "Herter's" ammo is made by Wolf in Russia...It also states that the cases are steel, and not aluminum:
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No, he's talking about this stuff, available here.

By replacing costly brass cases and copper jackets with aluminum and nylon, USA-made Herter’s aluminum-case handgun ammunition keeps cost down while preserving clean-shooting reliability and accuracy. Sized to incredibly precise tolerances, the nonreloadable, aircraft-grade aluminum cases cycle smoothly. Premium-quality, 115-grain round-nose lead bullets are coated with a Total Nylon Jacket (TNJ) to replace expensive copper jackets. TNJ bullets are inherently accurate, and cycle fluidly through semiautomatics. As an added benefit, TNJ bullets eliminate hard-to-remove copper and lead fouling. Made in USA.
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s7_218153_999_01
 
Can't imagine why they wanted to resurrect the defunct Herter's name...
Click to expand...
Marketing. I assume it based on the nostalgia for us older farts that grew up looking forward to the arrival new Herter's catalog in the mail and the positive reputation that Herter's ammo had back then.
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Can't be that many of us still around...

Heck...

I still have a couple hundred green all plastic 12 gauge hulls, and a stack of catalogs in the shed...

:cool:
 
No, he's talking about this stuff, available here.
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Huh...

Now that IS a horse of a different color...

I looked at Cabela's, and the first few hits were definitely marked steel-case, and 'Made In Russia'...

Save money and shoot more – what could be better than that? These rounds are loaded by a Russian manufacturer with over 125 years of ammo-building experience to our high standards of reliability and precision. The steel cases have a smooth polymer coating that reduces action wear and promotes smoother cycling. 180-grain FMJ bullets.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hert...%3BSearch-All+Products&Ntt=herters+ammunition
 
I would be interested to know what the bullet it made of.

The Wolf ammo is ground up scrap metal embedded in lead with a thin coat of copper over it - copper washed I think it's referred to as.

If this is the same scrap metal / lead mix, it won't take long for the ranges near me to ban it.

According to the range owners, When Wolf ammo hits the back plates it flies apart and some of the various and assorted metal in the bullet kicks up significant level of sparks.

The range owners at the ranges I shoot at have banned Wolf by name and that kind of bullet in general.

So if this is the same stuff with a nylon coating over it instead of copper wash - it won't take long before I'd have no place to fire it.
 
I might buy some of these, I have copper fouling in my G34 barrel that I haven't gotten around to cleaning. Maybe these nylon bullets take the copper out of the barrel on their way out :D
 
Used to shoot a lot of the Blazer aluminum ammo in various calibers when it was much cheaper than brass. Now it is almost the same price, you can usually find brass cased ammo cheaper. Never had any problems with it and it shot well. Mostly used in revolvers.
 
Found this page that states the "Herter's" ammo is made by Wolf in Russia...It also states that the cases are steel, and not aluminum:
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It depends on which Herter's ammo. Most of the handgun ammo is made in USA I believe. I've heard both Blazer and Fiochi mentioned.

I have some of the Herters Brass handgun ammo and it seems ok. Specs are sparse so I just buy it if it's cheap.
 
Seems like Cabelas is simply repackaging what they used to sell by bulk in USGI ammo cans. A friend showed me some HERTERS brass cased stuff headstamped GFL , aka Fiocchi.

Cabelas of today is what Herters was in the 50s-60s. The Herters ammo of that era was mostly European too.
 
I bought some Herters 357mag at Cabelas last year and it was made by Fiocchi. Mild recoil and clean burning, no problems with it at all.
 
I really dislike Blazers....powder is dirtier than even Wolf....and the ammo is significantly underpowered....it's the only ammo I've seen that will jam a gun after one box....

I'd sooner use the steel-cased ammo than the Blazed junk.....
 
Used to shoot a lot of the Blazer aluminum ammo in various calibers when it was much cheaper than brass. Now it is almost the same price, you can usually find brass cased ammo cheaper. Never had any problems with it and it shot well. Mostly used in revolvers.
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Same. I easily put 1000 rounds of Blazer aluminum through my Glock in 2007-2008. Always worked great.
 
I bought some Blazer Brass ammo during the ammo shortage. It worked okay for me, but I wouldn't buy it if I had a reasonable alternative. I had a box of the aluminum cased stuff a few years ago, but didn't feel good about it. I am old school. I like steel framed guns and brass cased ammo. I don't like aluminum or steel cased ammo because most of the people that use my range just leave the empties laying on the ground. I do shoot steel cases in my SKS, but I always pick up at least as many as I shoot and at least as many targets as I put up. It is an outdoor range that has no supervision on site. It is an old gravel pit that has some berms and target stands and covered tables. It is not the greatest range, but it is what I have available and cheap.
 
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