Herter's nostalgia

[gnoahhh]

Last evening I stumbled onto my old Leslie Edelman catalog (East coast representative for Herter's in the late 60's) from 1968. Tucked inside it is the list I had made up of "essential stuff" that I had finally talked my dad into springing for. All Herter's equipment- #3 press, two die sets, scale, measure, gauges, shell holders, brass, bullets, etc.- everything needed to get started. The total came to $62, the shipment weighed 48 pounds, and cost $3 to ship it from Philadelphia to Maryland. I remember twisting the old man's arm like crazy to get him to go for it (I was 15 at the time). Oh what a happy day when that big wooden box showed up with all that stuff in it! Nowadays, the last set of dies I bought cost more than that.

Funny thing, I still have most of that gear- mostly gathering dust now- and it still stands ready to jump in if I ever need it.

I don't know why I saved that old catalog, and had certainly forgotten all about that shopping list I had created, but am glad now I did. It was written on the back of what was obviously a homework assignment- even back then I had my priorities straight!

[plainsman456]

My wife's cousin has some of their catalogs and it does make for some interesting reading.

Those wasp waist bullets sure make one wonder about how far we have come.

[plainsman456]

OH,i forgot"World's Finest"

[w5pv]

I had and used Herters equipment from 1964 until 2005 when hurricane Rita came through and blew the shack down.Scattered my equipment like a mad woman would have .The table I had the equipment bolted to disappeared from the yard while we were cleaning up.People that loot after a disaster should not be given a chance for trail.

[3006guns]

Speaking of old catalogs, I just found a Service Armament Company catalog from about 1963 or so. Spent the better part of a day just sitting and taking in all the ads for surplus rifles, dewat sten guns, Lewis guns and full size artillery pieces with your choice of explosive, armor piercing or anti personnel rounds. I believe they morphed into the SARCO that we know today.

As for Herter's, the last purchase I made from them was in 1969 and was a plain grain maple stock for a Krag sporter. The total cost was $11.00 (with forearm tip fitted) plus $2.00 shipping and that piece of wood had more figure and curly pattern than most fine maple furniture.

Ah, those were the good old days.............:)

[gnoahhh]

Yes, when the Herter's catalog arrived in the mail it was cause for more celebration than the arrival of the Sears Christmas catalog, at least among my dad and I.

[buckwheatpaul]

I had Herter's put a vent rib on my Win. 12 in 1968....excellent job and the best vent rib I've ever had....have used their duck decoys for years....they were and still are great.....I still miss Herters!

[1hole]

"1968. ...- #3 press, two die sets, scale, measure, gauges, shell holders, brass, bullets, etc.- everything needed to get started. The total came to $62,"

Sound wonderful doesn't it, everything was so "cheap" back then. ??

But, the typical skilled worker made about $130 a week in '68, before taxes, so your dad's purchase of a few basic tools was well over a half week's pay for most men.


I had Herter's install a vented rib on my father's old Remington Md. 11 barrel and blue it in '69, a great design and quality work, and got their inletted/semi-finished top grade walnut wood too, all for less than $100. It was a lot of work to shape and finish the wood and I hot blued the action myself too. Dad's gone but that beautiful long recoil John Browning design is in my safe, it's still deadly and has accounted for a lot of table meat.

I don't need Herter's much anymore but I miss them for today's young men trying to provide for a family and still wanting to shoot and hunt/fish a little bit. One of the ten thousand reasons I dispise lib gobbermint is what they did to destroy Herters.

Most of our gunning toys are actually less costly today in terms of the hours worked to purchase them and we have a vastly expanded list of goodies to play with. Enjoy your own "good old days" now, while they last, because your dominant gobbermint is determined to "fix" your ready access to things 'liberal' politicians don't like for you to have!

[zaphod042]

"1968. ...- #3 press, two die sets, scale, measure, gauges, shell holders, brass, bullets, etc.- everything needed to get started. The total came to $62,"

Sound wonderful doesn't it, everything was so "cheap" back then. ??

But, the typical skilled worker made about $130 a week in '68, before taxes, so your dad's purchase of a few basic tools was well over a half week's pay for most men.


I had Herter's install a vented rib on my father's old Remington Md. 11 barrel and blue it in '69, a great design and quality work, and got their inletted/semi-finished top grade walnut wood too, all for less than $100. It was a lot of work to shape and finish the wood and I hot blued the action myself too. Dad's gone but that beautiful long recoil John Browning design is in my safe, it's still deadly and has accounted for a lot of table meat.

I don't need Herter's much anymore but I miss them for today's young men trying to provide for a family and still wanting to shoot and hunt/fish a little bit. One of the ten thousand reasons I dispise lib gobbermint is what they did to destroy Herters.

Most of our gunning toys are actually less costly today in terms of the hours worked to purchase them and we have a vastly expanded list of goodies to play with. Enjoy your own "good old days" now, while they last, because your dominant gobbermint is determined to "fix" your ready access to things 'liberal' politicians don't like for you to have!

What did the Government do to destroy Herters? I haven't heard that before.

[rmcc]

Gun Control Act of 1968 = No more mail order unless shipped FFL to FFL. Took away most of Herter's gun related business. Kleins's, Flaig's, Hunters Lodge all shared the same fate pretty much. When I was a kid and the Herter's catalog arrived in the mail, I had about 2 hours to look at it first before Dad came home. I keep several old Herters catalogs around just for nostalgia.

rmcc

[mdi]

Yep, I had a Herter's "dream catalog" about that same time, but I was really interested in Herter's single action, .401 Power Mag. I believe it was called...

[nightal]

I am still using a Herter's lube press, only have the .451 die, can't find any others. need dies for 9mm. 10mm. any Ideas, are welcome....

[beagle]

Still have some Herter's slip top plastic cartridge boxes and they're still giving good service after about 50 years. Occasionally, I'll find one of the Herter's .22 slip top plastic boxes. Nothing better than having one of those when you're caught in the rain./beagle

[GOPHER SLAYER]

None of you guys mentioned "old world craftsman". I first ordered from Herters in 1959. I am still using there powder scale and measure I bought that year, in fact I was just loading some 40-65 a few minutes ago using their scale and I have an RCBS 5-10, 10-10 as well as a Redding scale.

[BruceB]

This story has been told here before, but...

I received a flyer from Herter's one day back in the '70s. In it, they advertised "new, Swedish-made brass" for the 6.5x55........ for FIFTEEN CENTS per box of twenty cases.

I sent them a note, saying that I thought their flyer price was in error, but "Here's a Money Order for $25, and please send me however much 6.5x55 brass that amount will buy."

A couple weeks later, there arrived a LARGE box from Herter's. In the box were ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY twenty-round Herter's boxes of.... sure enough.... "made in Sweden" 6.5x55 brass.I used that brass for many years thereafter.

One of my favorite "Herter's memories", but I have plenty of others.

I neglected to add that this was when we lived in the Northwest Territories of Canada, and they paid the shipping out of my measly $25!

[Carryacolt]

Herters type "O" press was $27 there abouts. I bought it in 59 or 60 and I still use it today. Needle bearings in the toggle arm and is smooooth as glass. Big ram is largest that I know of in the bench loaders. Professional dies were the "best in the world" and "no other die could measure up". The wasp waist bullets were ahead of their time. Yup, I remember the Herters line real well and was the only reason I was able too start loading at the age of 12 because the price was so low. I mowed lawns for spending money and just about every dollar I earned went for something from Herters. Found a year 64 catalog on ebay about a year ago and bought it just to have to look through now and then.

[g5m]

A year or two ago I gave away the last box of Herter's bullets I had-- 7mm wasp waist. Wonderful catalog they had.

[LUBEDUDE]

Never even heard of Herters until I started eBay'n a few years ago.

eBay is responsible for my old school press addiction!

In the late 60's I was at the mercy of whatever my local gun store sold. I was just a kid.

[Silverboolit]

Wouldn't it be nice to buy the "World's Finest" whatever, again?? Being from Minnesota, I remember visiting the Herter's store in Waseca.

[gwpercle]

I really miss Herter's...that was a good company with good products that a youg person could afford, when he had a wife, a baby and making $75.00 a week. Circa 1972...I still have and use the reloading dies, ammo boxes, bullet moulds, shellholders etc. just about all my reloading gear and gunsmithing tools, that I got back then. Still have 4 military rifles restocked with thier sporter stocks in real walnut ( one in French walnut). Still got a few old catalogs and refer back to them for info every once in awhile. Saw thier name on some ammo in Cabela's...mabey they will come back.
Just try to find a walnut sporter stock for a 1911 Swiss Schmidt-Ruben or a walnut mannlicher stock for a model 95 mauser...Herter's had them and they were affordable.

[1hole]

Gun Control Act of 1968 = No more mail order unless shipped FFL to FFL. Took away most of Herter's gun related business. Kleins's, Flaig's, Hunters Lodge all shared the same fate pretty much. When I was a kid and the Herter's catalog arrived in the mail, I had about 2 hours to look at it first before Dad came home. I keep several old Herters catalogs around just for nostalgia.
rmcc

That's part of the picture but it was at ALL mail order companies, not focused specifically at Herter's. LBJ's admin had no more qualms about using the power of the bureaucracies against targeted individuals and companies than the present one. Herter's imported a lot of things impossible to produce here, one was some bird feathers for trout fly tying and they used some obsure import law few knew about because no one really cared about it to lay a series of heavy fines on Herter's at the same time the GCA '68 came on line - it was the calculated second barrel Federal whammy that bankrupted Herter's.

Dem's didn't like for "little people" to buy guns and hunting stuff back then and they still don't but reducing "crime" isn't any part of their goal, if it was they'd enforce the laws they've already passed! Part of GCA '68 was every one had to show id and fill out paper work to purchase any ammo, including .22 rf, supposedly so cops could sift dealer's records and see who had bought something used in a shoot out. Of course the best place to hide a tree is in a forest and the stacks of ammo records were not only useless but were soon so massive even the BATF guys were quitely begging congress to back off. They did so, but in stages to keep the public from noticing they were slowly abandoning the ammo part of their "harrass the citizen" ploy, and doing so at law enforcement's request!

[jm423]

Would you believe I still have a couple of Herters stock blanks, one of which is for fill length Mannlicher style stock. Haven't decided what to build and put them on yet, don't want to rush into anything. Some of the best looking walnut I have ever seen came from them, never tried any of their other woods. Maybe one of these days.

[shooter2]

I was born and raised in Minnesota and Herter's was part of my life. I wish I had saved some of the catalogs as they were a good read.

I think I may still have a few hundred of their fly tying hooks in my collection. I think they were made by Partridge of England and really were the best made at the time.

For a short time they tried opening some stores around the area, outside of Waseca that is, but they never caught on. When they were closing them I bought a mess of stuff. They had some old bear traps hanging on the wall for which they were asking around $200. I wish I had bought at least one as they are now outlawed, but worth a few $$ as collectables.

Janet and I went to the store in Waseca a couple times. I almost bought an Ithaca 5E single barrel trap gun from them, but it was pretty well used up so I passed. The reconditioning would have been prohibitive.

The feds, in their infinite wisdom, brought a law suit against Herter's for selling imported feathers, primarily Jungle cock, as they were supposedly endangered. George said they ran around the villages like chickens, but he ended up losing the battle. Just one more nail in the coffin that finally did them in.

They were a great family owned company and yes, I still miss them. S2

[bear67]

I started with Herter's was the source of most of my reloading equipment starting in 58-59. I bought all sorts of shooting/hunting equipment from them, including several quality stock blanks. Much of my Herter's reloading equipment was stolen several months ago while in storage at one of my barns. They were always quality and fairly priced for a guy working for all the spare funds to enable my hunting, fishing and shooting. I still have some of George Herter's books and sometimes reread them. My favorite is GET OUT OF THE RAT RACE AND LIVE ON $10 A DAY.

[gnoahhh]

Yeah, that was a good book. Another one was "How to Live With a Bitch". I still refer to his cookbook now and then.

[Bent Ramrod]

The cookbook is one of the all-time classics, all right. I remain impressed by Berthe E. Herter, who husband (and author) George L. said could walk into any restaurant in the world, order any dish on the menu, take one bite and write down all the ingredients, and their proportions, in the recipe for that dish. Now that is talent!

Another great one is "The Truth About Hunting In Today's Africa." By the time George L. was done with the Safari business and Africa in general, you'd wonder who in their right mind would ever want to go hunting in Africa.

In today's opinionated age, George L. would be the undisputed monarch.:mrgreen:

[Isaac]

I inherited some Herters reloading accessories from my father. Most purchased in the 1960's. I rarely pass up on Herters equipment at gun shops and shows. Some of what I find has rust or the die lock rings are a bit damaged. A bit of cleaning and careful use adds many years to their usefulness.

Thanks.

Isaac

[srtolly]

Living where I do, the home of Herters, I run across everything from firearms to boats to reloading gear. A guy I know has a mold for a fiberglass Herters duck boat.

[opos]

Worked in a gun/boat/fishing/sewing machine/furniture store (he covered all bases...a couple would come in to look at furniture and the man would always end up on the "sporting goods" side)...in the 50's while going to school in N. Colorado. Started reloading about '59 or '60....had some Herter's equipment..all lost to moves over the years...one thing I really recall from Herters was a stock "filler" called "French red"...to fill and put a base on a walnut stock to give a great finish to a gunstock...then the finish was "Leige"....I had a neighbor that was a custom stock maker and he did a couple for me....always used the same techinques with beautiful pieces of walnut and then French Red and Leige ..... several coats and hand rubbed...they were spectacular and really durable. Herters was the only place to get those 2 products back then..probably not around at all any more.

[Reg]

One other thing that few know about is the cat fight between Bill Rugar and George L. It involved the firing pin and how it worked in the revolvers. George lost that one in court and it cost him quite a bundle and I think a cease and desist was attached to the ruling. I think this actually had more to do with the stopping of the selling of the .401 and other revolvers. Had the court documents on another computer that decided to give itself a frontal lobotomy. That taught me to back up anything you want to keep.
Despite the fact that George borrowed designs now and then the items he sold really were a bargain. Most were very well made and just look at how long they have stood up and how many are still out there. My first press was a Model 3 and I still have it. Actually prefer it to the RCBS that sits next to it. Their dies were very usable but I think that RCBS is just a bit better. Have several of thir powder measurers and their Model 40 is the only one I have ever found that will consistently and accurately dispense fine grain flake powder. Also have one of their Arctic Model sleeping bags that I bought new back in 1965. The zipper finally wore out and rather than replace it, my daughter turned it into a heavy quilt. That thing gets hot even on the coldest night. I miss that company, wish they were still going.

:popcorn:

[prs]

My last Herter's catalog disappeared from my roll-top several years ago. I was always amused at how they graded their stuff. Not "good", "better", "best"; but rather something like "the finest", "even better", "our royal grade" and so on. One of my son's friends had been looking over that old catalog and noticed how the largest or heavies duty stuff was referred to as "The African Model". He was a white teen and got some stern looks when he went into the local sporting goods store and asked for a catcher's cup in "The African Model".

prs

[LeftyDon]

Dad always had a Herter's catalog and also a Netcraft catalog in the magazine rack next to "HIS" chair and the floor lamp next to "THE" chair was made from a Snider Enfield. The catalogs are long gone, but I still do have his very dog eared first year "The Gun Digest" here. I guess Cabela's somehow ended up with the rights to the Herter's name since they are selling stuff under that name these days, but no longer touted as the World's Greatest products.

[Pressman]

Reg that cat fight between Bill R and George H was bigger than you think. I have a copy of a cease and desist letter sent to Herter's to get then to stop importing a German made copy of the Ruger 22 Auto pistol.
It is very likely that George got his reloading business off the ground and really running when he copied, and improved upon, the press made by Lachmiller. The Model 3 became the basis for a lot of presses that followed and were always sold a a "fair" price.

Ken

[T-Dogg]

My Grandpa recently gave me a couple boxes of Herter's 9mm lead. $1.41 for a box of 50, definitely before my time...

81391

[IADirtFarmer]

First Christmas present from my wife in 1964 Herters #3 press about $19.50 with shellholder & shipping ordered in Sept. came Dec. 26th. still use it. I still have many Model Perfect products in use.

Thank You ALL very much for sharing those sweet memories !

Anyone know where I could find a handle for a Herters # 81 press bought it broken? Or two single handles may work ?

[gwpercle]

First Christmas present from my wife in 1964 Herters #3 press about $19.50 with shellholder & shipping ordered in Sept. came Dec. 26th. still use it. I still have many Model Perfect products in use.

Thank You ALL very much for sharing those sweet memories !

Anyone know where I could find a handle for a Herters # 81 press bought it broken? Or two single handles may work ?
That's a real good wife you got there...anybody know where I can find one like her?

Check CH4D site...they have some replacement parts and universal parts that might just do the trick. They helped me get a old Eagle Cobra Press restored with just the part needed.
Darn nice folks there too. Gary

[skeet028]

I was a receiving dealer for Herter's in the 70's and 80's. I talked with GLH more than once. You would have understood the whole thing then. He sounded just like his catalogue. Bought a pair of High Standard Tournament Military pistols from him..on Sept 11 1971. Consecutive serials too for 49 bucks each. Still have the invoice too. What really killed off Herter's was not the 68 GCA..He imported some feathers from Africa, I think, from an endangered bird..They charged Herter's with the infringment and he chose to fight 'em. Cost him a couple mil if i remember right..rather than 50 grand fine. He was an irrascible person..and when he got old..his son or grandson couldn't run the business.. It was for sale for a while before Cabela's bought the name/trademark. I even considered it..but all the business was tied up between GLH's ears. Herter's really made nothing. Many presses were made by Lachmiller and others..dies by all the companies but 60% or so by CH I think..some by Bair and some by RCBS even. I have some RCBS made Herter's dies. I also have a few Herter's items. When they went out of business I had a bit of money in an account. They paid me by selling me all kinds of stuff for 15% of retail prices. I got at least 2 of every game call (all sold) and other items. I still have a Bunch of new in packages Herter's fishing flies.and a few sets of dies...new also. Some other reloading items too. New brass and Ammo..including some of that wasp waiste bullet stuff too..and a lot of 22 cal bullets for reloading..Chalice wads..oh my..

[Iowa Fox]

In 1970 I purchased a Herters o/u 12 ga at their Iowa falls store and a year later a J9 rifle in 6mm. I still have them both. I still use some of their loading stuff, have a few thousand shotgun wads, 22 rimfire, bullets, and primers.

[Bret4207]

"World Famous, Model Professional, Guide Quality, Personally Developed and Tested by GL and Jaques Herter in the Wilds of the Hudsons Bay area..." and it might turn out to be a can opener or a duck skiff or a frog gig. I just about wore out our Herters catalogs. Loved them, still do. If nothing else they provided hundreds of hours of dreaming for boys and young men who were bursting at the seams with boundless energy but were shackled to civilization and it's torturous institutions like school, yard work, laundry and washing the dishes by well intentioned but clearly misguided parents. It was perfectly obvious to me that with a few dozen World Famous, Guide Quality, Model Perfect traps, a Herters canoe, tent, sleeping bag and cook kit, I could have become a World Famous, Model Perfect, Guide Quality Outdoorsman!

I almost bid on a Herters square sterned aluminum canoe at an auction a few years back. I literally could not lift the stern of the boat! I was heavier than any comparable steel boat I've ever seen. Maybe it was filled with ice or something (it was early spring), but picturing myself skidding that hunk of "boomalum" through a swamp gave me aches in my back just thinking about it. An Amish kid bought it. It took 5 of them to load it onto a wagon rack. Those boys are nothing is not strong. That was one HEAVY World Famous, Guide Quality, Model perfect canoe!

[flounderman]

Herters had a back room with flawed stocks by the barrels full. The cheapest I bought was 3.50. a birds eye maple for 7.50, the most expensive was a laminated one for 14.00. still have those 3. the model 3 press and lots of dies. I used up a bunch of Herters stocks and wish I had bought more of them. same with the cheap surplus firearms and the dcm 1911s and springfields. I guess we thought the good times would last for ever. I would hate to think that 50 years from now, these times would be thought of as the good old times.

[Mike Kerr]

I still have our old Herter's # 3 along with some Herter and Texan Odds and Ends. I bought a RCBS or CH (don't remember) universal primer set up but the old press is just that - an old press. Then I went to Lee equipment which, like Herter's, was/is marketed with extra superlatives. Finally about 15 to 18 years ago I went to Dillon 450/550's and don't think I will go back. Still that old Herter's is on the shelf.

[milprileb]

George Herter is solely responsible for my ability to cram in "all nighters" for exams in college and my ultimate graduation from college. His Kenyan coffee kept me wired and going strong for those cram sessions. In the sum of things, all the stuff I got from Herters were good values and gave good service , only a few things were not great. We used to buy cases of his ammo when on sale and it was really good stuff and cheap even taking shipping into account. I regret ever selling my Herters U9 rifle in 7mm Rem Magnum (actually a BSA Monarch rifle) which was incredibly accurate to the point of mind boggling. I traded it on a 300 Win Mag Sako which is an awesome rifle but I should have just bought the Sako outright and kept the U9 .

Everything in Herters catalog was "Model Perfect" and it was touted as the finest and best on the planet. Sad Herters is gone, they were unique to say the least

[starmac]

Just thinking that it is sad thay are gone, but at least they went away and left folks a memory of a company that was never forced to sell junk to compete, like many that have taken their place.

[Bent Ramrod]

Well, I wouldn't go quite that far. I remember a gunwriter doing a review of loading equipment in the early '60's, saying "Herter's stuff doesn't always work the way it's supposed to, but it sure is cheap!" He wasn't wrong.

I prize my Herter's World Famous Morning (sic) Dove and White Wing Dove Call ("Time proven for over five generations--For the serious dove hunter--Used by more dove hunters than all other dove calls put together") because it's the perfect dove repellant when they decide to nest in the roof beams of my back patio.

Rather than put up with the feathers and other byproducts, I just wait until a concentration of them starts hanging around, then I gently slide a window open and play a few notes on the call. It is pitched about an octave above any real dove I've ever heard. A few "coos" and the doves all look at each other with the same scandalized expression on their faces and light out simultaneously for a more salubrious environment to raise "the children."

I wouldn't take it dove hunting on a bet.