Herter's info

yonson

A recent thread on 2 custom rifles asks if the stylized "H" on them was Herter's logo: it does not appear so. The current logo on Herter's products marketed by Cabela's is the same one shown on Herter's catalogs at least 60 years ago: a crest containing and surrounded by outdoor items with the Herter's name below. George Herter was an all-around character and BS'er who started a catalog sales co. selling outdoor products in Waseca, MN. in 1937. All succeeding businesses in that field copied his marketing lead. Don't remember exactly when (60's or 70's) but somehow feathers for arrow fletching turned up in the inventory that were from endangered species. Federal prosecution ensued and the FFL was pulled. The company never recovered and went belly up in 1981.

charliemeyer007

I think my last order to them was in 1973. I never heard why they went out of biz.
I still haven't found my I think 1968 Herter's cat, would be fun to look at those yester year prices.

I'm not sure that letter in question is an "h". I also find it odd to see "Custom" stamped into the metal. Plus my gut feeling is between wars work. Actual chamber cast could perhaps yield a clue as to the maker.

kannoneer

Thanks, yonson. I wondered what happened to Herter's. Used to get their catalogs and books back in the sixties. They were a hoot to read.
George Leonard Herter was the best P.R. man the company could have had. He liked to make some small alteration on a standard article then give it a snazzy name and pronounce it the finest article yet produced by man.Such as,instead of a .41 Mag., they sold the Herter's .401 Powermag.
I also have a few of G.L.Herter's books; hunting in Africa, living on $10 a month in the wilderness, etc. In Africa he was accompanied by his son (or perhaps grandson),Jacques.

rufe-snow

quote:Originally posted by kannoneer
Thanks, yonson. I wondered what happened to Herter's. Used to get their catalogs and books back in the sixties. They were a hoot to read.
George Leonard Herter was the best P.R. man the company could have had. He liked to make some small alteration on a standard article then give it a snazzy name and pronounce it the finest article yet produced by man.Such as,instead of a .41 Mag., they sold the Herter's .401 Powermag.
I also have a few of G.L.Herter's books; hunting in Africa, living on $10 a month in the wilderness, etc. In Africa he was accompanied by his son (or perhaps grandson),Jacques.


Herter must have been quite the golden tongued devil. The Power Mag revolvers were actually made by Sauer. They originally sold for less then $50, in his catalogs dating to approximately the mid 60's. Even at that early date it was substantially less then what the Ruger SA's were going for.

Not clear why he chose to chamber them in his own 401 Powermag cartridge. As he did sell other versions of his Sauer revolvers in 357 & 44 mag. Folks had so much trouble getting hold of the 41 Powermag ammo. Some gunsmiths started a cottage industry of rechamering them for the 38-40. Because of the bore diameter, 41 mag wasn't a option.

EDIT #1, I remember the one pistol I did buy from Herters was a repo of a Remington over and under Derringer, chambered for the 357 magnum. It was back in the early 60's, after I got out of the service. It was of such poor quality that the half cock notch in the hammer wasn't functional, till I kitchen table gunsmithed it. As best as I can remember, it was something like $15.00. With all the lawyer proof liability stuff the gun importers have to deal with today, selling a gun with a inoperable safety would have got Herters sued big time.

Hawk Carse

The .401 Herter's Powermag came out shortly BEFORE the .41 Remington Magnum.
Nothing wrong with the round, just the big companies coming out with a competing cartridge and gun the next year blew it out of the market. That and a rather homely looking revolver design.
They were going to bring in a double action .401 but they were overtaken by the .41.

I like safety rule no 1 in Herter's combined handloading manual and big game guide manual. "Never go shooting or hunting with anybody who would profit from your sudden death."

hedgehopper62

Hawk sure glad some of our experts get it right.I was sure my 401's came out before the 41 mag.have all the herters pistols except 22 mag.I think the 1968 rules changes on imports was the main reason for it going down hill.tks.hedge[:D]

pingjockey

I think a large part of his problem was his diversification. His
business did quite well when he stayed with the "manly" products.
Once Bertha started filling the catalog with trinkets and such,
he started going down hill.[;)] Still have one of his "bull" cook
knives, cook books, and assorted decoys and calls. Only lived about
a hundred miles from Waseca so it was sort of an annual pilgrimage.
It was all "The worlds greatest!"[:D]

He Dog

I bought fly tying materials from Herter's in the 60's and tied commercially for a local lure maker, while I was in High School. I have several Herter's catalogs from the late 60s-70s covering the years a Herter's rifle I own was made. It has no such logo as the one shown on the two rifles in question. Visited the Mitchell SD store in the late 70's and it was on its way down then. The Cabela's of its day, and products NOT made in China.

gearheaddad

My Father was a faithful Herters customer. We always had their giant catalogs! I could look through them and dream for hours.

Not to hijack the thread but I can't help but think about my Father and Uncles excursions when I hear of Herters.

I moved my little story over to GD. I didn't realize I was in ATE!
Ed

allechalley

couldn't not look at this thread. I suppose he started out somewhat like cabela's only even earlier. It was a pilgrimage for us as well(45 miles). Everthing was better than everyone else's espec. the
'swedish spring steel'. My ex bro. in law worked in Fridley, MN machine plant. They'd put up a sign occasionally, "you are now entering Sweden". Most was a direct copy of other's work, ie, poly-chokes, loading tools ,ect, often copied so it wouldn't work or even go together properly. The feathers were the "jungle cock birds", used for fly tying. From India, they had been on endangered species list for anumber of years. Seems they intercepted several hundred pounds of them and seems like 5 or 6 other endangered species.











mn

v35

Sad to hear of the reason they folded.
I still have their 6 gun cabinet, C-press, dies, powder measure and scale.
They never got the 45LC sizer die right but their products were good.
I wondered if their proprietary "wasp waisted" bullets performed as advertized.
Jacques Christian Herter advertized his two beaver skin desert boots as the best ever and they were.... after wading in a trout stream all day.
Those boots or high shoes lasted about 20 years.