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Sometimes, you stumble upon such search queries as ‘Herters rifles’, ‘Herters supported weapons’, ‘Herters supported calibers’, etc. Those who are relatively new to the world of guns and firearms may think that it’s some kind of an innovative brand that is going to turn tables on the concept of shooting and big game hunting. The thing is, it’s the other way around.
Indeed, you may find firearms produced by Herters…in someone’s private collection. Nowadays, it’s the only way to acquire a Herters rifle because this company no longer exists.
How did that happen? And why do people still remember Herters weapons and Herters accessories? Who was George Herter and how did he impact retail industry? Why was he compared to snake oil? Why do people admire him?
We guess, the best way to understand George Herter, his personality and energy would be to read his books. His creations capture his eccentrism, his incredible creativity and love for his work quite accurately. We can only give some relevant insights about Herters company and why you can’t find any Herters rifles nowadays.
Herters was known mostly for creating many weapons for big game hunting. Deer hunting precisely. The range of Herters products included all kinds of weapons capable of slaying a buck on the spot – from rifles to hunting bows. Additionally, Herters manufactured many additional products meant for improving the hunting and fishing experience. That included snowmobiles, minibikes (including the famous Hudson Bay), waterfowl hunting products, hunting decoys (burlap wrapped decoy for husky training), and other products that became game-breaking and influenced such major brands as Walmart.
The company was founded by George Leonard Herter who was known for his passion for outdoor activities and even wrote three books on recipes and practices. In general, George Hertee was a rather remarkable figure. His eccentric and even bombastic personality makes him an enigma even after his death over 20 years ago!
Born in Minnesota, George Herter was known as a goofball who was years ahead of his time. Like all geniuses, George was far from shy. All his creations were deemed “model perfect” and supported by the non-existent North Star Guides Association. Why? Well, we guess, the answer was “Why not?”. In spite (or may be thanks to?) his eccentric behavior, George Herter made quite a name for himself and its products. People were counting days till each new catalog. Everybody was looking forward new stories. You can even say that George Herter created foundation for marketing simply by being himself.
George Herter was completely serious about producing firearm and hunting equipment that was “best in the world”. According to those who knew him, he achieved this by taking a look at top products and thinking how he could do better. His energy, passion and love for his business was truly infectious. This was the rare case when the author behind as product was as impactful as the product he created. The most ironic part about George Herter’s demonstrative behavior and shenanigans was that he wasn’t doing it for attention. Quite the opposite, George Herter claimed that he didn’t want to be known or famous. It was simply his lifestyle. Probably, just like the great Nikola Tesla, a man guided by his own ideas and unable to stop until they were fulfilled.
Sadly, passion for something doesn’t always guarantee success. Herters company managed to last till 1981. After that, it went bankrupt. A part of its assets, such as decoy factory and ammunition production was bought by Cabelas. Soon, Cabelas got the entire company. Nowadays, the Herters name is mostly used for naming Cabelas’ products, such as rifles and firearms. However, to faithful and experienced gun lovers, Cabelas will always be synonymous to Herters – the best friend of any big game hunter, small game hunter, and rifle enthusiast.
Currently, Cabelas offers mostly rifles produced by Winchester, Marlin, Ruger, and other firearm manufacturers. Since it’s mostly large-scale brands, you can rest assured that each your purchase would be fully compatible with Podavach U-Loaders, as long as it’s based on a AR platform. Since we’ve made our speedloader boards work in perfect synergy with over 30 AK and AR platform iterations, all you need to do is to attach your mag to the U-Loader, lay out your Herters supported calibers into the feed channel and start pushing!
