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Old June 18, 2010, 10:32 PM   #3
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
Just a bit more background. Herters was a large firearms and sporting goods dealer in Waseca, MN. They did have a few retail distributors, but did business mainly by mail order in the days before the Gun Control Act of 1968 effectively banned direct mail order sales of guns. Like most catalog stores, they actually made nothing, only buying, stocking, and shipping.

As PetahW mentions, everything in the catalog was "Herter's Model Perfect", which became a catch phrase among gun folks. While some of their products were a bit less than perfect, in general their stuff was good. One superb product was a massive loading tool that can still be found in homes across the country. It could handle case reforming, bullet swaging, and other tough tasks with ease where lighter tools would bend.

Their firearms were almost all European made, and were generally of good quality, from makers like Husqvarna and Sako. That Sauer & Son revolver was an excellent product though, as PetahW says, its looks did not appeal to everyone. But it was unique and distinctive, which is what Herter was interested in.

In addition to the .401, there was also the .357 Atomic (or .357 Herters Atomic) which antedated the .357 Maximum by several years, but was the same idea, a longer case .357 Magnum.

Jim
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