Speer Ammo

Determination, self-reliance and independence.

The Second World War put hunters in a real bind. With so many of America’s ammunition manufacturers dedicating all of their output to the war effort, locating the ammo needed to hunt whitetail was challenging to say the least. But this shortage provided an opportunity for a start-up like Speer.

Speer's Founder

Vernon Speer recognized that demand and set out to meet it. He began creating component soft point bullets in 1943, eventually founding Speer Ammunition in Lewiston, Idaho in 1951. He was even joined by his brothers Ray and Dick, who would themselves go on to found CCI.

As Mr. Speer’s company grew it also began producing loaded ammunition, including the Lawman ammo line which remains popular for training and target shooting among law enforcement professionals and civilians alike. In 1996 Speer would become one of the very first American manufacturers to fully satisfy the ISO 9001 certification criteria for quality.

Speer's Gold Dot Ammo

But Speer’s greatest achievement to date was the development of the Gold Dot bullet, which delivers the optimal accuracy and terminal ballistics for personal protection. The Gold Dot projectile begins as an alloyed lead core, which is electrochemically plated with copper one atom at a time to ensure perfect jacket concentricity and in-flight rotational stability. It is the first handgun bullet to feature a true bonded core, which enables it to retain virtually all of its weight so it can achieve the ideal penetration depth for self-defense.

The Gold Dot bullet’s hollow point is formed during a series of two successive die presses: the first to control expansion width, and the second to control rate of expansion. This precision nose cavity is the reason for the Gold Dot’s legendarily reliable terminal ballistics, and also why Gold Dot ammunition is preferred by thousands of law enforcement agencies countrywide. Fortunately, anyone is able to purchase the most popular line of ammunition for law enforcement applications even if they don’t wear a uniform!

Modern Ammunition for Today's Shooters

Today Speer is owned by Vista Outdoor, the company which also holds CCI, Remington, Federal Premium, HEVI-Shot, Estate Cartridge and Hoppe's. Vista Outdoor is committed to retaining all the values and manufacturing protocol which made Speer great in the first place while continuing to grow their market presence throughout the country.