I happened to be in my local Walmart tonight and browsed through the very empty ammunition section and noticed some new ammo on the shelf. New Federal Deer Thug in .243, .270 Win, .308 Win, 30-06 and .300 Win Mag. I looked closely at the .243 and it is stated on the box 90 gr bonded bullet at 3100 fps. The bullet sure looks like a Speer Deep Curl 90 gr bullet. I had never seen nor heard of this new ammo and there is nothing on Federal's website about it. A google search came up almost empty as well. Anyone have any additional information?
I was equally surprised to see a few boxes of .223 ammo on the shelf. Two boxes of Win 55 gr FMJ for the almost reasonable price today of $12.86 ea. They also had some new Winchester Varmint .223 ammo which featured a 55 gr plastic tipped bullet that is a dead ringer for the 55 gr Nosler Varmageddon. It was priced at a less attractive $19.95 for a box of 20. But it was decent Winchester brass with a very accurate (in my experience) bullet, so maybe the price isn't so bad. I sure would buy some of these before I would pay $1 a round for 55 gr FMJ stuff.

You think Federal would load a Speer bullet

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Surko:
You think Federal would load a Speer bullet

Why wouldn't they? They are all part of ATK. And they offer the Speer TNT Green in their .223 ammo.

Good point.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Surko:
You think Federal would load a Speer bullet

Aren't Federal Fusions just Speer Deep Curls?

'Thug'? As in "I's shoots me a thug yo! Gittin her done with these here thugs cuz!"

They are very similar, if not the same. Both are plated bullets with the super thin jacket bonded to the core. The only difference I see in the new "Thug" .243 ammo is that it is a 90 gr bullet vs. the 95 gr bullet in the Fusion. The Fusion is now Moly coated, as well. The new Thug has the boron nitride coating like the Deep Curl. (Where do ATK, Federal and Speer come up with these names, anyway?!)

Federal power shock or whatever their low priced blue box ammo is called is loaded with Speer hot cores.

I wonder who they are trying to appeal to with a name like "Deer Thug?"

Deer thug ammo fo' dem bad ass mofo deer. Dis ammo is da shizzy, homey. Fo' rizle!

Seriously. Deer THUG?

I'll pass...I know that doesn't answer the original question but...seriously. DEER THUG???

Federal doesn't even list it on their website...they must be too embarased.

quote:

Originally posted by kjjm4:
Federal power shock or whatever their low priced blue box ammo is called is loaded with Speer hot cores.

In .338 Win Mag Federal blue and silver box (I think they call it their "classic" line) they also load Sierra's in 225 weight. I think they also load Hornady's in their 270 grain , .375 H&H blue box.

I don't associate the word "thug" with "gangsta".
It conjures up a different visual for me but yes still a very silly name for ammo.

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It conjures up a different visual for me but yes still a very silly name for ammo.

Me too. Sort of like the Hornady Zombie line...really?

Its a new dual purpose bullet, thugs and deer beware!

Who the h*ll was in the corporate meeting that thought "thug" was a good name to put on hunting ammo, or ANY ammo for that matter...???
Am I perhaps missing something here...???
For as much as I like and respect the Hornady Co. I'm one of those who thinks the whole "zombie ammo" thing is just silly, but "thug"...REALLY..???

The "Zombie" line is actually selling well. Not that I think anything of it but I'm glad to see them making money.

"Thug" ammo should be in their "self defense" catagory. Maybe somebody screwed up the meeting minutes.

quote:

Originally posted by BigNate:
The "Zombie" line is actually selling well. Not that I think anything of it but I'm glad to see them making money.

Seriously, what ammo isn't selling well right now? I have ordered a couple thousand of the Hornady Z-Max .224 bullets, not because I think Zombies are cool, but because they are V-Max bullets with a different color tip and are priced about 20% less than the red tip bullets.

"$1 a round for 55 gr FMJ stuff."

Gave some away a couple hundred a few weeks ago, as I no longer own a 22 centerfire rifle. Maybe he's as pleased as he said he was.

Thug.........When I hear the word I think of a band of asian Indians that would befriend a fellow traveler then garrot his ass,and steal the dead mans belongings........Thug as in Thuggee......thats where the word comes from.It has nothing to do with all this Yo man crap!Just tellin' ya the truth.

D.P.Reynolds

I think they get the name from a hunting TV show.

Correct, the name comes from the "Deer Thugs" television show... which I guess is a grim reminder of how far gone outdoor television has gotten.
Although I suppose if it gets teens and young adults to actually want to watch / go / be involved in hunting & shooting, it's not so bad.

I do have to agree though that I'm not interested in any ammunition with such a stupid sounding name...