I was cleaning up in the basement and came across a brick of ten boxes of Hansen .22 LR ammunition, purchased back in the 1980s. I don't remember how good this stuff was and so I did a bit of web searching. Turns out that Hansen was a brand that a US importer came up with for ammunition made by Prvi Partizan of Yugoslavia, and Prvi Partizan is a quality maker. [Note: See Alexander’s comment, below. ]They export ammunition to dozens of countries, manufacture Wolf Ammunition's premium Wolf Gold line, and they're the only maker* currently turning out new 7.62x38R ammunition for the Russian Nagant revolver:
... which is why they can get away with charging $25 for a box of 50. And that's why I've ordered a set of LEE reloading dies for the Nagant- but more on that later.
About those 500 Hansen .22s: I'm going to take a few boxes to the range and see how they perform 30 years after I bought them. More on that later, too.
* Correction: Fiocchi also makes 7.62x38R ammunition. Midway has it, along with empty unprimed Fiocchi cases for reloaders.
Hello Michael: only years after you posted this article, I came across it. So I apologize that my comment is so belated.
ReplyDeleteYour conclusion is understandable, but not really correct - or if you will, not precisely on target. Prvi Partizan have indeed for a long time been distributed in the USA under the "Hansen" brand name. But they never (never ever) made .22 rimfire ammunition. That one was and is only made by Pobjeda in Gorazde (Bosnia).
The Hansen-dubbed ammunition you depict was also made by Pobjeda. They have used quite a number of brandnames (at times absurdly old ones like "Lignose"), and today they go by "Maxxtech" in the USA. But it was and is always Pobjeda inside, though the quality has wavered markedly over the decades. Up and down.
Best regards, Alexander
Thanks, Alexander!
DeleteYou are welcome. Michael. I am curious about your shooting experience with this lot though. Some batches of Pobjeda were really bad (as I inferred above), including busted case rims, while others in the 1970s were quite decent middle class quality (not match ammo either). How did your batch show up in terms of accuracy and reliability, if I may ask?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alexander
Alexander,
ReplyDeleteI don’t recall any problems with the Hansen .22 failing to cycle in autos like the Marlin 60 and Ruger pistol I had back in the 1980s. I can’t say if it was accurate, as I wasn’t a very good shot back then! The next time I go to the range I’ll bring a box and do some testing.