1934 – 2017
Invented the first commercially successful hollow point ammo “Super Vel”
- 1963 founded Super Vel ammunition
– Shelbyville, Indiana - 1974 – Super Vel closed
- 1975 involvemed with the Auto Mag
– in New Mexico - co-authored several books on firearms
- published the Auto Mag Newsletter
- L.E. Jurras Custom Model 100 Auto Mags
– offered in all three calibers
– with serial numbers with an LEJ prefix - co-authored the book Handgun Hunting
July 27, 1934 – April 24, 2017
About Lee Jurras
Lee E. Jurras was an American cartridge designer whose Super Vel ammunition changed what police officers and private citizens carried for self-defense. Born in Plant City, Florida, he was handloading cartridges for profit by age 12 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at 17. In the late 1950s, inspired by the work of Jim Harvey, he began experimenting with turning down jacketed rifle bullets on a lathe to make expanding handgun projectiles.
In 1963 Jurras founded Super Vel in Shelbyville, Indiana. His approach was to drive lightweight jacketed hollow-point bullets at high velocity so they would expand reliably, while keeping pressures within safe limits for ordinary service handguns. Super Vel sold large quantities of hollow-point ammunition to law enforcement and civilian buyers, and Shooting Illustrated later called him the father of modern personal-defense ammo. The company grew quickly but relied on outside suppliers for cartridge cases and closed in 1974 as larger competitors entered the market. Jurras continued developing cartridges around the powerful Auto Mag pistol and later the Thompson/Center Contender, and co-authored firearms books with George C. Nonte, including Handgun Hunting.
Key Facts
- July 27, 1934: Born in Plant City, Florida.
- 1963: Founds the Super Vel ammunition company in Shelbyville, Indiana.
- 1974: Super Vel closes its doors after being overtaken by competitors.
- September 1975: Handgun Hunting, co-written with George C. Nonte, is published.
- April 24, 2017: Dies in Columbus, Indiana, at age 82.
Sources
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