Lee E. Jurras (July 27, 1934 – April 24, 2017) was an American firearm cartridge designer, known for creation of the Super Vel line of cartridges, and groundbreaking developments in

hollow-point ammunition A hollow-point bullet is a type of expanding bullet which expands on impact with a soft target, transferring more or all of the projectile's energy into the target over a shorter distance. Hollow-point bullets are used for controlled pene ...

. Jurras began

handloading Handloading, or reloading, is the practice of making firearm cartridges by manually assembling the individual components ( metallic/ polymer case, primer, propellant and projectile), rather than purchasing mass-assembled, factory-loaded com ...

cartridges for profit at age 12 and enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...

at age 17. In the late 1950s, he experimented with lathing rifle bullets to create jacketed handgun ammunition, inspired by Jim Harvey. In 1963, Jurras founded Super Vel ammunition company in

Shelbyville, Indiana Shelbyville is a city in Addison Township, Shelby County, in the U.S. state of Indiana and is the county seat. The population was 20,067 as of the 2020 census. History In 1818, the land that would become Shelbyville was ceded to the Un ...

. Jurras' ammo utilized lightweight bullets pushed at high velocities to cause bullet expansion, but at low enough pressure for typical firearms. The Super Vel line was a success, selling massive amounts of hollow-point ammunition to law enforcement and civilian buyers. However, the rapid growth of the company and its reliance on outsourcing of cartridge cases left it vulnerable. It was overtaken by competitors and closed its doors in 1974. Jurras continued his efforts in cartridge development, using as his base the powerful AutoMag pistol, and later the

Thompson Center Arms Thompson/Center Arms is an American firearms company based in Rochester, New Hampshire. The company was best known for its line of interchangeable-barrel, single-shot pistols and rifles. Thompson/Center also manufactures muzzle-loading rifles a ...

Contender pistol. Jurras co-authored several books on firearms with George C. Nonte. Jurras died April 24, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurras, Lee Ammunition designers 2017 deaths 1934 births People from Plant City, Florida People from Shelbyville, Indiana