Show Notes
A big thank you to Jared, Cameron, and Boomer for their hospitality and engagement. This episode follows Bama Wall Hangers as they travel to neighboring Columbus, MS to visit Apex Ammunition’s warehouse and production center to talk with company leadership about how Apex started, what makes its TSS loads different, and why the company expanded into dove loads. The conversation is part origin story, part ammo education, and part look at the realities of building a manufacturing business from scratch.
We discuss Apex’s founding, the science behind tungsten super shot, and how the team thinks about load design, customer service, and hunting performance. Apex started in January 2017 after the founders went duck hunting together and started comparing shells, patterns, and performance. The company was built by three original founders, Brad talks with the team about how their wives in aviation and the military helped connect them in the first place.
Apex was bootstrapped with about $30,000 and started production out of a 20 by 30 wood shop at one founder’s father’s house.The first shop sale reportedly brought in $13,000 of product in about 10 minutes, which helped confirm demand early on.The team explains how military deployments and relocations forced them to run the company from different continents while family members and Jared’s dad helped keep operations moving. Apex’s current structure is outlined clearly: one partner handles operations, recipes, and branding, another handles executive decisions, and Rick helps with financial strategy.
The company’s core product focus is TSS, and the episode breaks down why tungsten super shot is denser than lead and why that matters for pellet count and pattern density. Jared explains the manufacturing process at a high level, including binders, furnace processing, grinding, washing, and sizing. The conversation compares gauges and use cases, especially 28 gauge, 20 gauge, and 410 bore for turkey and waterfowl hunting. The team discusses why smaller gauges have become more popular as TSS performance improved, especially for youth hunters and smaller-framed shooters.
