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A Fight to the Top: The Story of Apex Ammunition

When a group of friends was brought together through the service of their country and their mutual love of the outdoors — a new American ammo brand was born.

By Matthew J. Breuer

Every year something new hits the hunting market that’s expected to be revolutionary, but oftentimes the idea falls short. In 2017, the only thing that anyone could talk about was tungsten super shot (TSS).

TSS did not fall short, and is now the standard in turkey loads, and many waterfowl hunters rely on it, too. TSS is ultra-dense shot that is known for its hard-hitting properties and its ability to take down birds at long distances. While TSS had been around for a while, nobody was really making shells to be sold commercially to the public. TSS was pretty much exclusive to handloaders and people who knew someone who was handloading it. Three guys with military ties who loved hunting saw the empty space on the market, and decided to do something about it. Apex Ammunition was born.

Left to right, Nick Charney, sales; Jason Lonsberry, CEO; Jared Lewis, COO. Photo courtesy Apex Ammunition

Owners, Jason Lonsberry, Jared Lewis and Nick Charney didn’t meet by happenstance. They didn’t go to elementary school together or meet at a party; they have a story that is quite unbelievable. Their wives Suzie Lonsberry, Val Ferraro and Jess Charney were all Air Force pilots. Through flight school, training, deployments and bouncing from base to base, they all met and became friends. Their husbands were naturally paired up and quickly became buddies. Jared was U.S. Army artillery, so he had a great grasp of ballistics. Nick was active Air Force and was incredibly personable. Jason was a civilian, very into business startups. Their friendship made sense, their team chemistry made sense, and after an eye-opening hunt, their business made sense.

Jess Charney boarding a fighter jet. Photo courtesy Apex Ammunition

Val Ferraro (left) and Susie Lonsberry (right) having a laugh on base. Photo courtesy Apex Ammunition

Jason, Jared and Nick met for a duck hunt in Oklahoma in early 2017, and Nick showed up prepared. He had been experimenting with TSS, and on that day he handloaded some TSS shells in preparation for the hunt. That morning he loaded up his shotgun with TSS, while Jason and Jared were using traditional steel. Jason recalls that it was a slower day in the duck blind, and the birds weren’t working well. A lone mallard skirted the decoys and Jason and Jared unloaded their three shells each, without pulling a feather. Nick pulled up late and fired one shot of TSS. The bird was roughly 60 yards out, and it dropped like a stone. Right then and there, thoughts went wild and discussions began. After the hunt, over a hot pizza and a cold beer, the idea for Apex formed. A month later they pooled their life savings together and started Apex Ammunition.

Photo courtesy Apex Ammunition

Shortly after things got rolling in an 18×30-foot shop given to the guys by Jared’s father, Jared was deployed to Syria, and Nick was in Turkey, while Jason was with his wife on assignment in Germany. Communication became difficult, but the business had a secret glue that held the it together. Jared’s father, John, stepped in and took charge and employed a bit of help. With limited communication, but a full grasp on what the guys wanted to achieve, he kept things running and ensured that quality was at its peak. Without him, Apex wouldn’t be where it is today.

Jason, Jared and Nick all knew how important customer service was, and they made it clear from the beginning that they were not going to mass produce ammo of a quality that wasn’t up to their standards. That’s why every TSS load that comes from Apex is handloaded and checked for quality. When it comes to tungsten super shot, the discrepancy of a single grain can throw things off drastically. Not only is each shell produced with premium quality standards, when customers order TSS they receive their package with a hand-written appreciation note. If they order three boxes or more, their shells come in a special limited-edition cigar box.

Photo courtesy Apex Ammunition

The guys recognized that turkey hunters are very meticulous. Turkey hunters don’t want to just go out and shoot turkeys, they want the whole experience to have meaning and feeling. The look and feel of Apex helps achieve that. From opening the classy collectible box, to loading the shotgun with handloaded TSS shells, to firing on a hard-charging gobbler and watching it fold, it all comes together to make the hunt feel right and worthy of its memory. It’s not just a box of shells, it’s an experience.

While Apex prides itself on their TSS loads, they also offer blended loads that are produced using an inline loader. After intense testing and patterning, they found steel to be too inconsistent as it was. By using TSS wads and plating their steel with zinc, they were able to reduce barrel friction to produce incredibly consistent patterns. These blended loads are a favorite of waterfowl hunters. TSS can be quite spendy, especially when you’re going through a few boxes each weekend. The blended loads offer a solution to that, while still providing great patterns and exceptional terminal velocity.

For turkey hunters, there’s an Apex shell for everyone. Whether you like a single-size, hard-hitting TSS, or a nice stacked blend of pellets. Whether you like .410 or 10 gauge. Apex has it. The Small Town Blend is a favorite. It’s a mix of #7½ shot on top of #9 shot. Out of a 12 gauge, the Small Town Blend throws about 698 pellets downrange at 1,190 fps. For you .410 lovers, and those chasing their small-bore slams, the 410 Bore 3” is for you. Loaded with either 9 or 9.5 shot, the 410 Bore maximizes the amount of pellets being thrown downrange for those wanting less recoil. Everything from .410 up to 10 gauge is available in the Turkey TSS line.

If you’re more of a connoisseur, and want something really special, Apex offers Small Batch Series shells. You choose what you want to hunt, what gauge you prefer, length of shell, payload in ounces, and the quantity you want to order, and they’ll make it as specific as they can to what you want, within their quality limits. You can mix and match shot sizes and material, and make the shell you’ve always wanted.

Photo courtesy Apex Ammunition

Three guys, brought together by military roots, powered by love for their families and trust, working out of a small Mississippi town, making ammo for the hard-working American. It’s debatable whether their story or their ammo hits harder. Either way, this veteran-owned, American-made company has taken the TSS world by storm, and is a favorite amongst turkey hunters wanting more than just “a shell.”

For more information about Apex Ammunition and all of its products, visit apexmunition.com.

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