Anyone notice how two of the surges are exactly the same on the elite Hired Gun? I'm guessing one of them means Pierce 1 but I'm just wondering if anyone else has noticed the problem.

No, they're the same on purpose.

+1 damage is better than pierce 1.

I don't think its a mistake, same as spoiled on the hired guns article.

Since you can only trigger each one once, I think its meant as a very slight upgrade over pierce 1 in situations where you roll 2 surges. Pierce 1 against a white die blank will do nothing, but the extra damage does. All other cases its about the same.