June 18th, 2022
10minute read
It was a duck or a rat.
Lets say the first game I shot with a Federal load was the duck.
(Back then Federal focused on shotshells.)
If you know guns, then you know Federal. But, do you know the history of this 100-year-old ammunition company?
The teal had left clouds the color of worn asphalt to zip through tree tops bent by cold wind.
I shucked my shotgun three times, fast.
To my utter surprise, this rocket faltered, then pin-wheeled in a long, flat arc.
Charles Horn brought Federal back to life in 1922 and named the new company Federal Cartridge Corp.
It took shape on a 31-acre plot edging Anoka, Minnesota.
It would become a massive plant, enthused theAnokaUnionnewspaper, where all kinds of cartridges will be made.
Soon after operations began in its 60x320 shop, FC&M was re-organized as the Federal Cartridge Co.
In the early days, Charles Horn managed to sell Federal’s ammunition through barber shops, gas stations and dentists’ offices.
The Shermans planned an output of 175,000 shotshells a week for military contracts.
However, contact opportunities dried up in November 1918.
But conflicts with investors had driven the brothers out months before the armistice.
Belt-driven tooling powered Federal through the 1920s. Clumsy with machinery, Charles Horn was asked by his employees to “keep out of the factory” as many hours a day as possible.
Only a few orders for 12-bore shells were produced, to order, before the factory closed in 1920.
Ironically, Federals early collapse would bring it a promising future.
Minneapolis-based Charles Horn, 34, was President of the American Ball Co.
Much of Federal’s early business focused on shotshells, like these being shipped above.
In 1922 he sought a source for paper tubes to package his companys BBs for air guns.
The dormant Federal factory had rolled paper hulls for shotshells.
Horn was persuaded perhaps by T.W.
Federal used plastic shotshell hulls for more than just water resistance. The company color-coded the hulls so that you knew which to grab for your scattergun.
Lewis, the sole remaining stockholder to resurrect Federal.
The new Federal made black-powder and smokeless shotshells.
Revenues from BB tubes the diameter of 12-bore hulls kept the belt-driven machines humming.
Charles Horn purchased the remnants of the original Federal Cartridge Company in 1922, as he wanted tubes for air gun BBs.
Horns of a Dilemma
An able executive, Horn was an ox on the factory floor.
After another move, it would occupy Minneapolis Foshay Tower until the mid-1980s.
Federals main challenge early on was distribution.
Today, Federal offers a broad range of handgun, rifle and shotgun cartridges. Much of its early sales — and advertising — related to feeding shotguns.
Established channels were controlled by two big ammunition firms: Union Metallic Cartridge (Remington-U.M.C.
after 1912) and Western Cartridge (Winchester-owned after 1932).
His rural-Iowa roots inspired Horn to explore outlets untapped by the competition.
This is a classic box of .270 Win ammo from the company’sHi-Shok line.
It proved a brilliant scheme!
It was a high-stakes bet.
Federal would have to sell many millions of .22 rounds just to cover the huge up-front costs.
Today, Federal offers many of the top bullets in its rifle and handgun loads. Shown here is a box for a 6.5 Creedmoor load with Barnes TSX projectiles.
In 1924 the first cases shipped.
Shooters lapped them up.
That year, Horn acquired the American Cartridge Co. in Kansas City, Missouri.
The author shot this Australian buffalo at 27 yards with a .338 Magnum Federal load with a Trophy Bonded bullet.
It was also producing ammunition for house brands like Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward.
Despite Wall Streets implosion in October, 1929, Federals payroll climbed above 500.
Charles Horn remained president; Anokas R.B.
Today’s Federal continues to prosper by offering shooters a wide range of top-quality products from which to choose.
Ehlen, hired in 1930, managed the plant.
The 30s brought more options in rimfire ammo.
In 1937, Federal began using non-mercuric primers.
Federal currently offers for sale a limited-edition tabletop book on the company’s history, available atfederalpremium.com.
And Charles Horn infused Federal magazine ads with messages about wise use of natural resources.
It added copper-plated steel in 35.
Two years later, the cadmium option was shelved, due to the platings toxicity.
Federal would produce coppered BBs until 1976.
It started up in March, 1942, R.B.
Ehlen supervising centerfire lines.
TCOP eventually employed 25,000 workers over half of whom were women.
Contracted to deliver 100 million cartridges, it would ship more than fivebillionby V-J day in August, 1945.
TCOP (renamed Twin Cities Arsenal) was deactivated in 46.
With a return to making shotshells, Federal diversified its product line.
In 1951 Federal began manufacturing primers for handloaders.
Meanwhile, plastic shotshells and wads supplanted paper.
Federal pioneered color-coded shells: red for 12-gauge, purple for 16, yellow for 20.
It began selling shotshell components.
On the companys 50thanniversary, all five winners at the Grand American Trapshooting event used Federal shells.
This was also Charles Horns 50thyear as president.
(His son William would assume the presidency three years later.)
Retiring in 1980, Charles Horn died the next year at age 90.
Law enforcement (LE) rifle and handgun ammunition evolved to meet FBI and Secret Service protocols.
The 80s brought several new shotshell lines.
In 1982, Federal acquired rights to Smith & Wessons nylon-jacketed Nyclad bullet, predecessor to Federals Syntech.
It sold to Federal-Hoffman, a new organization that would operate as two: Federal Cartridge and Hoffman Engineering.
David Lentz took charge at Federal-Hoffman.
The company sold again in 1988, to Pentair, Inc.
Under president Ron Mason, Federal introduced a 312 12-gauge shotshell andHydra-Shok LE handgun ammunition.
It became U.S. distributor for Swedens ammo giant Norma.
And it ramped up development of match loads that would put U.S. shooters on Olympic podiums.
In Barcelona in 1992, Launi Meili would use Federals new UltraMatch to win three-position gold.
Federal-supported organizations would soon number more than 21, including the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the NRA.
Stevens also helped launch the 4-H Shooting Sports Program for youth, ages 8-18.
CCI and Federal would eventually furnish20 million.22 cartridges for such efforts.
Late in 97 Pentair peddled Federal to Blount Industries, Inc., of Montgomery, Alabama.
Minnesota-based Alliant Techsystems (ATK) got Blounts International Sporting Equipment Group.
Mark DeYoung became president of Federal Premium Ammunition a working, not official, name.
In 2003 the equally talented Tom Knapp joined Federals team, working his magic with shotguns.
The next year, as Mark DeYoung assumed more responsibility at ATK, Ron Johnson became Federals president.
Federal developed the .327 Federal Magnum in 2007, to meet brisk demand for self-defense handguns.
Revolvers so bored would also accept .32 H&R Magnum and .32 S&W loads.
Federal released its HST bullet, designed for LE use, to the public.
For waterfowlers, the company added Ultra-Shok High Density tungsten alloy loads and FliteControl wads.
Premium no longer appeared in the company name, instead defining top products across ammunition categories.
Innovation brought forth more than 120 new Federal products before the 2020 SHOT Show!
A poly-tipped Terminal Ascent bullet was hailed an updated Trophy Bonded.
The6.5 Creedmoorgained a Fusion load.
A 7mm-08 deer load joined the Non-Typical roster.
The .280 Ackley made its debut with Trophy Copper bullets.
Swifts sleek Scirocco appeared in Premium rifle loads.
Not then ready to market, but since released: the .30 Super Carry pistol cartridge.
New Partners
Federal got a bump from the dissolution of Remingtons firearms business in September 2020.
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