Federal’s Evolution Of Turkey Loads

Modern turkey ammo offers performance benefits beyond what any hunter had ever seen or dreamed of 100 years ago. The credit for that goes to the ammunition companies that have innovated and evolved their product lines, giving turkey hunters new and better options as the times changed and technology advanced.

Federal Ammunition celebrated its 100th anniversary April 27, 2022. Rick Stoeckel, Federal’s product director of shotshell, provided some insight into the company’s historical events and products of the past.

Stoeckel grew up near Crown, Minnesota, about 20 miles north of Anoka where Federal Cartridge Corporation was headquartered. For 20 years, Rick’s father, Lawrence, worked at Federal as an adjuster running shotshell loaders, yet he was also a full-time dairy farmer at that same time. Rick saw firsthand his father’s incredible work ethic and his commitment to a great company. In 1984, Rick graduated college and took a job as a sales rep for Federal.

“Sales reps got a company car,” he said. “I picked up a brand new Chevy Impala and they loaded it up so full of ammo and literature the rear end practically dragged. I drove it home to show my dad, and it was one of the proudest days of his life. He was so happy I was working at Federal.”

Throughout 38 years that followed, Rick worked his way through the company, which sometimes continued to be a family affair, as Rick’s children also worked for Federal, along with other relatives such as uncles and cousins. Rick is currently in charge of the shotshell, rimfire and muzzleloading product lines. Federal’s turkey loads fall under Rick’s responsibility, and it is of special interest to him.

“Turkey hunting itself and turkey populations have come a very long way over the years since I’ve been with Federal,” he said. “Personally, I love the sport and I greatly enjoy helping to make turkey loads for all the die-hard hunters out there.”

Federal’s price list from 1926 recommends their most powerful 12-gauge loads (with 1¼-ounce shot) in shot size BB or No. 2 for wild turkeys. These loads (named Hi-Power) featured paper hulls. The paper tubes used to make the hulls were wound tight to provide structure and support. The hulls were waxed or varnished for water resistance.

“With that large shot size, hunters must have been aiming for body shots in those early days,” Rick said. “Turkey loads from 100 years ago are dramatically different from what we shoot today. It used to be the heaviest payloads and larger diameter shot. Now we’ve come full circle, and it’s all about high pellet count in the kill zone with small TSS pellets.”

Shotshells through the 1940s stayed relatively the same, as new product development was mostly halted due to Federal making products to help the World War II effort. In 1954, Federal Ammunition introduced its first 2¾-inch magnum shotshell load. Magnum loads carried an increased powder charge and heavier shot payload, making them more powerful, enabling hunters to become more successful. Then in 1957, Federal’s 3-inch super magnum shotshell was introduced. These were all still paper-hulled.

“It wasn’t until 1965 when Federal introduced the first extruded plastic hulls,” Rick recalled. “This new and novel idea soon became the industry standard.”

Plastic shells were easier and cheaper to produce and more waterproof. Plastic hulls were something waterfowl and turkey hunters were quick to embrace. Also in the 1960s, a plastic wad (shot cup) was used to hold and protect the shot, instead of old fiber and cardboard wads.

“Federal’s game guide section in the 1975 catalog recommends Magnum or Hi-Power hunting loads in shot sizes BB, 2, 4, 5 or 6 for wild turkeys,” Rick said. “With the recommendation of smaller shot sizes, one can only assume head shots were becoming more common in those days.”

In 1977, Federal launched its new Federal Premium line of shotshell ammunition. This ammo promised first-class components with additional quality checks.

“The Federal Premium category of products became our best shotshells of all time,” Rick explained. “Federal’s Premium product line immediately gained popularity with turkey hunters who desired the best, and they still reign supreme today.”

In 1988, a 12-gauge, 3½-inch magnum load was introduced. This gave more power to hunters who wanted to use a 12-gauge, instead of a big, heavy 10-gauge shotgun.

“The creation of 3½-inch shotshells was a big event in the marketplace at that time in history,” Rick said. “Turkey hunters definitely preferred the bigger payloads in 12-gauge.”

Turkey loads really started becoming something special throughout the 1990s and 2000s, as the Turkey Load Timeline reveals (see sidebar). Plus, Federal was doing its part to give back to the conservation of the wild turkey.

“By 2007, Federal’s royalty program with the NWTF reached the 5-million-round milestone,” Rick recalled. “A portion of every box of NWTFlogo turkey ammo went directly to them. That is a lot of ammo to benefit conservation, and it’s probably close to double that by now. We are extremely proud of that.”

Throughout the 2010s, Federal continued to enhance and add on to its turkey load offerings. Federal’s current 2022 lineup of turkey loads are popular with die-hard turkey hunters worldwide. This list of choices can be directly tied to products that came before them. Turkey ammo that Federal offers today includes Grand Slam, 3rd Degree, and HEAVYWEIGHT TSS.

“Shotshells started rolling out of Federal’s factory in 1922,” Rick concluded. “It took a long time adapting modern technology, manufacturing processes, material sourcing and many other efforts for its massive product lineup to become the powerhouse it is today. Without the turkey loads of yesterday, we wouldn’t have the ultraeffective loads we have right now.”

Over the past century, Federal became well known as one of the leading ammunition brands in the world. With strong leadership in the market and a continued commitment to new product development, the company aims to remain at the top of the ammunition market for another 100 years.

A In 1998, tungsten-iron shot was introduced. The new, nontoxic shot delivered even more power and density than lead, but with the speed of steel. Turkey hunters loved it because it was lethal out to longer distances. By this time, Federal’s packaging featured a graphic of a wild turkey to signify the company’s turkey-ammo dedication.

B In the early 2000s, Federal launched a total rebrand initiative. Product names changed to include “Shok” in the title. This meant Federal’s traditional lead-shot turkey load became “Strut-Shok.” The legendary Federal duck logo that had graced the company’s boxes since the early days went away, the brand’s new shock wave logo design has now become as iconic as the duck.

C In 2002, new Premium Turkey Grand Slam loads were launched in 10-, 12- and 20-gauge. These loads featured fast and heavy payloads of copper-plated lead shot and became a standard in Federal’s lineup. These loads were enhanced and improved upon in 2018 and are still popular today, especially shot size No. 5.

D In 2005, Federal introduced its revolutionary FLITECONTROL wad that completely changed the game for controlling patterns, as it stayed with the shot string longer after exiting the muzzle. In 2006, Federal Premium Mag-Shok turkey loads proudly promoted this new wad on its packaging, along with the NWTF logo.

E In the early 1990s, 10-packs of Magnum 12-gauge, 3-inch loads for turkey hunters were promoted in Federal’s catalogs. In all the years before this, Magnum shotshells were sold in 25-count boxes. Since turkey hunters typically only used a few shells a year, the smallercount packs were more practical. Today, 10- or 5-count packs are the industry’s norm.

F In 2005, Federal introduced HEAVYWEIGHT tungsten shot that was denser (15 g/cc) than other tungsten alloys offered in the past by any ammo manufacturer. In 2011, the company unveiled its new Mag-Shok HEAVYWEIGHT Turkey 20-gauge, 2¾-inch shells, which helped make this sub-gauge quite effective and deadly.

G In 1999, new Federal Premium High Energy turkey loads were announced. These lead loads provided more velocity than other turkey loads available in the past. In 2001, Federal started using the NWTF logo on packaging to signify its financial sponsorship of the long-standing conservation organization.

H In 2018, Federal’s HEAVYWEIGHT TSS Turkey Loads were introduced. This meant Federal was the first large ammo company to load Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) in factory-loaded ammo. TSS is the densest (18g/cc) tungstenalloy shot available and is quite effective at longer ranges. TSS also allowed the .410 bore to become effective for harvesting wild turkeys out to 40 yards.

I In 2015, Federal’s new 3rd Degree turkey loads were launched. These shotshells featured three different types of shot to deliver a versatile load that worked well on turkeys no matter if they were close, mid-range or long range. In 2018, Federal made improvements to its wad system and the FLITECONTROL FLEX wad was born, which patterned better in all types of chokes.