{"id":13452,"date":"2023-09-28T05:26:34","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T05:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wideners.com\/blog\/?p=13452"},"modified":"2023-09-28T21:03:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T21:03:30","slug":"federal-action-shotgun-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wideners.com\/blog\/federal-action-shotgun-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Action Shotgun Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Writer: Kenzie Fitzpatrick<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Federal Premium has officially stepped up the shotgun game by introducing the Federal Action Shotgun 12 Gauge ammunition<\/a>. They developed this ammunition for serious competition shooters needing shotgun shells that reliably feed and eject without malfunctions. The development of this shotshell didn\u2019t happen overnight and required input from several high-level 3-gun competitive shooters. The result of what Federal released is a game-changer, especially for shotgunners running magazine-fed shotguns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those who don\u2019t live and breathe 3-Gun or shoot Skeet, Trap, or Sporting Clays might not know how hard it is to find reliable shotgun ammunition. With so many shotshell manufacturers, shot sizes, payloads, and feet per second needs, it can be overwhelming to figure out what works for you and your shotgun.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, the development and introduction of magazine-fed shotguns have posed issues with finding ammo that cycles nearly 100% in these firearms. Federal Action Shotgun ammunition has met many of these issues and concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, I will break down the problems with many shotshells on the market today and the solution to each problem that Federal Premium worked to fix.<\/span><\/p>\n

Common Shotshell Problems\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"a

It’s easy to deform the case of standard shotgun shells, loading, ejecting, and temperatures, are the most common culprits.<\/p><\/div>\n

Deformation of the Case<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter where in the country you live; the temperatures in the summertime can be rough on ammunition. High temperatures significantly affect shotshells because of the material of their hull. The hull holds the shotshell together. The head is made of brass or steel, along with the plastic or paper casing enclosing the rest of the shell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plastic material is malleable at higher temperatures. The deformation can occur more when stacking shells in a magazine instead of end-to-end, like most tube-fed shotguns. The plastic case can bulge and lose its shape, which will cause feeding issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Non-Rigid Wad<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The components that make up a shotgun shell are critical. If you use cheaper, not-as-high-quality components, you\u2019ll end up with cheaper, not-as-high-quality shells. A component crucial to the shotshell’s functionality is the wad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The wad separates the powder from the actual shot and contains the shotgun shot. It creates the seal that prevents the gases from blowing through the shot and propels it out of the shotgun, along with the wad. Not all wads are the same, and having shotshells with looser wads or wads that come unsealed can cause significant issues when firing the shot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deformation of the Brass Head<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some shotgun shells use brass heads instead of steel heads. Unfortunately, brass is a very malleable metal and can also deform in higher temperatures. Deformation of these heads can cause ejection issues after the shot is fired. Ejection issues can include stovepipes, which consume a lot of time when you have to clear these malfunctions under the pressure of a timer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many people stress over whether or not ammunition will feed, but forget about the complications of what happens after firing a shot and how important it is to have proper ejection of spent shells or casings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Folded Crimp Ejection Issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At the end of shotgun shells is either a roll crimp or (most commonly) a folded crimp. If you\u2019re familiar with slugs, most of these shotshells use a roll crimp with a shot card. Most birdshot ammunition uses a folded crimp, where the shell’s end folds over to prevent the shot from pouring out. The result is usually a pie-shaped pattern with multiple triangles closing up at the end of the shotshell. Shotgun ammunition manufacturers must leave about an extra quarter-inch after filling up the case to seal a shotshell with a folded crimp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you fire a shot out of the shotgun, this folded crimp blooms to release the shot from the gun\u2019s barrel. Then the entire shotshell case has to eject from the gun. In a tube shotgun or magazine-fed shotgun, the lengthened casing goes out the ejection port, where more issues can happen. That extra length from a folded crimp shotshell can cause stovepipes or cause the spent shell to stay stuck in the ejection port area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Solutions to Common Shotshell Issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The rigid hull and wad of Federal Action Shotgun ammo helps keep the shell from deforming.<\/p><\/div>\n

Rigid Hull<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The rigid hull design is the biggest improvement with the Federal Action Shotgun ammunition. The rigidity prevents the deformation of the shell, specifically when loading rounds on top of one another in a shotgun magazine. The structure of these shells also doesn\u2019t deform as much in high temperatures as others tend to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rigid Wad<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Federal incorporated a rigid wad with the Federal Action Shotgun ammunition. Doing so all but eliminates any external or internal deformation issues with the hull or the wad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Federal Action Shotgun: Roll Crimp<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As mentioned, most birdshot shotshells feature a folded crimp at the end. This is typically the cheapest way to manufacture shotgun ammunition. The Federal Action Shotgun ammunition features a roll crimp at the end of the shotshell with a shot card covering the end. A shot card is a small disc or plate end cap that protects the shot and around which they crimp the shell. A little fancy detail of this shotshell is that Federal stamps its logo into the shot card.<\/span><\/p>\n

The roll crimp offers a noteworthy benefit to the ejection process. That’s because the case of the shotshell only needs to be about \u215b of an inch longer instead of \u00bc of an inch to create the folded crimp. When you fire the shot, and the case tries to eject, there’s significantly less length to the spent casing than with a folded crimp shotshell. This shorter case is easier to extract and prevents malfunctions like stovepipes from occurring.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plated Steel Head<\/strong><\/h3>\n