Federal Premium & American Eagle Ammo Ready to Ship

Anoka, Minnesota home to Federal Premium Ammunition.

Federal Ammo's History

The company that Federal would become was actually founded in 1916, but it languished until Charles L. Horn refounded it six years later.

Part of Horn’s genius was his ability to perceive and establish novel distribution channels. Horn began offering Federal’s ammunition for sale in unconventional places like barber shops and grocery stores, and eventually instructed his salesmen to solicit business from every hardware store and gas station in the towns that they visited. (Horn benefitted by living in a time when barbershops could sell ammunition -- if they tried doing that now, they would soon be destroyed in a perfect storm of legal action, public outcry, and media condemnation.)

Horn’s enthusiastic approach to marketing paid off early on. In 1924 Federal purchased the American Cartridge Company in Kansas City, Missouri, and moved its production to Anoka to support their rapid growth. Federal also began producing rimfire ammunition in that year.

As they grew, Federal earned a reputation for philanthropism. In 1934 Horn helped to institute the 4-H Club Conservation Program, and in 1937 he encouraged congress to pass the Pittman Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. Federal gifted Anoka its new city hall in 1955, a solid, Brutalist monument to the company’s gratitude toward its hometown.

In the early 1940s Federal won a government contract worth over $1 billion in today’s money to erect and operate the Twin City Ordnance Plant. It was one of the six government owned, contractor operated ammunition factories active in the U.S. during WWII, and at its peak the plant employed more than 26,000 people. The plant has since gone defunct, and an attempt to resurrect it as the new home of the Minnesota Vikings fell through in favor of the gigantic shoebox that now dominates the Minneapolis skyline.

Innovation in Shotshells

Federal introduced color coded shotshells in 1960. The now seemingly intuitive idea made selecting the correct shotgun ammunition far easier, and several other manufacturers have since implemented it. In 1963 Federal grew yet again, beginning production of centerfire rifle and pistol ammunition. In 1977 the company’s president William B. Horn introduced Federal’s Premium line of shotshells and rifle cartridges. Premium loads featured target shooting projectiles by Sierra and hunting bullets by Nosler, and were loaded to Federal’s characteristically tight tolerances.

Modern Ammunition Production

Federal was sold to a group of private investors in 1985, and then again to Pentair three years later. They are currently owned by Vista Outdoor, and thus share good company with respected brands including CCI and Speer. Their operation in Anoka includes four separate factories with a combined area of more than 700 thousand square feet.

Without suggesting that other manufacturers lack one, Federal’s dedication to technological innovation really sets them apart. They keep tech that works and still use machinery that dates back to the 1940s, but their modern production processes have consistently yielded ammunition that redefines the shooting industry.

Founded

1922; Anoka, Minnesota

Founder

Charles Horn

Operations

Anoka, Minnesota

Ammo Made

Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun

Popular Lines

American Eagle, Fusion, Syntech, Hydra-Shok (HST)

Federal Lines & Brands

To give you an idea of just how vast Federal’s selection has become, here are only a few of their product lines:

American Eagle: Low-cost yet high quality, Federal’s American Eagle ammunition has become a staple at ranges across the country.

HST: Originally restricted to law enforcement use only, Federal’s HST ammunition delivers the optimal blend of accuracy and expanding terminal performance for self-defense applications.

Hydra-Shok: With its unique center post design, a Hydra-Shok bullet is able to consistently penetrate deeply without sacrificing devastating expansion.

Power-Shok: Offering tried and true soft point and hollow point projectiles, Power-Shok loads let hunters enjoy effective results without spending too much money.

Gold Medal: Loaded with target shooting projectiles by industry leaders Sierra and Berger, Gold Medal ammunition delivers the benchrest accuracy for competitive shooting.

Fusion: With its electrochemically bonded jacket and core, a Fusion hunting bullet couples reliable expansion with the extreme weight retention requisite for deep penetration.

Syntech: Featuring Federal’s advanced Total Synthetic Jacket, Syntech bullets simultaneously eliminate metal fouling and airborne lead while greatly reducing friction in a firearm’s barrel, significantly prolonging its lifespan.

Black Cloud: Ideal for hunting waterfowl, Black Cloud shotshells combine conventional steel shot with sharp-edged FliteStopper pellets that ground birds fast.

Prairie Storm: Like Black Cloud but optimized for upland game, Prairie Storm offers a combination of copper plated and FliteStopper shot for reliable kills over great ranges.

You'll find a ton of in-stock and cheap Federal ammo for sale here at Target Barn. Browse the links above to find your caliber and load.