Federal introduces new "High Over All" competition shotshell series

Zac Kurylyk in Ammo on August 30, 2021

These days, you'd think the money in the US firearms market would all be in the tactical segment. But, Federal seems to think otherwise, bringing its new High Over All competition shotshell series to market. It enters as part of Federal's Premium line.

Details on the new series of claybusting loads are ... surprisingly light. Federal sent out a press release to promo the new shotgun shells, but that's it. Although the presser refers readers to Federal's websites for more details, details on the new High Over All line don't appear there yet, besides the press release info.

Here's what we do know. According to the press release, this is intended to be a premium product: "Federal High Over All (HOA) brings a high-end plastic shotshell load built for competition needs." Wait, doesn't Federal already have the Gold Medal and Top Gun series? Does this mean one of those will be replaced? There's certainly no indication as such.

Here are the 16 new loads available in this series at this point.

So what's different about the new shells? Judging from the presser, the new one-piece Podium shotshell wad appears to be key to the design, aimed at providing "the most consistent patterns." A note on the press release indicates this new Podium wad is only for 12 gauge loads.

Aside from that, you get hard, high-antimony lead shot (presumably to reduce deformation, therefore providing a more even shot pattern). The shotshell has a solid brass head and tapered one-piece hull with eight-segment crimp, which is supposed to make reloading easier.

For now, Federal is bringing the High Over All line in 12 gauge only. As per the press release: "The complete list of sixteen 12-gauge, 2 3/4-inch offerings have a wide range of payloads, velocity, dram and shot sizes to accommodate the needs of any discipline of competitive shooting." The plan is to introduce new sub-gauge loads in 2022

It will likely be a while before we see these boxes on Canadian shelves, given the cross-border hassles that the firearms industry faces.

What about pricing? Again, no indication yet, certainly not for Canadian customers, but as it's part of the Premium line, expect it to command a higher price tag, especially as prices on made-in-America ammo are on the rise. It might be a while before it's widely available even in the US market, although Federal indicates it's already been demoing the ammo at shooting events in the US.