NEW For 2022: Federal Upland Steel Shotshells Using Paper Wads
Using steel shot on birds and small game has so many benefits. Steel is denser than lead, meaning the same size pattern can house more pellets. Another benefit to steel is that it’s cleaner. Using steel shot keeps levels of lead pollution lower, keeping our shooting spots clean. With this in mind, Federal Premium is releasing their popular Upland Steel shotshells, now using paper wads to reduce the amount of plastic left on the ground.
Federal Premium news @ TFB:
Put more birds on the ground—and less plastic. Federal® Upland Steel uses the new Paper Wad, cellulose-based filler and a paper gas-sealing over-powder wad to produce effective patterns while significantly reducing the amount of plastic left in the field. Its high velocity makes the most of the 1-ounce steel payload.
Upland Steel Shotshells Now Using A Paper Wad
These 2 3/4″ shells are carrying one whole ounce of steel. The 7.5 shot is mixed with Federal’s cellulose-based filler, keeping the shot pattern consistent. These high-velocity shells hurl metal toward your target at 1,330 feet per second. They use an over-powder paper wad to produce effective and predictable patterns. Federal is also using paper wads to reduce the amount of plastic left on the ground after a day of shooting. Each box contains 25 Upland Steel shotshells.
SPECS
- Gauge: 12
- Shell length: 2 3/4″
- Shot size: 7.5
- Payload: 1 oz
- Shells per box: 25
- MSRP: $19.99
Find Federal Upland Steel Ammo
If you enjoy the benefits of steel shot, you can head over to Federal Premium’s website for more information. If you’d like more content from Federal, be sure to like, follow, and subscribe to their social media pages. They can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Go get you some dinner!
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Stemming from his childhood love of WWII history, Nic's passion for firearms continues to grow as his maturity level recedes. He has competed in local USPSA, IDPA, and rifle competitions, and has an almost unnatural affection for Rosie, his Gen3 Glock 19. @the_brutal_rooster
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Steel. Hevi-shot; bismuth and tungsten all have the tendency to "pencil" birds. It sucks to know you hammered a bird as it flies off to god knows where to die. Pretty much stopped shooting waterfowl because of this. The shift from lead due to accidental ingestion may be a valid argument, but when you hit em with lead, they drop to the ground faster than a prom dress...
Steel is far inferior to lead in terms of killing ability. It is clearly less dense than lead, (about 7 grams per Cc if memory serves vs 11 for lead). This leads to rapid loss of energy and poor penetration. To overcome this, one has to increase shot size which reduces pattern density. To improve penetration you can also increase velocity but at the cost of an exponential increase in recoil. Steel is a great crippler of game birds and I won't use it. I am all for improving the environment. But steel shot isn't the answer. Unintended consequences...
A "full ounce of steel" is quite a small payload. Less than the typical 1 1/8 ounce lead shot for cheap target shells and according to my kpy ballistics software, #9 lead Penetrates better than 7.5 steel. 1 1/8 oz number 9 pellets is about 644 pellets vs 1 Oz steel 7.5 at 496 pellets. This stuff is inferior in every way and at more than double the cost I wonder who the market is. You only use steel if you have to