ThIs promotional film for the Federal Cartridge corporation’s high quality shotgun cartridges and centerfire ammunition dates to the 1970s, after the introduction of the company’s Premium line. The film attempts to show the “inside story” of Federal Cartridge, showing how quality is maintained throughout the manufacturing process, and touching on various innovations that the company has pioneered. The film begins with aerial footage of the company’s 1 million square foot factory, which at the time was the second largest in the USA. It then shows some of the vast factory’s interior and exterior which includes a library, a club house, flower garden and many other amenities. At 3:50, the assembly line and warehouses are seen containing raw materials in vast supply. At 4:20, some of the eight quality control labs are seen, where raw materials are tested. At 5:00, a montage of production of shells is seen in some of the gigantic automated assembly line. At 10:50, centerfire cartridges are seen being tested and inspected for uniformity and accuracy. 25% of personnel at Federal work in quality control. At 13:20, .22 rimfire cartridges are displayed and their production shown. At 15:30, live fire of ammunition is shown including on ranges and in the field, to test accuracy and uniformity.
Federal Premium Ammunition, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vista Outdoor Inc., is located in Anoka, Minnesota. With a work force of nearly 1,500, Federal manufactures shotshell, centerfire, and rimfire ammunition and components.
On April 27, 1922, Charles L. Horn took control of a small plant in Anoka, Minnesota and refounded Federal Cartridge Corporation. Horn launched a distribution plan that involved merchandising Federal products in grocery stores, barbers shops, and filling stations. In 1941, Federal earned an $87-million contract from the U.S. government (approx. $1.3 billion in 2010) to build and operate the $30-million Twin City Ordnance Plant (TCOP). Federal ranked 59th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.
In 1977, William B. Horn introduced Federal’s Premium line of centerfire rifle and shotshell ammunition. Federal also owned Hoffman Engineering, a company that made electronic enclosures. In 1985, Federal was sold to a group of private investors including Kelso & Company, BancBoston Capital, and members of management. The two companies were united under the name Federal-Hoffman, Inc and taken private during the sale. However, in 1988, Pentair Inc., a diversified manufacturer based in Minnesota, agreed to acquire FC Holdings Inc., the holding company for Federal-Hoffman Inc., for $175 million USD in cash and the assumption of debt. Federal-Hoffman have since split, and Federal is currently owned by Vista Outdoor. Vista Outdoor group, formerly a group of outdoor and sporting companies owned by Alliant Techsystems; was spun off from Alliant Techsystems in February 2015. Federal Cartridge does business today as Federal Premium Ammunition.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
