Turkey hunting is often a one-shot proposition. As the wily birds typically give you only one shot, you need to make it count. Federal, whose parent company builds everything from laser-guided bombs to systems for the Space Shuttle, has brought high-tech engineering and design to turkey hunting with its new Mag-Shok Heavyweight line of turkey loads. About all that's the same is the outside of the shell, the primer and the powder.

To start, a new wad dubbed Flight Control by Federal is used in all Mag-Shok Heavyweight loads. In the barrel it holds the shot like a standard wad, but acts sort of like a badminton shuttlecock once it leaves. Petals are skived in the rear of the wad, and as the expanding gas from the powder charge pushes the wad forward, the petals separate, but are held together inside the barrel. They spread out, again like a shuttlecock, after exiting. Also, other petals project forward to act as air brakes, slowing the wad's movement after the wad and shot leave the muzzle together.

What this does is retard the wad's movement in line with the path of the shot, allowing the shot to separate at the optimum moment, delivering tighter patterns than conventional wads. In its tests, Federal, has found that, depending on the load and choke, patterns may be up to 20 percent tighter than regular loads with standard wads. Also, the wad protects the barrel from the hard shot, and the shot actually stays with the wad longer.

While Federal is using Flight Control wads with lead loads, the firm has also added an all-new Heavyweight shot material to its Mag-Shok loads. A tungsten-alloy shot, Heavyweight has a density of 15.2 grams per cc, so it is actually 37 percent denser than lead. It's also uniformly round and looks like traditional shot, delivering the better ballistics of spherical shot with no tabs or feet making the shot out of round and adding to its air resistance.

What that extra density provides is more energy on the target downrange, as the heavier Heavyweight shot does not bleed off velocity or energy as quickly as a lighter weight lead or steel pellet. Federal recommends that only barrels rated for steel shot be used with Mag-Shok Heavyweight shotshells.

Mag-Shok Heavyweight loadings include 12-ga., 31⁄2- and 12-ga., 3-inch No. 4s, No. 5s and No. 6s. The 3-inch load we tested propelled 15⁄8 ounces of No. 6s at 1280 f.p.s. This load had an average pellet count of 364 and delivered more than 52 percent of them in a 24-inch circle at 60 yards. At closer ranges, it was even more impressive. At 40 yards, there were 12 hits in the head and neck area of a Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C turkey head target.

While some will look at this new form of non-toxic shot and its impressive downrange performance and immediately think of waterfowling, don't do it. Heavyweight shot has not yet been approved for migratory waterfowl.

In sum, heavyweight brings a lot of technology and performance to turkey hunting ammunition.

Mag-Shok Heavyweight uses a new tungsten-alloy shot that is spherical and 37 percent denser than lead.