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Federal Premium has introduced the Gold Medal Grand, a shotshell line geared toward clay-target competitors. It boasts a two-piece wad updated with new Soft-Cell technology that compresses slightly as the shot fires. Doing so lessens shot deformation, resulting in rounder pellets that produce consistent patterns. The cushioning effect also reduces felt recoil. Grand loads are the first shotshells utilizing Federal’s proprietary Catalyst primer, which contains no lead styphnate, but instead incorporates an aluminum component that produces a hotter firing temperature, thus promoting more efficient ignition of the propellant charge. Available in No. 7½ and 8 loadings, white-hulled Gold Medal Grands promise to become a fixture on trap, skeet and sporting clays fields. federalpremium.com
Despite the incredible array of polymer-frame, striker-fired, semi-automatic handguns on the market, the classic revolver not only refuses to die, it has seen something of a resurgence in recent years.
For 2026, the semi-automatic shotgun market has seen even more growth, with some manufacturers expanding their current offerings and other makers entering the marketplace with novel designs.
For the past 100 years, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) has established the standards that ensure our safety when using modern shotshells, cartridges, firearms and more.