Sep 17, 2024
Ammo Makers: Steve Gunderson, Federal, Manufactures Gold Winning Shot
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The world witnessed a stunning display of American dominance in skeet shooting in Paris last month when Team Federal secured four medals at this year’s Games. The team’s captivating performance was extraordinary, gaining the attention and admiration of spectators from around the world.
But with all the fired shots, busted targets and polished medals, the one element uniting the U.S. medalists may have gone unnoticed: The 24-gram shot in their pouch.
That’s right. Across the board, these decorated athletes shot the same brand shell in competition, all manufactured by a team at Federal Ammunition in Anoka, Minn.
All the glory to the medalists, but today we recognize the people who hammered metal in an entirely different way to foster podium success—the three-shift team that didn’t flinch when it came to loading, cutting, crimping, measuring, testing and packaging ammo for four weeks to ensure the Federal Gold Medal Paper Shotshell was primed and prepped for skeet and trap competitors at the 2024 Games.
So, for anyone who wonders about the science behind the shot or wants to uncover the grit and grime behind the guts and glory, this series will
feature the work of just a few of Federal’s ammo makers and their reaction to their gold medal product they helped produce.
Steve Gunderson, Quality Coordinator, Federal Ammunition
Steve Gunderson, Quality Coordinator
Steve Gunderson is a quality guy in every sense of the word.
Though he admits his golf game suffers, Gunderson, a Quality Coordinator for Federal, has consistently focused on doing right, working hard and improving where possible. His challenging but intentional steps have led him to where he is today. Gunderson served our country in the U.S. Army, completing his service after injury in Iraq. Upon returning home, he attended a “Helmets to Hardhats” workforce event where a Vietnam vet welcomed him into an ATK booth. That man encouraged him to apply for work at Federal Ammunition.
Six months later, Gunderson was hired and began working the night shift at Federal.
After nearly 15 years at the company, Steve has seen all aspects of the plant.
“I spent a lot of time behind the scenes on the production floor and eventually moved to a lead, but I wanted to get into a position to oversee quality,” he said. “I decided to go back to school to start
working my way up.”
Continuing his shift work at night, Gunderson attended the Minnesota School of Business during the day to earn his associate’s degree, which he completed in 2009. Eventually, he moved to quality
contracts, where he works today.
“I tell my kids and my teams all the time—it’s important to remember you aren’t stuck. You can progress. You must put your best foot forward and apply yourself.”
“Everyone watches this run from start to finish. It’s not just quality inspecting it. The adjusters are more experienced, the employees in the lead plant do additional checks, and we are ruthless on our data entry, so each lot has recorded detail. The product that went to Paris must be A-plus, so everyone’s attention to detail is 100 percent.”
-Steve Gunderson, Quality Coordinator
International Shooting Sport Federation bore pellet filter is used to ensure consistent shot shape and size. If any of the product gets stuck, the shot fails inspection.
This mindset continues, as five years later, Gunderson continues his education, taking online courses at Bemidji State with a goal of earning a bachelor’s degree in business management.
In his role as Quality Coordinator, Gunderson and his team thrived earlier this year when it came time to manufacture shotshells for Paris competition. Though this is a special time in the Federal Ammunition plant, it’s a cartridge Gunderson has been a part of loading for the past four Games.
Prior to setting up this ammo on the line, the team in the factory receives a 106-page manual for manufacturing ammunition from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), as well as an ISSF-approved bore pellet filter to check the dimensions of shotgun pellets and specialized documentation for tagging audited ammunition as rounds for the world competition.
From there, it’s up to the team at Federal to pull through on keeping the ammo in spec.
Tight Tolerances
Managers cherry-picked the team working on the qualified shot based on employee tenure and attention to detail. The team consisted of eight adjusters, team leads, as well as the ballistics and quality departments. Together, they manufactured 7.5 and 9 shot, both which are subject to frequent checks by everyone on the line before getting packaged for the world competition.
FAST FACTS FROM STEVE
• I’m a grandpa
• I am deaf in one ear
• I like to read nonfiction books
• I need to improve my golf game. I am playing my third year on Federal’s golf league.
Current Read?
“And There was Light” by Jon Meacham
Favorite activities?
Hunting, fishing, golfing, walks with Ty, my black lab (a 1.5-year-old service dog from Cody’s Heroes - Fridley, MN). I also enjoy spending time with
my family, which includes one grandkid and five kids (ages 12,16, 17, 21, 23).
Your best adventure?
Taking a solo fishing trip in the Florida Keys last March. The water is crystal clear and very beautiful, not to mention the fishing is fantastic! On the trip, I caught a 74-inch bull shark. I let the shark go but I had a replica mount made – with exact measurements – so it’s featured on my dining room wall.
Life accomplishment you’re most proud of?
My military service.
Bucket list item?
Go on an elk hunt.
What about the work on this load did you especially enjoy?
I had an opportunity to shoot it when we had an overrun a few years ago. We received permission to donate 10 flats of our Gold Medal Paper loads
to a disabled veteran shoot at West End Gun Club in Eagan, where I grew up shooting. I had the privilege to speak on behalf of Federal, share such amazing ammunition and help disabled veterans that had never shot before with their families. It was a great time!
“Everyone watches this run from start to finish,” Gunderson said. “It’s not just quality inspecting it. The adjusters are more experienced, the employees in the lead plant do additional checks, and we are ruthless on our data entry, so each lot has recorded detail. The product that went to Paris must be A-plus, so everyone’s attention to detail is 100 percent.”
Using an ISSF calibration test, the team performs daily checks on its testing instruments. Aside from visual inspection, the ammunition checks include auditing the product by weight, size and shape for stringent consistency.
The ISSF bore pellet filter operates like a pepper shaker, sifting to ensure consistent spherical
shape and size. Ammo makers frequently sift shot during production. If any of the product gets stuck, the shot fails inspection.
After consistent auditing, the quality team followed up with data metrics. In this process,the adjuster extracts 10 rounds, cuts open the cartridges and weighs the components again to ensure the shot is within range. During this highly inflexible weight test, the shot charge cannot exceed a weight of 24.0 grams – giving a measly .5-gram tolerance per shell. The goal for this portion of the cartridge inspection is to confirm that the average weight of the selected cartridges does not exceed the maximum shot charge plus the .5-gram leeway (24.5 grams).
After the shot passes internal inspection, it is tagged and packaged for Team Federal use only for the games. The scrutiny doesn’t stop as governing bodies have rigorous on-site inspection procedures approved by the ISSF Executive Committee. Testing can include pulling one shell per box from each shooter, cutting the shell open and using the ISSF bore pellet filter one final time for verification of qualified shot. An athlete’s cartridges are subject for inspection any time they are in the shooting area.
Helping Hit the Target
Months after working to produce hundreds of cases of 7.5 shot for trap and 9 shot for skeet, Gunderson found himself on his living room couch next to his youngest son taking in the men’s skeet competition. That afternoon, he and his son witnessed Vincent Hancock earn his fourth gold in men’s skeet—a viewing Gunderson called surreal.
“To see one of our sponsored shooters win his fourth gold medal with the product that we had our hands on, it’s awesome,” he said.
It was a feeling that carried Gunderson through the weekend and past the Federal bell at the plant on Monday.
“It deserved some gloating. I made sure my team knew our ammo helped win some medals over the weekend.” he said. “We have pride in what we make. I’m proud of the people who put their best foot forward every day to make that amazing product. What a reward, to see our U.S. team outperform other countries with our ammunition.”
Vincent Hancock, the undisputed king of skeet, secured his fourth gold medal in Men’s Individual Skeet.
All the glory to the medalists, but today we recognize the three-shift team that didn’t flinch when it came to loading, cutting, crimping, measuring, testing and packaging Federal’s Gold Medal Paper Shotshell for the 2024 Games.