Skip to content

Grand launch! We are new, and we are ready to serve and deliver How we ship

TAS cylinder markTop Ammo SupplyPrecision, Supply

Ammunition

Shotgun Ammo

A box of shotgun shells tells you far more than a box of rifle ammunition does, and it needs to, because the gauge on the label is only the first of four things that matter. Shell length has to match the chamber, and getting that wrong is a safety problem rather than a performance one. Shot size decides what the payload is for, on a scale that runs backwards and then starts over again for buckshot. Payload weight and velocity decide the recoil and, in a gas-operated semi-automatic, whether the gun cycles at all.

Before you buy

What to know about shotgun ammo

What people buy it for

  • Trap, skeet and sporting clays
  • Upland bird and waterfowl hunting
  • Home defense with buckshot
  • Deer hunting with slugs in shotgun-only zones
  • Turkey hunting with dense, tight-patterning loads
  • 3-Gun and practical shotgun competition

Shell length must not exceed the chamber

A shell's crimp needs room to unfold. A 3 inch shell fired in a 2¾ inch chamber has nowhere to open into, and pressure climbs sharply. Longer chambers are backwards-compatible (a 3 inch gun fires 2¾ inch shells safely, a 3½ inch gun fires all three), but never the reverse. The chamber length is stamped on the barrel. Check it on any gun you did not buy new.

Shot size numbering runs backwards, then restarts

The smaller the number, the larger the pellet: #9 and #8 for skeet and close clays, #7½ for general target and close upland, #6 and below for larger birds at longer range. Buckshot is a separate scale: #4 buck, #1 buck, 0 and 00, with 00 the largest and the defensive standard. #4 birdshot and #4 buckshot are entirely different things and confusing them is consequential.

Never mix gauges in the same pocket

A 20 gauge shell will drop past a 12 gauge chamber and lodge in the bore where it cannot be seen; a 12 gauge shell fired behind it bursts the barrel. This is exactly why 20 gauge hulls are yellow by industry convention and no other gauge is. Keep gauges in separate bags, pockets and vest pouches, and if a shot ever sounds or feels wrong, stop and check the bore.

Non-toxic shot, chokes and older barrels

Non-toxic shot (steel, bismuth or tungsten alloy) is federally required for hunting migratory waterfowl. Steel is much harder than lead and does not deform through a tight choke the way lead does, so older guns with fixed full chokes and some fine older barrels should not be fired with it; check the manufacturer's guidance. Steel also patterns tighter than lead through the same nominal choke, so open up a notch.

Rifled slugs and sabot slugs go in different barrels

Rifled slugs, with the angled fins on the outside, are made for smoothbore barrels. Sabot slugs are made for fully rifled slug barrels and are both wasted and inaccurate in a smoothbore. Running rifled slugs through a rifled barrel fouls it badly. Match the slug to the barrel you actually own, not to the price on the shelf.

Questions

Common questions

Can I fire a shorter shell in a longer chamber?

Yes. A 3 inch chamber handles 2¾ inch shells safely and a 3½ inch chamber handles all three. The reverse is dangerous: a longer shell in a shorter chamber has no room for its crimp to unfold and pressure spikes. The chamber length is stamped on the barrel, usually near the receiver.

What is the difference between #4 shot and #4 buckshot?

Everything. #4 birdshot is a small pellet, one of many hundreds in a bird load. #4 buckshot is a much larger pellet used in defensive and large-game loads with only a couple of dozen in the shell. The two scales are separate and both use the same numerals, which is why reading the whole label rather than the number matters.

Why won't my gas semi-automatic cycle light target loads?

Gas guns need a minimum energy to work the action, and the mildest promotional target loads sit right at the edge of it, more so in a shotgun that needs cleaning or has not been broken in. Compare the shell's velocity and dram equivalent against your manual's minimum, clean the gas system, and prove one flat before buying ten.

Related departments