“Tag: Shotshell”

From petite 12-ga., 2" shells all the way up to the artillery-like 3 1⁄2" magnums, the 12 gauge is an extremely versatile chambering that can, literally, do it all.

Loads for the 16 gauge have long been scarce and lacking in variety, generally carrying payloads of similar weights and sizes of shot.

When it comes to handloading, shotshells receive considerably less attention than do metallic cartridges, but here are five reasons to consider it.

A virtual “pumpkin,” this heavy-hitting 12-ga. load is composed of a 2" Cheddite hull with a Cheddite 209 primer and 26 grs. of Hi-Skor 800-X propellant.

Federal Premium Ammunition is launching a new series of 1 3/4"-long Shorty 12-ga. shotgun shells for sporting, hunting and defensive applications.

Federal Premium has created a potent new high-capacity 12-ga. defensive option with its Force X2 Shorty load—merging two existing products by introducing the company’s wound-channel-multiplying FX2 buckshot to its lineup of 1¾" Shorty shells.

Federal Ammunition is always good at seeing the utility in a design and, last year (2022), released the Force X2 Shorty, a compact version of its unique split-shot shotgun load. It is a case of the “little guy” coming to the rescue.

With the popularity of .45 Colt/.410 handguns, ammunition companies were bound to introduce specialized loads. But do loads like Hornady’s Triple Threat perform as advertised?

Since the introduction of the 3½"-chambered 12-ga. shotgun in 1988, the 3½" 10 gauge has fallen from favor with hunters, which is a shame.