Shotgun Ammo
Federal • Winchester • Fiocchi • Sellier & Bellot • Buckshot • Slug • Less-Lethal
The complete shotgun-ammunition catalog covering defensive 12-gauge buckshot from Federal Premium (Copper-Plated, Reduced Recoil, Personal Defense) and Winchester (PDX1, Super-X XB124 / XB1200, Q1544 military-grade), rifled slugs (Federal TruBall Deep Penetrator), .410 buckshot for the Taurus Judge and S&W Governor revolvers, Federal Shorty 1.75-inch mini-shells for high-capacity tube-fed shotguns, the full less-lethal lineup (Byrna Kinetic, Fiocchi rubber baton rounds, Sellier & Bellot rubber buckshot, rubber bullets, and rubber ball slugs), and Fiocchi 12-gauge blanks for training and theatrical use. From $6.95 Winchester surplus through $53.90 Sellier & Bellot less-lethal buckshot — every shotshell type a duty, home-defense, training, or less-lethal-trained shooter needs.
About Shotgun Ammo at Keep Shooting
Keep Shooting's Shotgun Ammo catalog covers the three primary shotshell load families — buckshot, slug, and less-lethal — from major American and European ammunition makers including Federal Premium, Winchester, Fiocchi, Sellier & Bellot, Barnes Bullets, and Byrna. We carry 12-gauge ammunition (the dominant shotgun cartridge by an enormous margin), .410 bore (for the Taurus Judge, S&W Governor, and traditional .410 shotguns), defensive buckshot loads and rifled slugs, the modern Federal Shorty 1.75-inch mini-shell format, the full rubber-projectile less-lethal lineup, and Fiocchi 12-gauge blanks for training and theatrical use.
The shotshell — a brief history. The modern plastic-hulled shotshell — a crimped tube containing primer, powder, wad, and a payload of either pellets or a single slug — has been the dominant shotgun- cartridge format for most of the 20th century. Earlier paper-hull shotshells dominated from the late 1800s through the 1960s; the switch to plastic hulls (Remington's SP wad-and-hull system in 1960 was the major commercial breakthrough) brought superior moisture resistance, more consistent powder burn, and substantially better pattern density. Modern 12-gauge shells are typically 2.75" or 3" long (with 3.5" magnum loads for waterfowl and turkey use); the 1.75" Shorty format (Federal Shorty in our catalog) is the modern compact option that allows substantially higher capacity in tube-fed magazines — a Mossberg 590A1 that normally holds 8 standard rounds in the magazine tube can hold 14 – 15 Shorty shells, useful for home-defense and competition configurations where reload-time matters.
Buckshot — the home- defense standard. Buckshot is shot sized for big game (deer-sized) but in modern American practice is primarily a defensive and law- enforcement load. Standard buckshot sizes run from #4 buckshot (the smallest at ~.24" pellets, ~27 pellets in 12ga 2.75") through 00 buckshot ("double ought" — ~.33" pellets, 9 pellets in standard 12ga 2.75", the dominant defensive load in the US) up to 000 buckshot ("triple ought" — ~.36" pellets, 8 pellets in 12ga 2.75", and the largest practical buckshot size). Our Federal Premium Copper-Plated Buckshot is the standard 9-pellet 00 load with copper-plated lead pellets for tighter pattern density and reduced barrel leading. The Federal Premium Personal Defense Reduced Recoil 12 Gauge Buckshot uses a lower-velocity load tuned for comparable defensive performance with substantially less felt recoil — important for home-defense scenarios where multiple rapid rounds may need to be fired and recoil management directly affects accuracy. The Winchester PDX1 12-Gauge is a hybrid load: a single segmenting slug followed by three defensive 00 buckshot pellets — a "best of both worlds" combination of slug penetration and buckshot spread. Winchester Super-X XB124 and XB1200 are the budget 9-pellet 00 buck loads that established Winchester's reputation in the police-and-defensive market. The military-spec Winchester Q1544 is the same 00 buck pattern in bulk-pack military-contract production — the same load used for breaching, transport, and guard duty in US military service.
The .410 bore — and the revolver-shotgun. The .410 bore (the only common shotgun cartridge named by inches rather than gauge — .410" diameter, equivalent to roughly a 67-gauge if it followed the gauge convention) is the smallest and lightest-recoiling common shotshell. Traditionally used for small-game hunting and first-shotgun youth use, the .410 found a remarkable second life starting in 2006 when Taurus introduced the Taurus Judge revolver — a five-shot revolver chambered for both .45 Colt and .410 shotshells, designed for short-range defensive use. Smith & Wesson followed in 2010 with the S&W Governor (.45 Colt / .45 ACP / .410). Our Federal Premium .410 Handgun Shotshells (000) and Winchester Super-X .410 Buckshot are the defensive .410 loads designed for these revolvers — three-pellet 000 buckshot patterns optimized for the revolver's short barrel and rifled chamber. Note that traditional .410 hunting shells (birdshot loads) work in Judge / Governor revolvers but are substantially less effective for defensive use than the dedicated buckshot loads.
Slugs — the single-projectile shotgun. Shotgun slugs replace the multi-pellet payload with a single solid projectile of approximately 1 ounce (12-gauge) for substantially deeper penetration and longer effective range — the right load for shotgun deer hunting, barrier-defeat applications, and any context where the multi-pellet spread of buckshot is undesirable. Modern slugs come in two main types: rifled slugs (also called Foster slugs) for use in smoothbore barrels — the slug body has shallow external rifling that helps with stability in flight — and sabot slugs for use in rifled-slug-barrel shotguns where a smaller-diameter bullet rides in a separating plastic sabot. Our Federal Premium 12ga TruBall Deep Penetrator Rifled Slug is Federal's innovation on the traditional rifled slug — a polymer ball is molded into the wad cavity that engages the slug's hollow base on firing, eliminating slug-to-bore play and substantially improving accuracy compared to traditional rifled slugs. The TruBall is the right slug load for smoothbore shotgun deer hunting where rifle regulations limit shooters to shotguns.
Less-lethal — the rubber-projectile category. Several of our 12-gauge offerings are less-lethal-force rounds for police, military, and prison-corrections use, plus dangerous-animal repulsion. The Sellier & Bellot 12-gauge rubber buckshot, rubber bullets, and rubber ball slugs from Sellier & Bellot (the 1825-founded Czech ammunition house, one of Europe's oldest continuously- operating ammunition makers) are the standard European less-lethal 12-gauge offerings — rubber pellets in the buckshot pattern, larger rubber bullets, and rubber ball slugs respectively. The Fiocchi 12 Gauge Rubber Baton Rounds from Fiocchi Munizioni are the rod-shaped baton-pattern rubber projectiles — the law-enforcement riot-control standard. The Byrna Kinetic Less Lethal 12 Gauge Rounds from Byrna Technologies (the same company behind the well-known Byrna SD pepper-ball launcher) are the modern American less-lethal offering — kinetic-impact projectiles loaded in 12-gauge shells for use in any standard 12-gauge shotgun. Important: less-lethal does not mean non-lethal — these rounds can cause serious injury and have caused fatalities at close range, and deployment requires the same legal use-of-force justification as any other defensive tool. For the broader less-lethal selection across all calibers see our Less-Lethal Ammunition category, and for related less-lethal impact tools see our Police Batons category.
The Shorty mini-shell — modern high-capacity option. The Federal Shorty Shotshells 12 GA in our catalog are 1.75-inch mini-shells — about half the length of a standard 2.75-inch shell. The format was pioneered by Aguila Ammunition (Mexican manufacturer) in the 1990s; Federal entered the market more recently with their own Shorty line. The advantage: because tube-fed shotguns hold rounds end-to-end, halving the shell length nearly doubles the magazine capacity. A standard Mossberg 500 magazine tube that holds 5 standard 2.75" shells will hold 9 – 10 Shorty shells; Mossberg's purpose-built 590A1 Magpul and the Mossberg Shockwave are popular Shorty-compatible platforms. The trade-off: not all shotguns reliably feed Shorty shells (some platforms require an adapter sleeve like the Opsol Mini Clip), and the Shorty payload is smaller than a standard load — Shorty buckshot is typically 4 – 6 pellets rather than the standard 9. For Mossberg-platform owners see our Mossberg Parts category; for Remington 870 owners see the Remington 870 Parts category.
Blanks — training, theatrical, and saluting use. The Fiocchi 12 Gauge Blank Ammunition ($30.15) is the standard 12-gauge blank — a crimped shotshell loaded with powder but no projectile, used for film and theatrical production, military and police training scenarios where live fire is inappropriate, ceremonial saluting (military funerals and formal events), and dog-training contexts where the loud report is the functional purpose. Fiocchi blanks are the European-house offering and are widely used in the film industry for the consistent report and reliable cycling in shotguns equipped with blank-firing adapters.
Companion ammunition and gun-parts categories. For the broader ammunition catalog see our Ammunition hub or the related Handgun Ammo, Rifle Ammo, and Rimfire Ammo categories. For shotgun- platform parts and accessories see the Mossberg and Remington 870 parts categories noted above. For less-lethal alternatives in pepper spray and TASER form see our Pepper Spray and TASER categories.
Keep Shooting ships all shotgun ammunition from our Pennsylvania warehouse with free shipping on orders over $49.95 and hassle-free returns. Shotshell ammunition is shipped via ground service per federal regulations. Whether you are stocking 00 buckshot for home defense, sourcing TruBall rifled slugs for shotgun-only deer season, loading Shorty mini-shells for a Mossberg 590A1 high-capacity configuration, equipping a Taurus Judge or S&W Governor with defensive .410 loads, or sourcing less-lethal rubber buckshot for professional deployment — every shotshell in our catalog is from a respected American or European manufacturer with genuine ammunition-house pedigree.
Frequently Asked Questions — Shotgun Ammo
Keep Shooting carries a wide selection of Shotgun Ammo products from trusted brands. Browse our catalog to see the full range, and use the filters on the left to narrow by brand, price, or product type.
Yes! All orders over $49.95 qualify for free shipping, including Shotgun Ammo products. Orders typically ship within 1–2 business days.
Keep Shooting offers hassle-free returns on Shotgun Ammo products. If you're not completely satisfied, contact our customer service team for a return authorization. All products must be in original, unused condition.
If you need help choosing the right Shotgun Ammo product, our team is available to assist. Check individual product descriptions for detailed specifications, or contact us directly and we'll help you find the best fit for your needs.