Whats the best 12 ga shotgun ammo?
May 14th, 2010 by eranio
I am looking for shotgun ammo just to use to get the feel for my new gun. I dont want to spend per shot just messing around. I am going to be shooting it through a Remington 870 express 3" chamber. Also i might want to use the ammo for rabbits which is kinda one of the reasons i bought the gun. I saw a box of Federal Game Shok its a #7 1/2 shot and 2 3/4 shell they are about 65 dollars with shipping and there is 250 rounds i didnt know if these would be complete crap or if i could use them for what i was going to do. Also i heard of some ammo jamming the 870 if anyone knows a specific brand or if Federal is one that jams the 870 please comment. Thanks
Posted in best shotgun
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
wow… they let anybody buy a gun.*
Shotgun shell s "101"
There are "high brass and "low brass" shotgun shells, however the key to selecting a shotgun shell is your intended use of said shell.
The key to that choice is "shot size" Shot starts at #1 and goes to #8… 8 being the smallest shot. The shot load is measured in ounces… common shot loads are 7/8 oz, 1 oz and 1 1/8 oz.
The light loads are useful for the shotgun sports and small (rabbit, squirrel, game bird hunting)
Bigger, heavier game calls for heavier loads… ducks and geese are usually shot with #2 1 1/8 oz shells… Most pheasant and upland birds with #4-6 shot… rabbits #4-6… quail …#7 or 71/2.
If your shooting at cans or just making noise… buy the cheapest 2/34" long shells you can find… If you want to actually hunt… the ‘game" loads are usually more appropriate and effective.
There are Buckshot and slug loads, reduced recoil loads, tactical slugs, rubber projectile and incindeary shotgun shells for tactical and military use.
Your gun has a 3" chamber. 3" and 3.5" shotguns will cycle 23/4" hulls.
If you shoot waterfowl over protected waters that require steel or non lead shot the longer hulls let you load a greater volume of steel shot in and effort to carry the energy a smaller load of lead would take to the target.
I have shot just about every common retail brand (and a few not so common brands). All will work in your pump gun… some may work better— you wont know until you try.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Most jamming problems only happen in semi autos, every 870 I have ever been around will shoot any shell put in it fine. 7.5 is a little light for rabbits in my opinion. I like 6 for rabbits, squirrel, and pigeons. 7.5 is great for dove, quail, clays, and any black bird that is crapping on your car. Federal makes a good round. $65/case ain’t a bad price if you can get them for that. Might want to buy by the box till you find a round you like, a case is a lot of rounds setting around if you aren’t going to use them.
Dave
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Federal is first class ammo all the way.
99% of the ammo I use is Federal.
WalMart usually has 100 round "value packs" of Federal shotshells in stock. In the stores near me they are usually $22-26 or about 25 cents per shell.
The $65 price per case that you saw works out to 26 cents per shell and that is very good ammo.at a very good price.
Many different brands of shotgun shells can jam a gun. All of the problems I’ve seen are from deformed shells. This usually happens when the shell has been left in the magazine too long and the spring pressure causes the shell to bulge out a bit. We avoid problems by putting fresh ammo in our patrol car shotguns every 6 months and use the "used" ammo for training purposes.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
FEDERAL IS GREAT AMMO, THE REM. 870 IS A GREAT GUN AND
2 3/4 " #7.5 IS PERFECT FOR RABBITS.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD SHOOTING
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
* The Top three (3)* are Winchester, Remington, and Federal.* All will function fine.*
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
I’m with David T in preferring 6 shot for bunnies. Also, I’d be hesitant to buy a large quantity of anything without patterning it. Butcher paper is your friend.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
For breaking in the gun, buy whatever is cheapest. For rabbit hunting, a light field load of 6 shot is perfect.
I have been shooting shotguns from the .410 to 10 gauge, single shot, pump, semi auto, and even lever action, for the last 25+ years, and have never once had a misfire or jam no matter what ammo I was using, or how old the ammo was.
People worry too much about the ammo brand. Just get the appropriate shot and powder load, and you’ll be fine.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
my 870 hates federal ammo
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
personly i’d go for 2 3/4 six shot, 7.5 is fine if your bolting them but at range you’ll notice the small shot will not have the penetration.
tbh i use 5′s but 6′s will give you the freedom to take pigeons aswell.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
If you have a jam with any pump shotgun, it will most likely be from short-stroking it. That means not racking the slide quickly or far enough when chambering a round.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
i use federal 2-3/4 #7 for clays. use 3" remington steel #4 1-3/8 oz for bird . i’ve tested some cheaper shells that didn’t eject well. for rabbits and other small critters i use 22lr. shotgun just makes a mess of them nothin left to eat.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
For just getting the feel of it I’d suggest the Federal 100 round value packs as well. Here in Oregon they go for $20-24 depending on the store. I’ve also seen Winchester brand value packs and shot some of it they leave a good deal more powder residue and are the same price so I just stick with Federal for hand thrown clays and such.
For rabbits I’d suggest you use any of the "Game Load" types with 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 ounces of shot in #6 size(these work great on squirrels and pheasants as well) but the heavy 3 3/4 dram 1 1/4 oz #4 loads with a tight choke flat hammers moving bunnies & hares at 30yds+ if you get distant shots more then close in ones.
Most of the problems with any pump/slide action shotgun are operator error like short stroking it. BUT I’ve seen a few 870 Express shotguns that had a stamped steel follower in the magazine tube. The finish on follower and the inside of the tube were both just rough enough that they would sometimes drag a little and not quite spit out the next round fast enough to get on the feed tray before it moved out of position.
If you have this problem then here is my solution: buy one of the current plastic followers or one of the aftermarket anodized aluminum ones. You might also give a feel around the inside of the mag tube and if it feels really rough you can use drill to polish it a bit with a wad of fine steel wool fastened to a long piece of 5/16 or 3/8" all-thread. Just don’t use a wad big enough that you have to actually use ANY force pushing to move it up and down the tube. The wool bundle only needs to be big enough to touch the inside of the tube to get a bit of smoothing out done.
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Federal. I love the stuff. Although I suppose if it goes "bang", then I’m good…
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
I honestly don`t know the best ammo,but the federal loads you`re speaking about are excellent. That sounds like a reasonable price also. I don`t know of any particular brand that jambs an 870. Iv`e had mine for 20yrs and it`s never jammed on any shells I have used in it!
May 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Any Federal, Remington, or Winchester #6 shot is fine for rabbits, you don’t need expensive premium shells. 1 1/8 oz is about ideal, the 1 1/4 oz loads kick more but don’t pattern any better. Avoid foreign-made shells, some may be ok but some are crap, and you never know what you’re getting.
Not only is the 870 the most jam-free shotgun ever made, but it has the most powerful slide-action to feed and extract even the most uncooperative shells. The ONLY thing that could happen is a short-stroke, more likely with a 3" shell, but since these take an extra second or two to recover from recoil, that should allow time for a full cycling of the pump action, in other words by their very nature 3" magnum loads restrict the rapid-fire scenario where most short-stroking would occur, none of which applies to rabbit hunting anyway, unless its Monty python’s killer rabbit, that’s no ordin’ry rabbit, that