Shotgun ammo prices
Compare 12 gauge prices across retailers — target loads for clay shooting, buckshot for defense, and slugs for deer hunting.
The 12 gauge is the most versatile firearms caliber in existence — a single shotgun can run light target loads at the trap range on Saturday, load buckshot for home defense, and take a deer with slugs during rifle season. That versatility means the shotgun ammo market is really three separate markets with very different price dynamics.
Target and trap loads are the volume segment. Federal Top Gun and Winchester AA are the standard choices for clay shooting. Competitive shooters burn through 200–500 shells per session, so price per shell is the primary purchasing factor. Buying by the flat (10 boxes, 250 shells) cuts per-shell cost meaningfully.
For home defense, 00 buckshot is the standard recommendation. Federal FliteControl is widely considered the best-patterning buckshot available — its wad design keeps pellets significantly tighter than standard buckshot at indoor distances. Equipping a home defense shotgun with a full tube of premium buckshot costs remarkably little compared to other defensive ammunition categories.
Slugs cover deer hunting in shotgun-only zones, ranging from basic Foster-style rifled slugs for smoothbore barrels to precision sabot slugs for rifled barrels with dramatically better accuracy at distance.
Price ranges in the table below are updated daily across multiple online retailers.