November 2023 – We updated the article and removed discontinued products.
In the world of shotguns, “DoEs iT tAkE mInI ShElLs?” has pretty much become the new “Does it take Glock magazines?”
And it’s a shame because shooting mini shells can be really fun.
Mini Shells are great for plinking, skeet shooting, and certain types of hunting. These achieve a lot in a small package — recoil is light, accuracy is on point, and they are an absolute blast to shoot.
Today, I’m going to stoke your appreciation by delving into the history of mini shells, exploring the pros and cons surrounding this type of ammo, and evaluating the performance and best uses of slugs, buckshot, and birdshot.
THE QUICK LIST
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Best Birdshot Mini Shells
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Best Buckshot Mini Shells
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Best Mini Slugs
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Best Mid-Length Shell
Table of Contents
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How We Choose
I’ve spent a lifetime shooting that started in a family that hunted every season they legally could. From there, I joined the United States Marine Corps and spent five years as an infantryman. In the middle of my Marine Corps career, I began writing and have never stopped.
I love shooting, and I love guns — weird guns, old guns, new guns, tactical guns, but especially shotguns. I have tested numerous shotguns, shotgun accessories, and shotgun ammo for multiple publications and strive to deliver the best information possible to the readers of Pew Pew Tactical.
Best Mini Shell Loads
Like most shotgun shells — or any ammo, really — mini shells tend to vary quite a bit in performance.
To give you a solid breakdown of the different mini shells available, I’m going to review the birdshot, buckshot, and slugs sold by the big manufacturers.
This should give you a general idea of how each mini shell performs on its own merit, as well as in competition with its key rivals.
Best Birdshot Loads
1. Challenger Birdshot
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Birdshot rounds are pretty similar across the board. You can’t go wrong, no matter what brand you choose to try out.
Aguila and Challenger deliver 7.5 shot loads that are a light 5/8 ounce of a shot at 1,200 feet per second.
However, Federal went a different route with a light eight-shot loaded to 15/16 of an ounce at 1,145 feet per second.
But performance-wise? There really isn’t a difference between these shells.
They are super light recoiling loads that spread remarkably fast. So quick, in fact, that they’re not really useful for most tasks, including hunting birds or shooting trap/skeet.
Not much else to see here, kids.
Your relationship with birdshot is highly dependent upon your expectations and needs.
Want to go plinking? Birdshot has your back. These little bad boys shine at the range, especially out of a Mossberg 590 Shockwave equipped with an OPSol Mini-Clip.
New to shooting? Look no further; these are fun target rounds that double as excellent training tools for new and young shooters.
Need a solid shell that can stop a home invader in their tracks? Look elsewhere. Anything will serve you better than birdshot.
Best Buckshot Loads
2. Aguila Buckshot
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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Buckshot loads are where things get interesting. Unlike birdshot, you’re going to see a significant difference between these shells.
In my opinion, the Aguila load is the most interesting buckshot option on the market. Whether it’s the “best” option comes down to personal preference.
We’re dealing with low-powered ammo, so I want more penetration. This swanky little shell encases a combination of four #1 pellets and seven #4 pellets.
However, in use, Aguila’s buckshot patterns are wide and are way less consistent than Federal shells.
It patterns left, right, in a circular shape, or maybe strung out horizontally — it’s almost frustratingly unreliable.
The recoil is more significant than the birdshot but still very light and comfortable. To me, that extra bit of recoil makes shooting PGO firearms a lot more fun. Recoil is just part of the experience.
Fortunately, the recoil from these shells is not at a dangerous level, and even new shooters should be able to handle it.
These rounds are a bit more capable and useful than birdshot but understand that your range is limited.
3. Federal Buckshot
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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The Federal load is a #4 buckshot caliber with 15 pellets traveling at 1,200 feet per second.
When fired, Federal’s buckshot loads can cover an 8.5×11 piece of paper at 10 yards, so they are far from FliteControl standards.
Not only is the recoil noticeably light, but the spread patterns are tight and impressively consistent to the point of predictability.
Best Slugs
4. Federal Mini Slugs
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Slugs are by far the most useful of the mini shell family when it comes to power.
They don’t pack the same effective range as a standard slug, but they also have a lot less recoil than a 1,600 fps slug.
Slugs are quite stout, and I’m pleasantly surprised at their limited recoil and overall efficiency.
Unfortunately, they also share a trait that I could do without. When my bead sight was equipped, the slugs tended to land high from where I was aiming.
This isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but it’s absolutely something you should keep in mind when deciding which mini shells to purchase.
Of course, all three brands have their differences and vary in weight.
For example, Federal’s mini slugs are the heaviest at 1 ounce, and they fly at 1,200 feet per second.
These slugs are your most potent option. They’re also the most accurate.
I produced the best groups with these slugs; the end result was typically one ragged hole. They land almost dead-on.
As you can probably guess, Federal’s slugs are my favorite and definitely my go-to mini shell for serious use.
It’s almost up to par with their standard reduced recoil law enforcement slug, which is 1 ounce at 1,300 FPS.
5. Aguila Mini Slugs
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Lastly, the Aguila slugs fall right in the middle, the Goldilocks porridge, if you will, with 7/8 of an ounce at 1,300 feet per second.
These are fast little fellas. Aguila’s slug would be a great option if speed was all we needed in a mini shell.
But speed doesn’t change or hide the fact that Aguila’s slugs are incredibly inaccurate and tend to fly wherever they please after approximately 25 yards.
Honestly? Even at 15 yards, there appeared to be inches between rounds. This was never an issue with its rival.
As you can probably guess, this is not my favorite mini slug.
What do you think of Aguila Mini Slugs? Rate them below.
What About Other Lengths?
So far, we’ve talked a bit about 1.75-inch shells, but what about other lengths of mini shells? They do exist, and I’ve recently gotten my hands on 2- and 2.5-inch shells.
6. Takho Mini Slugs
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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While Ukraine might be battling Russians as I type this, they still found some ammo to spare.
Kind of. I’m not sure when these shells were imported, but these mini slugs are 2 inches long and fire a 3/4-ounce chunk of lead.
They are a little longer than traditional mini shells by just a bit. I hoped they would improve reliability without the use of adapters. Do they? Well, kind of.
These shells won’t cycle in a semi-auto, and believe me, I tried. They do cycle in a number of pump guns. The guns they won’t cycle in are guns with skeletonized shell lifters, like the Mossbergs.
They flipped and got caught in the skeletonized shell lifter. However, in guns like the Remington 870 and Benelli Supernova they ran without complaint. They were smooth shooters.
It bears mentioning that the velocity isn’t mentioned, and the recoil is downright soft. These slugs are made for “Practical Shotgun” competition. Do you know how people use little cheats to get an advantage in competition?
This seems to be an example of that. They increase capacity by two rounds, run mostly fine, and have very little recoil. Not to mention, they are fun to shoot and accurate — but the listed range, according to the box, is 50 meters.
These aren’t your grandpa’s slugs for deer hunting, and I would only really use them for hunting smaller predators like coyotes.
7. Nobel Sport MiniBuck
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Nobel Sport is an Italian firm I stumbled across in an out-of-town gun store. They carried boxes of 12-gauge shells that were a mere 2.25 inches long. Sadly, the store had a limit, and I could only score two boxes.
These short buckshot shells contain six pellets of 00 buckshot at 1,250 feet per second. Not too bad.
How do they run? Well, honestly, absolutely perfectly.
They run in my Benelli M4 and Mossberg 930 SPX without issue and are the first mini shells to do so. The MiniBuck loads run very well in pump-action shotguns, too.
They are a little longer but allow shooters to pack an extra round in their tubes on average. Nobel Sport MiniBuck rounds even tend to pattern fairly well, at least good enough for home defense purposes.
The velocity and payload make them the most practical of these mini shells. Recoil is fairly light, and they function reliably. This seems to be the optimum size for universal use among guns.
The downside seems to be the fact they cost as much or more than my favorite buckshot loads, Federal FliteControl. That makes their only benefit one extra round in the gun.
I’m not sure if they’re worth that kind of premium price point.
What Is a Mini Shell?
The science behind the mini shell is simple — increase capacity and reduce recoil by making the shell shorter.
In other words, a mini shell is just a small shotgun shell — a self-contained cartridge filled with shot and manufactured for a good time.
As far as I can tell, mini shells only exist in the 12-gauge variety at this time.
There are various shell lengths these days, running from 1.75 inches to 2.5 inches. But when I say “mini shells,” I’m talking about the 1.75-inch shells.
Aguila 12GA Buckshot Mini Shell | Hornaday 12GA 70mm Buckshot Shell
The 2.25-inch and 2.5-inch shells are not in the same boat. Not only are they hard to find, but they’re also less…mini. If anything, they should have been called short shells, not mini shells.
These short shells are neat but not in the same class as the 1.75-inch mini shells.
The good news is that 1.75-inch mini shells are getting a set of SAAMI specs, so we’ll likely see more companies producing these bad boys.
What a win for mini shell fans and shotgun lovers!
The Ups & Downs Of Mini Shells
Over the last decade, manufacturers and powder companies have been tinkering with mini shells to improve their load density and efficiency.
But, like everything else in the gun world, mini shells have their pros and cons.
The immediate advantages include:
- Lower Recoil: The recoil from a 12-gauge mini shell is comparable to a 20-gauge buckshot load on the high end and a .410 birdshot load on the low side.
- High Capacity: These mini shells allow you to squeeze in a few extra shells in a magazine tube. A Mossberg 590 Shockwave can hold 8 mini shells, while a Mossberg 590 8-shot magazine tube can hold 12.
As for the downsides, we have:
- Reliability Issues: These shells work like a dream in single- or double-barreled guns and Mossbergs equipped with an adaptor. But they won’t run in most pump-action shotguns and 99.9% of semi-autos.
- Low Power: The smaller the shell, the less power; unfortunately, less power also equals less penetration and range.
I know that might have left you with more questions than answers. No worries, we’re going to analyze these little shells, so you have a full understanding of what you’re getting into.
Home Defense With Mini Shells
Many people buy mini shells for home defense. The increased ammo capacity is a huge perk, and the low recoil makes it a relatively safe and accurate option for homeowners.
But there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before relying on mini shells for home defense, particularly if you’re a new shooter or someone who rarely picks up a gun.
Is this ammunition reliable? Does it cycle? Does it cycle all the time, regardless of how you manipulate the pump?
If the answer is no, then you need to switch the ammo out for something different. And if you aren’t certain, I recommend taking your home defense gun and a few ammo options out to the range.
After all, it’s always best to prepare and experiment before a worst-case scenario occurs.
So, which mini shells are the best for home defense?
Off the bat, we can go ahead and strike birdshot off the list. Full-powered birdshot isn’t adequate, so why would I recommend a lower-powered shell?
The buckshot loads may work, but why bother?
You want your shotgun to deliver a sledgehammer’s payload per trigger pull. Reducing the payload per round minimizes the gun’s effectiveness and cuts one of its biggest selling points as a home defense weapon.
So, how can lower-powered mini rounds deliver optimum performance?
If I had to choose one of these buckshot loads, I would pick the Aguila because it has the most lethal potential with its #1 buckshot.
I wish it patterned more consistently, but a 10-yard shot aimed at center mass will take the bad guy down, no problem.
Finally, we get to the slugs, which are quite suitable for home defense.
I don’t like to rely on minis when it comes to protecting my house, but the numbers don’t lie.
Even the light Challenger slugs I’ve tested in the past weigh in at 328 grains and move at 1,200 feet per second. That level of power makes for an effective home defense round.
When fired from a long gun, mini slugs are controllable and slightly soft. Any brand will get the job done.
In my testing, Federal’s slugs were easily the most accurate out to 25 yards. But since distance isn’t an issue inside your house, any mini slug can do the job.
However, the heaviest ones tend to be the most accurate, so Federal’s slug (437 grains) still gets my vote.
Final Thoughts
While their uses may be limited, mini shells have certainly earned their place in the ammunition pantheon. Are mini shells a replacement for standard shotgun shells? No, never.
They are a niche product that capitalizes on the shotgun’s versatility — great for training new shooters and, depending on your mood, the perfect addition to your plinking lineup.
Some people use mini shells for certain types of hunting and even home defense. But in most cases, you should probably stick to your standard shells.
Did any of these mini shells spark your interest? Have any solid advice for people new to mini shells? Let us know in the comments below! Also, check out 6 Best Home-Defense Tactical Shotguns [Hands-On] and Best Shotgun Ammo [2020]: Home Defense & Target Shooting.
32 Leave a Reply
Hello. My question would be about the performance differences between the 12g mini shells and a standard 20g. I understand that with the 12g minis you have more round capacity, so the question isn't about capacity. For example, Winchester Defender, 20 #3 buckshot has 20 pellets at 1145fps which is almost on par with the 12g Federal mini #4 buckshot. Without researching to much it almost seems that the 12g mini are almost comparable with normal 20g shells, you just gain capacity by going with mini 12's. I have a 'shockwave' type in 16g that has less recoil than the 12 and more performance than 20g or 12g mini's. Maybe Mossberg should make a 16g shockwave? It would help bring the 16g back into the mainstream or so I would hope. Keep up the great work with all your reviews and articles.
My husband started making me 20 gauge mini shells by cutting down shells made for clay target shooting and replacing the pellets with a slug, since we can't shoot birdshot at our range. They performed well and I rarely had any issues with them cycling. This is how I learned to shoot my Winchester SXP without being intimidated by recoil. I loved it! I can handle shooting normal ones now but we still make shorties because they are so much fun, and accurate too.
Anyone try these in a Maverick 88?
They work great with the mini clip
Thank you, good to know.
Yes, they work 100% with opsol adaptor. Aguila & Federal both in birdshot, buckshot and Slugs. Very fun time!!!
The discussion about 00 buck vs #4 buck vs slugs by gun writers in most cases is an opinion not fact based with real worl situations.
As an infantry company commander in South Vietnam, we issued a widely varied group of 12 ga pumps to the troops.
They either had 00 buck or #4 buck issued and loaded in their military shotguns. Most troops never knew the difference or cared . We had essentially the same results with either 00 buck or #4 buck.
Remember hits count. I would trust any of the mini shell buck loads for my home defense.
As an aside, one or two 00 buck hits in humans is not routinely a fatality in the combat that we were in. This includes 12 gauge and the old 40mm grenade launcher canister with 00 buck. Only center of mass buckshot loads did the needed job.
Its a fact that No.4 is a crappy penetrator through the human body.
Winchester 1300 cycles minis Reliably.....
If they work reliably in a 1300 then they should work in a Stevens 320, which is basically a 1300 clone.
Will not cycle in my Winchester 1300 Defender pump action 12 gauge. Production date 1985. Just to clarify, are you using the 1300 production run from non American made manufacturers?
Any direction I might shoot, inside my house, there is a neighbor's house and possibly a neighbor downrange. My longest indoor shot would be ~20 feet; remember how fast buckshot loses velocity? I don't need the power to take down a deer at 40-60 yards, and I REALLY don't need enough energy to go through two lath-and-plaster walls and injure or kill a neighbor. The average human male chest cavity is 10 inches deep, and ideal penetration for this purpose would be the shot stopping just under the skin on the backside; 12 inches is enough to completely perforate. Going through a human chest cavity AND a wall is unlikely, but I might miss. I DON'T miss, but I won't bet a neighbor's life on my confidence.
You are quoting factory-reported velocities, which are usually a lot of blue sky, often taken in much longer barrel than you are going to use. 1200 f/s? Maybe from a 30-inch barrel. ... I chronographed ONE--don't like risking my skyscreens to wads--Aguila slug load from an 18" barrel, and got 960 f/s. That's a hellofalot less than 1200: If that slug weighs 3/4 oz, 328 grains, 960 f/s is 671 fpe (foot pounds energy). That's a high-pressure .357 from a long-barreled handgun, a 10mm auto, or a low-end .41 Magnum--plenty for a human assailant at 20 feet. If those slugs now weigh 7/8 oz, as I read, 960 f/s is 782 fpe, way more than enough, especially given the multiple-hit effect that makes buckshot so effective.
I've been thinking that eight pellets of No. 1 buck, .30 Cal./40 grains each--a .22LR slug--at around 950 f/s would be ideal. I don't like No. 4 buck--20 grains each--but for my purposes they might be better. When the ridiculous pandemic excuse for panic buying fades, I will get a box or two of all the mini shells available, and run them over a chronograph, maybe into ballistic gel or wet newsprint, and through a couple of different types of wall construction, from--let's see: I have 28 inch 12 gauge barrels--not sure if I have a 30 inch; 23 inch, 20 inch, 18 inch, and 14-inch--I just did the paperwork on a Mossberg Shockwave today. A year and a half ago I could have walked out of the store with it the same day. Now my state's police are ~3 weeks behind on background checks. No big.
If you don't have real chronographed velocities for the length of barrel you're talking about, you're just blowin' smoke. Don't hold your breath, but watch for my YouTube.
I own several Mossberg shotguns, to include the Shockwave. Prior to the invention of the OpSol device I was already using minishells which were ALMOST reliable without the OpSol. The Aguila minishells are actually only 1 3/8" long and 8-9 can be loaded in the Shockwave. My main use for these is home defense with the Aguila buck rounds. Why not full size loads? Well, I've never fired a shotgun inside but I'm pretty sure that one full size load will make you temporarily deaf and reduce your vision! Less "sturm und angst" with the baby shells. As for accuracy, in-the-home defensive distance is limited to under 10 yards and all of these buck rounds will hit the target with enough force to incapacitate if not outright kill!
Shotshells are classified by their OPEN/fired length; if they're 1-3/8 long unfired, they'll be about 1-3/4 fired.
BTW: Neither my Rem. 870s, High-Standard Riot King, nor Win. 1300 will feed 1-3/4 inch shotshells. They will all feed 2-1/4-inch shells, better with a roll crimp than a fold crimp. This will let you get a round or two more in the magazine, but more to my point, if they're a bit less powerful--I won't know until I chronograph them--they might be better home-defense loads, at least for you neighbors.
Rem 870 doesn't feed/fire mini shells.
I own no Mossberg pumps so I only shoot Aguila 5/8 ounce # 7-1/2 shot Mini-Shells in my Stoeger Coach gun for Cowboy Action. The Mini-Shells have NEVER failed to knock down the CA targets with authority!
A few years back a fellow trap club member brought a sleeve of Aguila shorties to the range, gave each of us three and we had a shoot-off from about the 29 yard "line." Using our trap guns, none of us had a problem breaking targets so my experience with the little critters for trap shooting is positive. Several of the fellows load 7/8 ounce of 7.5 or 8's for 16 yards and use these for handicap on occasion for fun...and they consistently break targets. I shoot 1 ounce at 1145 for everything out to 24 yards then switch over to 1 1/8 ounce at 1200 for 27 and longer. The little shells have plenty of oomph.
Great article....thanks for mentioning our product, the Opsol adapter. The adapter was developed on a Mav 88 with Aguila shells. It went on sale in May of 2015. We handed a few to Mossberg at Shot show 2016. At Shot show 2017, Mossberg rolled out the Shockwave, and marketed it with our adapter and Aguila shells. In 2018, Challenger entered the mini shell market. At Shot show 2019, Federal entered the market.
The adapter was specifically developed for our wives and daughters. Minishells, though, are being developed that are becoming more powerful, etc. Personally, I have tested mini bucks with 6 00 pellets. They pass cleanly through two real 3/4" sheets of plywood.
I agree with the author on Federal slugs....accurate at 100 yards for me (and I am not a good shot). For buckshot,all 3 rounds pass through 1 sheet, and a few pellets through the second. The federal, though, is buffered, and consistently has a tighter pattern.
One thing to understand about minis, their potential is just now being explored. There is all sorts of power that can be developed in that short shell. I have tested 20g 1 oz minis slugs that go clean through 5 sheets, which Aguilas cant....
As for KSGs, they will flip a shell. They did for me, and a customer recently advised me he had same issues. Not often, but they will.
I agree with you, but strongly disagree with the author as to the purpose, use and future of 1.75 inch 12 ga shells. Keep in mind that the 2 3/4 inch shot shell is a reminent of black powder days when powder was less efficient and required more volume. To illustrate, the 1.75 in Exotic #3 buck contains 21 pellets and delivers the shot column with 1,611 ft lbs of muzzle energy resulting in recoil of 24.5 ft lbs in a 6.75 lbs shotgun. This will deliver superior terminal performance at short home defense distances (such as 20 feet) than the current gold standard, i.e., Federal LE132 00 or Federal LE133 00 with flight control, delivering 9 or 8 double-aught pellets at 1,412 ft lbs or 1,253 ft lbs respectively and with lighter recoil than the Exotic load. Federal, Aguila and Challenger have not pushed the limits of these shells. These certainly make a lot of sense for the close distances of home defense and the slugs and increased capacity make sense for law enforcement per a recent article in Police One magazine.
One thing not mentioned in this article is shooting ranges. The ones in my area prohibit any load other than slugs indoors. So if you're training for close-quarters home defense, mini-shells take on a significant role. For the heavyweight (6'4"/240#) shooter, such as I, minislugs (with the Opsol clip) are good warm-up/practice rounds, followed by full size shells. For my petite better half, minis are the max on the range. However, as the designated operator of the household Mossberg 500, I keep it loaded at home with full-size, 00 buck rounds: stock folded, side-saddle filled and at the ready.
I don't shoot at any ranges with this rule, though I suppose that may change eventually.
If people have a truck-load of buckshot, are they able to train with them if they turn them into hobo-slugs? (wax, hotglue, etc)... Does your range check for the manufactured label? or how it's hitting down range on the targets? Just curious...
My Winchester 1300 Defender cycles them pretty reliably so you could add that to the list.
I love the minishells! I have a mossberg 500 with the opsol clip and a benelli supernova...the benelli seems to cycle them pretty well as long as you are firm with you're racking.
Also, the SRM was my idea ;) though it was only in my head
I have run 2 boxes aof the Aguila slugs in my KS7 with no issues. I have even mixed them with 2 3/4 rounds with no failures.
Same with my KS7. I put 200 of these through it no problem
I have a 12 gauge 2 and 3 Quarter grizzly with a 12" barrel and a 5 round magazine Pump action.
Are these guys going to work in my magazine or should I stick with my double 00 and 000 buck for home defense?
I have the KSG and it loves the Aguila shells - you need shells with the high brass for the KSG. I can't think of a better load for home defense than 24+1 buckshot rounds :)
Same here with my KSG. I feed it minis almost exclusively.
The KS7 doesn't like minishells? Maybe it's something that's individual between KS7s. Mine appears to like them just fine so far.
same here. there were some issues in loading my KS7(sharp corner on magazine tube would catch shell) and the early releases sometimes needed to go back upgraded parts, but minishells function just like full size shells. Makes, in my eyes, his comments on ammo suspect also. Anything i have read suggests that the primary impact on shot spread is barrel choke .
Author here.
There is a lot more to spread that choke, especially with buckshot. Wad or shotcup is a massive factor. The shot cup is why Flitecontrol works so well.
Also my individual experiences with the KS7 are my own and I wrote a loving review of the KS7 and have no reason to lie about it.
Weird. I put 200 aguila mini buckshots through my ks7 last weekend with zero issues