Please advise me on my first set of shotgun ammo

[WhiteBelt]

Hello all,

Looking for some advice on buying my first shotgun ammo for my first visit to the local range. I have checked different websites to compare prices, but finding that quite confusing. There is so many different elements like fps, pellet size, count, etc. Here is a bulk ammo selection from GoTenda (I think it is free shipping over $300 cad). Can you please help me select the most important ones and remove some so the total is closer to $300? Also let me know if I should be searching for a different brand, quality, etc. Or even a different website/company with free shipping.

These shells will be used for breaking in my Mossberg 590A1 (18.5" barrel) and only for target practice, zero-ing, getting used to the gun/recoil for now. Some trap maybe if my range players allow beginners with them.

 

[0faustus0]

That's like asking what car should I buy ....

Tell us a bit more ....

1.) What shotgun do you have?
2.) What are you trying to do with that gun? Hunting? Trap shooting? Skeet? Sporting Clays?
3.) If hunting .... what kind of hunting? Upland game, migratory birds, big game ....??

Or do you just want to have fun at the range?

 

[0faustus0]

...

These shells will be used for breaking in my Mossberg 590A1 (18.5" barrel) and only for target practice, zero-ing, getting used to the gun/recoil for now. Some trap maybe if my range players allow beginners with them.

For slugs I would go with low recoil slugs.
These are my 3 go to brands/slugs and to practice at the range:

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...ation-comparison.1635960/page-5#post-18450733

1. Sellier & Bellot Sport Slug: 1oz; 1345 FPS
2. Challenger Target Slug: 1oz; 1450 fps
3. Score Competition Slug: 1oz; 1300 fps

For buckshot .... I would also go with something low recoil. If your gun does not have removable chokes, I would suggest Federal Flightcontrol buckshot. It produces much tighter patterns ...

https://www.gotenda.com/product/fed...ga-2-3-4-00-buck-9-pellets-1145-fps-box-of-5/

For birdshot for trap .... I let others chime in ....

 

[Eaglelord17]

So you will want to do some research as to what your range allows where. Many ranges don't allow multi-shot on the rifle ranges (i.e. slugs only), and some will have restrictions on the pellet sizes on the actual shotgun ranges (for example my range has a restriction on 7.5 being the largest size shot for clay shooting).

A 18.5" barrel shotgun isn't generally going to do so well at trap/clay shooting, some clubs also have restrictions on barrel lengths for those activities. Generally I have found that larger shot does better with the shorter barrels (i.e. #5 instead of #8 or #7.5) on clays but depending on your range that might not be a option.

For the most part a short barrelled shotgun is a bush toy/hunting gun. I highly recommend you learn what the actual rules are for your range before you buy ammo and find you can't use it there.

 

[Jay]

It's a pump shotgun, there's really no break in... Clean, lube & use...

Outside of that, the ammo is "situational" & "application" dependent...

Light birdshot for having fun #8 target loads, heavier like #6 lead high brass for hunting, buckshot & slugs for big game hunting...

Cheers
Jay

 

[Buck1950]

I'd get the can of OOBuck and a can of the slugs. That'll break the $300 line and give you likely a couple years of ammo. The 7.5 is not especially handy' unless you have a long barrel and are practicing for Trap or Skeet, IMO. Your SG is not very conducive for those pursuits.
Alternatively, myou could just buy a box or two at any LGS to try out what suits you best. I have a variety of diff ammo and diff SGs.

 

[struff55]

you are not hunting or target shooting or anything else that would make a difference
buy some cheap ammo and shoot
no need to over think or over complicate this is very basic

 

[joemanco]

Looking for some advice on buying my first shotgun ammo for my first visit to the local range. I have checked different websites to compare prices, but finding that quite confusing.

Yes it is, 12ga is a big aisle. This is what I'd do first:

175 buckshots seems like a disproportionate amount of your budget at this time? Buy 25 at ~$40, blast them and rethink what you need next.

The Challenger slugs are a perfect fit for a range day. I prefer them to Score slugs which are a similar price point. You will shoot 100 over a few trips.
The posted price on the Challengers is "fair" (for 2026). $1 or less per slug is the ideal, when you find that go all-in and stack deep.

Yes, having any brand of target load for 50 shells to muscle memory "pushpull" and "pullrack" techniques is wise.
Buy the cheapest possible (50c) and have at it. $25 well spent - shoot these first!

With the $100 remaining buy more of what you enjoyed most.

 

[Locked out]

Grab at least one box of 3” magnum slugs .wait until the day after Halloween , grab some pumpkins, cut small hole in top and fill with water Replace plug . Stand back a bit. You’re feeding the small woodland creatures- doing gods work