Hornady Shotgun Ammo | Complete Guide Before You Buy

When I’m searching for shotgun shells I always look for the 3 most important things; Gauge, #shot, and type of metal used in the pellets. Depending on whether you’re hunting waterfowl, deer, turkey, or just trying to defend your home, the # shot matters a lot. For example, if you’re hunting for a duck in the late winter, you’re not going to be using 00 buckshot. However, if you’re defending your home, that would be a great shell to use. Today’s blog is dedicated to most of the shotgun ammo from Hornady. 

Heavy Magnum^®

Anyone who’s read our blogs before knows how much I love turkey hunting. The Heavy Magnum^® Shotgun ammunition is designed to be used to hunt either coyotes or turkey with 2 distinct loads. The first one is the Heavy Magnum^® Turkey that is loaded in 3″ 12 or 20 gauge loads. The combination of the thickest nickel-plating in the industry and a 1,300 fps muzzle velocity in the 12 gauge makes this shell a must-have. The thick nickel-plating prevents deformation and fliers while keeping the pellets together for consistent patterns. The Hornady^® Versatite^® wad does the patterning, so these loads don’t need specialized turkey chokes.

Heavy Magnum^® Coyote

The Hornady Magnum^® Coyote load is a 3″ 12 gauge shell in either BB or 00 buckshot. Each shell is loaded with 1.5 oz. of nickel-plated lead shot for a larger pattern density and consistent pattern grouping. The coyote load shoots the same as the 12 gauge turkey shot with a velocity of 1,300 fps for a knockout punch to a 40-50 coyote. Hornady Heavy Magnum^® Shotgun ammunition is also designed to prevent serious damage to the pelt of either the coyote or turkey.  To make this shell even deadlier, it’s accurate up to 50 yards for both the turkey or the coyote. 

Hornady BLACK^® 12 GA Buckshot  

Hornady BLACK^® ammunition was created by Hornady as a response to customers wanting more universal ammo that would operate on many platforms. For shotguns, the Hornady BLACK^® ammo is made for a 00 12 gauge buckshot in self-defense situations. As I’ve said in the intro, 00 12 ga buckshot will just obliterate a turkey and destroy the pelt of a coyote. They’re made with the highest quality cases, primers, and propellants that Hornady has in store for optimal reliability, durability, and performance. 

Hornady SST^® Slug

The Hornady^® SST^® Shotgun Slugs are perfect for deer hunting because it’s a slug instead of shot and features the Hornady patented Flex Tip^® technology (FTX). The SST^® Slugs are chambered for either a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun and are designed to be the most accurate long-range (150 yards) hunting shotgun ammo ever made. The 12 gauge has a muzzle velocity of 1793 fps at 100 yards with a 2 MOA. The SST^® Slugs are meant to have a flatter trajectory to ensure the accuracy is always maintained. 

The FTX^® bullet is designed to fly faster due to the sharp point improving the ballistic coefficient to provide a flat trajectory with minimal environmental influence. I personally would never take a shot with a shotgun at 200 yards, but I know this ammo can get it done if you’re in one of those positions and need to take that shot. The FTX^® bullet features a hard polymer tip that drives into the lead core like a wedge, initiating near-instant and controlled expansion.

Hornady Custom Lite^® Slugs

The Hornady^® Custom Lite^® ammunition is specifically designed to reduce the felt-recoil of the blast to provide quicker, more accurate follow-up shots. It’s also nice to not feel every shot because I know that I can tend to anticipate the recoil of a lighter 12 ga shotgun. I highly recommend this ammo for new shooters, women, the elderly, and children. The Custom Lite^® ammunition reduces the felt-recoil by 25% versus any other ammo brand. The only thing to make sure is you only use this ammo in a rifled barrel. 

The Custom Lite^® ammunition uses the SST^® bullet for increased accuracy over longer ranges. This allows the shooter to hunt deer up to 150 yards with confidence. The Custom Lite^® ammo is the ammo that I use when I want to train a family member on how to shoot a shotgun, especially the ones that have never hunted before. 

American Gunner® Slug

The American Gunner® ammo is similar to the Hornady BLACK®, in that, they both are versatile ammo brands that many Americans trust in multiple applications (target shooting, hunting, or self-defense needs). This specific 12 gauge with a 2.75″ shell provides a muzzle velocity of 1,300 fps for incredible stopping power. The slug weighs 1 oz. and is designed to provide more than enough stopping power with an astounding 1,640 ft. lbs. of force. 

The American Gunner® ammo features a consistent optimal performance with a compression style wad that softens recoil, protects the slug at ignition, and helps seal the bore for consistent velocity. This specific ammo is designed for smooth bore barrels to help with the reduction of felt-recoil and improve ballistics. I recommend this ammo for anyone looking for a versatile slug that can be used in multiple applications from hunting to self-defense.