Good afternoon,

I am looking for recommendations for 12 ga ‘practice ammo’ for a semi-auto home-defense shotgun with an 18.5” barrel.

Some key features / qualities that would be nice, and in no particular order -

* Reasonably priced (does not have to be the ‘cheapest’, but that would be o.k. too)
* Performs well, in terms of being able to reliably cycle the weapon
* Is relatively ‘easy’ shooting, as I would like to get a decent amount of rounds in during a range session if possible (not sure what a good number may be in this regard. 50-ish? idk)
* Burns somewhat cleanly
* Is accurate ‘enough’ at home-defense distances to develop my skills
* Is generally readily available

An internet search produces some recommendations that seem reasonable, but I do not know if those results may be biased in some manner and/or does not include some of the ‘less well known’ brands on the market that I should consider.

Thanks in advance!

Rob

For a home defense shotgun I would practice with the same ammo I was going to load it with to protect myself and others.
Especially a semi auto.

If I was just going to play with it I would buy cheap clay target loads #7-#8 shot.
Cheap shotgun hulls will flex much more than expensive shells and may induce malfunctions when feeding and ejecting in a semi auto.Also storing a shotgun with cheap shells in the tube can deform the shells from the constant spring tension placed on them.

Thank you for your reply and input, armored.

While I have purchased over 200 rounds of Federal 00 2 3/4" Flight Control ammo, and will practice with it, I do want ammo to 'play with' to become very familiar with operating and shooting the shotgun.

I'll look for what you recommend.

I say buy the cheapest of anything you can find. Shoot mostly that, and then practice some with whatever you’re going to keep in it.

Any shotgun that won’t reliably feed any modern shells would not be trusted by me.

In most instances, one would be more likely to have cycling problems with lighter rounds. That’s a little more true in a newer gun. I’m talking light ‘target loads’ smaller shot, #8, whatever.

As you get up to ‘heavy field loads’ or more, more likely to cycle well.

I have a wide assortment of shotgun ammo, ‘heavy field loads’ in #6 or # 7.5 shot are sorta cheaper, but not the lightest loads. I’ve used ‘hevi-shot’ and ‘HD’ in BB, #2, and ‘T’ shot for coyote hunting, rather devastating with penetration.

Of course those are overkill for practice ammo. I’d just look something like 2 3/4”, higher power #4 shot or so for practice, lead over any steel.

NOT Winchester "universals' or whatever garbage they're selling at Walmart now. They Universally Suck. Federal bulk stuff is generally good IME.

When everyone switched to steel-based hulls it got dicey. Some figured it out, but some are terrible and can cause serious jams.

IF it will reliably cycle in your shotgun, the Fiocchi Defensive Dynamics No1 Buckshot loads have been my go-to. They reliably cycle in my A300 and my M4 clone. I also wouldnt hesitate to use them in a defensive situation.

Look for a target/game load with the same payload and velocity as your favored load to approximate the recoil. I see no reason why this wouldn't cycle. And I second the Fiocchi Defense Dynamics. Nine pellets of #1 buck @ 1250 fps will do anything you need it to do on the receiving end without beating you up. (I shoot a pump, not a gas-operated semi-auto, and am not as young or fit as I used to be. YMMV.)