I loved my 20 Gauge growing up. No dove, duck, or rabbit was safe.
That’s why I’m surprised by how often the 20 Gauge is underrated. Although it isn’t as powerful or popular as the 12 Gauge, it’s still an excellent option for sport shooting, upland game and deer hunting, and even home defense. It’s especially well suited to newer or smaller-framed shooters looking for something with less recoil.
Below you’ll find all of the best 20 Gauge ammo options on the market. We’ve got picks for hunting (birdshot and buckshot), trap, skeet, and sporting clays, good old-fashioned fun at the range, and even self-defense. If you don’t have time to wade through it, then I’ll cut right to the chase: the best 20 Gauge ammo overall is Winchester Super-X #3 buckshot (with the caveat that it’s only suitable for situations where buckshot is appropriate).
Top 6 Best 20 Gauge Ammo Picks
| Best Overall | Winchester Super-X #3 Buckshot |
|---|---|
| Best for Self-Defense | Winchester Defender #3 Buckshot |
| Best Slug Ammo | Federal Premium TruBall Rifled Slug |
| Best Turkey Ammo | Remington Premier TSS |
| Best Waterfowl Ammo | Hevi-Shot Hevi-Steel 7/8 oz #2 Steel Shot |
| Best Upland Game Ammo | Federal Game Load Upland #7-1/2 Shot |
Best 20 Gauge Ammo Overall
Winchester Super-X #3 Buckshot
Specs
- Shot Load: 20x #3 Buckshot
- Length: 2-3/4
- Muzzle Velocity: 1,200 fps
Why I Chose It
Whether you’re blasting clays, hunting on the cheap, or just stocking up on ammo for the end of days (it’ll be here any minute now, promise), it’s hard to go wrong with Winchester Super-X.
From target loads and birdshot to slugs and high-brass buckshot, Winchester offers the ideal shotshell for any application. I’m showcasing one of the buckshot loads here, but really, they’re all solid options for buying cheap and stacking deep.
This particular 20 Gauge buckshot shell is a good budget hunting or home-defense option that’s unlikely to let you down, though it does lack a little bit when compared to higher-end ammo that’s more tailored to defense or deer hunting.
Still, Super-X is plentiful, affordable, and more than sufficient for most tasks. It’s the best on this list for turning money into noise at the range, which is a valuable attribute. This is by far the best 20 Gauge ammo for target shooting you’ll find (not counting any sort of clays, that is).
Best 20 Gauge Ammo For Home/Self-Defense
Winchester Defender #3 Buckshot
Specs
- Shot Load: 20x #3 Buckshot
- Length: 2-3/4”
- Muzzle Velocity: 1,145 fps
Why I Chose It
12 Gauge shotguns may be the default scattergun choice for home defense, but the humble 20 Gauge makes for a great home defense shotgun, too – when loaded with modern, state-of-the-art ammo.
Winchester Defender is a high-brass round available loaded with segmented slugs, rifled slugs, or copper-plated buckshot. Whether you’re hunting from a distance or covering the gap between yourself and the other end of your living room, there’s an ideal Defender load for the job.
I chose #3 buckshot because it’s large enough to neutralize a threat quickly, yet small enough to deliver a dense pattern. Twenty individual #3 buckshot pellets basically do the same job as a whole handgun magazine worth of bullets. One of these shells is more than enough for close-range threats.
This shell’s copper-plated shot provides multiple performance advantages. It prevents the shot from undergoing deformation that could weaken pattern density or shorten penetration after impact.
We didn’t get the recoil gauge out, but this ammo also seems to kick less than some other analogous defensive options.
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