Shotgun Shell Price Index: Target, Buckshot and Slug

Shotgun shells are sold in 5, 10, 25 and 250-shell packs, which makes box prices useless for comparison. Here is what each load type costs per shell, live.

AmmoSpotter Research Desk By AmmoSpotter Research Desk
Published 6 min read
Shotgun Shell Price Index: Target, Buckshot and Slug

A box of shotgun shells can hold 5, 10, 15, 25, 100 or 250 shells, and the load inside can be a practice target shell or a premium turkey load. So the price on the box tells you almost nothing. The only useful comparison is cost per shell, and that is what this index tracks, live, across every retailer in our catalog.

What do 12 gauge shells cost per shell right now?

Here is the live 12 gauge index. It counts every quality-filtered 12 gauge listing sold in packs of ten shells or more, reports the market floor as the third-cheapest listing so one bad feed row can't set it, and compares the same listings across two windows for the 30-day trend. How AmmoSpotter ranks ammunition explains the filtering in full.

12 Gauge Price Index

Live · Sep 18, 2026
Market floor / round
$0.360
Market average
$1.011
Lowest box price
$6.09
30-day trend
▲ 0.1%
Compare all 12 Gauge deals by cost per round →

Read that index as mostly a target-load index. Target and field loads make up the large majority of 12 gauge listings in packs of ten or more, so they dominate both the floor and the average. Buckshot and slugs sit inside the average but barely move it. Five-shell boxes fall below the ten-shell cutoff, so they are not in it at all. That is why the rest of this page breaks the market out by load type.

The cheapest 12 gauge shells we track at any pack size:

Cheapest 12 Gauge Per Shell Right Now

Prices updated Sep 18, 2026
See all 12 gauge deals →

Every card in that grid is a target load. At the cheap end, that is the only kind of shotgun shell there is.

How much do target loads cost, and does the 250-shell flat save money?

Target loads are the commodity end of shotgun ammunition. They are made in enormous volume for trap, skeet and sporting clays, sold in 25-shell boxes and 250-shell flats, and priced competitively across retailers.

The flat is where clay shooters expect a volume break. The data says it is small. Compare the cheapest 25-shell boxes in the grid above with the cheapest 100-plus packs below:

12 Gauge in 100+ Shell Packs and Flats

Prices updated Sep 18, 2026
See all bulk 12 gauge deals →

When we checked, the best flat undercut the best 25-shell box by less than a cent per shell. This matches what we found across rifle and pistol calibers in Bulk vs Box: How Much You Actually Save Buying a Case. Pack size moves the price far less than which load you buy and when you buy it.

Within target loads, the spread between the cheapest practice shells and premium competition hulls is real. Here is a ladder of three common 12 gauge target loads, with live prices:

12 Gauge Target Loads: Box, Value Pack, Premium

If you shoot a round of trap or skeet a week, that spread adds up far faster than any flat discount. How many rounds does it take to get good? is written around rifles and pistols, but the arithmetic of volume practice is the same.

How much does buckshot cost per shell?

Buckshot costs far more per shell than target loads do. Pack size matters more here than anywhere else in shotgun ammunition.

Most buckshot on store shelves is sold in five-shell boxes. Across the 12 gauge buckshot listings we track, the typical five-shell box costs substantially more per shell than the typical 25-shell box. The ladder below shows the gap in live prices. The five-shell box is a retail format for people buying a handful of defensive rounds. The 25-shell box is how you buy enough to pattern your gun and train with it.

The rule isn't absolute. Some budget five-packs are priced below plenty of name-brand 25-shell boxes, and some 100-shell buckshot packs cost more per shell than 25-shell boxes. Divide every listing. Here is a live ladder across both pack sizes:

12 Gauge Buckshot: 25-Shell Boxes vs 5-Shell Boxes

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Price is only half of choosing a defensive load. Pattern performance varies by barrel and wad design, and the only way to know how a load patterns in your gun is to shoot it on paper at your distances. We don't run our own patterning or ballistic tests. For load selection, see the best 12 gauge buckshot for home defense and birdshot vs buckshot vs slug.

How much do slugs cost per shell?

Slugs are priced like buckshot, and the five-shell box dominates even more. Ten-shell slug boxes exist and typically cost noticeably less per shell than five-packs. 25-shell slug boxes are rare.

12 Gauge Slugs: 10 and 25-Shell Boxes vs 5-Shell Boxes

For a deer hunter the per-shell cost of the hunting slug barely matters, since you might fire a few a season. It matters for zeroing and practice. Five-shell boxes of premium slugs make it tempting to zero on two shots, which is how misses happen. The better approach is a cheaper ten- or 25-shell box of a similar weight slug for practice, then a confirmation group with your hunting load. Check that the two share a point of impact in your gun before you rely on it. Best deer hunting ammo covers slug selection by gun type.

Hunting loads also follow a seasonal cycle. When to buy hunting ammo tracks how prices behave in the run-up to deer season.

Why do waterfowl and turkey loads cost the most?

The top of the shotgun market isn't buckshot. It's specialty hunting shot.

Steel waterfowl loads cost more per shell than lead target loads. Steel is lighter than lead, so it needs larger pellets and higher velocities to carry the same energy, and waterfowl hulls and wads are built to protect the barrel from hard shot. In our listings the typical steel shell in a 25-shell box costs noticeably more than the typical lead target shell in the same box size. Non-toxic shot is generally required for waterfowl hunting, so verify current federal and state rules for where you hunt before you buy.

Turkey, TSS and tungsten loads are the most expensive shotgun shells we track by a wide margin. Tungsten super shot and bismuth are far denser and costlier materials than lead or steel, and these loads are mostly sold in five- and ten-shell boxes. For a turkey hunter who fires a handful of shells a season that is a reasonable trade. It is also why they are left out of the ladders above: they would distort any comparison with practice or defensive ammunition.

If you shoot these loads, pattern them at your hunting distance with the choke you'll carry. Then do most of your gun-handling practice with target loads, which cost far less per shell.

Is 20 gauge cheaper than 12 gauge?

No. 20 gauge uses less shot and powder, but it is made in far smaller volume. In our live listings, 20 gauge target loads cost about the same as 12 gauge per shell or slightly more, and the median is higher. 20 gauge buckshot runs about level with 12 gauge. The one place 20 gauge came out ahead in our data was slugs in ten-shell-plus boxes, but that sample is small and five-shell boxes still dominate the 20 gauge slug and buckshot market.

20 Gauge Price Index

Live · Sep 18, 2026
Market floor / round
$0.380
Market average
$0.935
Lowest box price
$7.49
30-day trend
▲ 0.2%
Compare all 20 Gauge deals by cost per round →

Cheapest 20 Gauge Per Shell Right Now

Prices updated Sep 18, 2026
See all 20 gauge deals →

Choose 20 gauge for recoil, gun weight or a smaller shooter. Don't choose it to save on ammunition.

What moves shotgun shell prices?

The same forces as every other ammunition market, weighted differently. Target loads track lead and component costs and the clay-shooting calendar. Buckshot tracks defensive-ammo demand, which spikes on news events. Slugs and hunting loads track the hunting season. Why ammo prices move breaks down the forces behind each spike.

Shotgun shells are also bulky and heavy to ship, and our prices are item prices without shipping. Check the retailer's shipping terms at checkout. Retailer and state rules on ammunition delivery vary, so read ammo shipping restrictions: how to check before you order and confirm locally before a large order.

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Browse every live 12 gauge and 20 gauge listing, or compare other calibers in the ammo price index.

AmmoSpotter earns a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never changes what you pay, and it never decides what we recommend — our picks are ranked on live cost-per-round data pulled from every retailer we track. Full disclosure.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a box of 12 gauge shells cost?+
It depends almost entirely on what is in the box. Target loads are the cheapest shotgun ammunition per shell, buckshot and slugs cost far more per shell, and premium turkey and tungsten loads cost more again. The live price index on this page shows the current market floor and average for 12 gauge.
Why are buckshot and slugs so much more expensive than target shells?+
More lead per shell, more complex wads and hulls, and much lower production volume than target loads. Pack size makes it worse. Buckshot and slugs are usually sold in five-shell boxes, and in our data the typical five-shell box costs substantially more per shell than the typical 25-shell box of the same load type.
Is 20 gauge ammo cheaper than 12 gauge?+
Not per shell. 20 gauge uses less shot, but it is made in far smaller volume, and in our live listings 20 gauge target loads cost about the same or slightly more per shell than 12 gauge. The smaller gauge wins on recoil and gun weight, not on ammunition cost.
Is it cheaper to buy shotgun shells by the case?+
Only a little, and only for target loads. 250-shell flats of target ammunition exist, but when we checked, their per-shell price was barely below the cheapest 25-shell boxes. Buckshot and slugs are rarely sold in quantities above 25 at all.
Does the shotgun price index include 5-shell boxes?+
No. Our price index counts packs of 10 shells or more, which keeps storage boxes and single-item listings from distorting the market floor. That means it mostly reflects target and field loads. Five-shell buckshot and slug boxes are shown separately below the index so you can compare them directly.
Topics 12 Gauge 20 Gauge Shotguns Cost Per Round Price Index Home Defense Hunting

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AmmoSpotter Research Desk

About the author

AmmoSpotter Research Desk

Price & Ballistics Research

The AmmoSpotter Research Desk analyzes live retail pricing across every ammunition, firearm and accessory listing we track. Recommendations here are ranked against real cost-per-round data pulled daily from the retailers we monitor - not against manufacturer marketing copy.

  • ✓Tracks 180,000+ live product listings across 6 retailer feeds
  • ✓Records price history on every listing, every day
  • ✓Cost-per-round methodology applied to all ammunition rankings
  • ✓No product is ranked without a verifiable in-stock retail price
  • ✓Affiliate relationships never influence rankings

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