SAAMI Publishes Accepted 12-Gauge 1¾-Inch Cartridge and Chamber Designs

The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) has published the recently approved and accepted specifications of the new 12-gauge 1¾-inch Smooth Bore Barrel cartridge submitted by Federal.

“This is big news for our new Shorty Shotshell ammunition,” said Federal Shotshell Product Director Rick Stoeckel. “The 12-gauge 1¾-inch cartridge has been around for more than a decade, but it was never brought to SAAMI to be considered by its Technical Committee. Once we decided to start manufacturing this load, we immediately submitted it to SAAMI for industry standardization. We’re excited about this approval and we deeply appreciate SAAMI’s support.”

The Shorty shotshell design is intended to produce standard performance without the length of the typical 12-gauge load. It is currently available in No. 8, No. 4 buckshot and a rifled slug.

“SAAMI’s approval of the cartridge was a crucial step in legitimizing it within the industry,” continued Stoeckel. “Their work creates industry standards for the cartridge, and will hopefully inspire shotgun manufacturers to purposely build pump-action and semi-auto shotguns to specifically run 1¾-inch loads.”

SAAMI data and drawings are all available to the public on saami.org, and the new shotshell specs can be found within the “New Cartridge & Chamber Drawings” under SAAMI’s Technical Information section.