“shells”

An all-important question was posed a couple days ago over on the Final Approach Facebook page: Besides shotgun shells, what do you feel is the most important piece of equipment in your blind bag?

The 28-gauge Ethos is a quality sporting shotgun from a trusted maker, and the 3-inch shells go a long way toward closing the power gap between this increasingly popular sub-gauge and its larger kin.

Designed for hardcore turkey hunters, the SL5 semi-auto 12-gauge shotguns accommodate 2¾- and 3-inch shells and feature an 18½-inch deep-drilled, chrome-lined barrel with a stepped rib for precise alignment.

Federal has combined the power of two of its newest technologies to create a shotshell option that changes the nature of self-defense. The new Force X2 Shorty shells measure just 1¾ inches but hold a payload of six 00 segmenting buckshot engineered to split into two equal pieces on impact.

Though the year is winding down, there’s still plenty of birds to be had for the hunter willing to bear the cold. Grab a box of shells from this list and hit the snow-covered fields knowing these loads have what it takes to drop upland birds.

It was around 9 a.m., and a dozen or so birds had decided that they’d make a close enough pass at our decoy spread to elicit a volley. I’d loosed two shells when my concentration was broken by something thumping down into the reeds beside me.

Pump-action shotguns are darn reliable. It's why the design has had such sustained success, even after the advent of the autoloader. We recently covered one of 2016's best values in the budget-friendly Stoeger P3000, which impressed our reviewer. It impressed consumers, too, because for 2017 Stoeger has announced the P3500—the same gun, essentially, just chambered for those big ol' 3½-inch shells.

Understanding these critical points will help you bag more birds with fewer shells this season.

Remington Ammunition has determined that boxes of the referenced lot numbers of Remington Premier AccuTip Slugs - PRA12, may contain shells with an incorrect propellant.