Back in March of 2017, I
reviewed Aguila's Ultralight 12 Gauge #7.5 Mini Shells shotgun shells as an option for survival use.
Aguila's Mini Shell is basically a shrunken down 12 Gauge shotshell (only 1 3/4" long) that is extremely light (as light as a 410 shell), yet still throws excellent patterns.
As great as the little Mini Shell was, it suffered from one major drawback -- price. At roughly $20 for a box of 20 shells, Aguila Mini Shells are more expensive than most 12 Gauge High Brass loads.
For the budget-minded backcountry trekker, this could be a real deal breaker, especially if you want do a lot of target practice with them.
So I set out in search of an alternative that would give similar performance to the Mini Shells without breaking the bank.
After a bit of searching online, I came across Winchester's
12 Gauge AA 2 3/4" #7.5 International Target Load, which is essentially a 7/8 ounce version of Winchester's popular AA Super Sporting Clays 1 1/8 ounce load. The Winchester AA International Target loads are generally $11-$13 for a box of 25 when you can find them online, so they are roughly half the price of the Aguila MiniShells.
The SPECS
Winchester's AA International loads are used mainly for international skeet and trap competitions. Moving at a blazing 1,325fps, they feature hardened shot, a high strength hull, AA wads for improved pattern performance, reloadable brass shells, and what Winchester claims is the best in class primer and powder for reliability in the field.
Winchester AA International 2 3/4" 12 Gauge Target Shells vs Winchester AA 20 Gauge Super Sport 7/8oz Shells
At only 26.1 ounces per 20 shells, the 12 Gauge AA International Loads are nearly as light as 20 shells of Winchester AA #7.5 20 Gauge Super Sport Shells - impressive.
20 shells of Winchester's AA International weighs only 26.1 ounces:
That is only once ounce more than Winchester's 20 Gauge AA 7/8th Ounce Shells:
The real question is, how well do they perform? Light loads often mean thin patterns, so I was curious to see what the patterns looked like on some rabbit, squirrel and turkey targets.
FIELD TEST
25 Yards from an H&R/NEF Pardner Single Shot Shotgun with a Modified Choke on a rabbit target:
25 Yards from an Stoeger Double Barrel Coach Gun Shotgun with an Improved Choke on a rabbit target:
35 Yards from an H&R/NEF Pardner Single Shot Shotgun with a Modified Choke on a Birchwood Casey splattering squirrel target:
35 Yards from an Stoeger Double Barrel Coach Gun Shotgun with an Improved Choke on a Birchwood Casey splattering squirrel target:
Even at 50 yards, the AA International load still produced enough of a pattern out of the H&R/NEF Single Shot to have multiple hits on this squirrel target:
35 Yards from an H&R/NEF Pardner Single Shot Shotgun with a Modified Choke on a Birchwood Casey splattering turkey target:
FINAL THOUGHTS
As shown in the field tests above, the Winchester AA International 12 Gauge Shells performed excellent. They give up very little in pattern density to heavier 1oz and 1 1/8oz shells.
Although not as super ultralight as the tiny Aguila MiniShells, whatever they lose in weight advantage to the MiniShells, they make up for with superior velocity and harder, deeper penetrating shot.
This makes Winchester's AA 12 Gauge International Target Shells an excellent ammo choice for bush pilots, snowmobiler's, ATV'ers, canoeists and other backcountry adventurers who like to pack a shotgun and keep their pack weight to a minimum.
5 out of 5 Stars (Highly Recommended)
Jason Schwartz is the Founder and Senior Editor of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft. He is an Army veteran, former Red Cross certified Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor, and the author of Edible & Medicinal Survival Plants of the Rocky Mountains Pocket Guides. Jason has also written articles on bushcraft and survival for The New Pioneer and Backpacker Magazine Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without spaces)
