Shotgun Gauges

Buckshot Explained: Sizes, Pellet Counts and Range

October 4, 2026

Buckshot sizes from #4 to 000 buck, pellet counts from Federal specs, effective range for deer, and why the same size can carry a different count.

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Latest from Popular Ammo

30-06 Ammo: Bullet Weights, Velocity and the Garand QuestionOctober 4, 202630-06 ammo by the numbers: SAAMI pressure, 150 vs 180 grain factory ballistics, recoil against .308, and whether commercial loads are safe in an M1 Garand.Read the articleOctober 4, 2026

300 Blackout Ammo: Supersonic vs Subsonic Loads ExplainedOctober 4, 2026300 Blackout ammo comes in two families: supersonic 110 to 150 grain loads and subsonic 190 to 220 grain loads. SAAMI specs, factory velocities and the 5.56 warning.Read the articleOctober 4, 2026

45-70 Ammo: The Three Pressure Levels ExplainedSeptember 11, 2026Every 45-70 round fits every 45-70 rifle; not every round is safe in one. The three pressure tiers, in the ammunition makers' own published words.Read the articleSeptember 11, 2026

44 Magnum ammo sitting on a counter in a gun store

44 Magnum Ammo: Ballistics and Barrel LengthSeptember 11, 2026One 44 Magnum load runs 1,466 fps from a 4-inch revolver and 1,935 from a 20-inch carbine. Published ballistics, barrel lengths and firearm restrictions.Read the articleSeptember 11, 2026

A vintage green Remington Kleanbore .30-30 Winchester Express box of 170 grain Core-Lokt soft points sits on a wooden table in a hunting cabin, with a lit fireplace, a mounted deer and a red plaid wool jacket behind it.

30-30 Ammo: Ballistics, Bullets and Lever GunsSeptember 11, 2026Why 30-30 bullets are flat-nosed, what elastomer tips changed, and the published ballistics for every current load — with the test barrels named.Read the articleSeptember 11, 2026

A tactical scene of Winchester defender 12 gauge ammo

12 Gauge Shotgun Shells: Sizes, Loads and the LawSeptember 11, 2026A shell too long for your chamber still fits — and raises pressure. Shot sizes, published loads, and what federal law actually requires for waterfowl.Read the articleSeptember 11, 2026

Ammo Charts & Quick Answers

Eight cartridges from .380 ACP to 6.5 Creedmoor standing upright on one scale, photographed and drawn at true relative length and thickness, 0.984 to 2.825 inches.

Caliber comparison chartJuly 10, 2026

Cartridge	Bullet	Muzzle energy
9mm Luger	115 gr	~360 ft-lb
.45 ACP	230 gr	~370 ft-lb
5.56 NATO	62 gr	~1,300 ft-lb

Bullet weight and muzzle energy for three of the most common cartridges. The full chart compares twenty-one. Popular Ammo · popularammo.com/home/

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Bullet sizes, velocity and energy for the common handgun, rifle and rimfire cartridges, side by side.
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Lengthwise cutaways of four bullets showing the copper jacket, lead core, hollow point cavity and the steel penetrator behind an M855 green tip.

Ammo types explainedJuly 10, 2026

Type	What it is for
FMJ	Practice and range
JHP	Self-defense
Subsonic	Suppressed shooting

What each bullet type is built to do, in one line apiece. Popular Ammo · popularammo.com/home/

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FMJ, JHP, soft point, ballistic tip, subsonic and frangible — what each one is built to do, and when it is the wrong choice.
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Twelve cartridges ranked by price per round, from .22 LR at 6.59 cents to 6.5 Creedmoor at 94.8 cents.

Ammo price & supply trackerAugust 22, 2026

Checked	Finding
Supply	No shortage
Price	The real problem
Prices	Read by the site several times a day, one retailer
Supply and policy	Checked by hand, dated

What the tracker checks, how often, and what the last check found. Popular Ammo · popularammo.com/home/

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Per-round prices read automatically from one retailer’s product pages, plus FBI background-check data and the tariff story, each with the date it was last checked.
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Caliber comparisons

The published numbers people use to compare cartridges are not measured the same way. Different standards bodies test at different points on the case and in different barrel lengths, which is why two rounds with the same pressure rating can look far apart on a spec sheet. Each comparison below shows the measurement difference first, then what it means at the muzzle.

Comparison	The measurement problem
.223 Remington vs 5.56 NATO	SAAMI, NATO EPVAT and CIP each measure chamber pressure at a different point on the case, so the published figures are not directly comparable. CIP rates .223 Remington at 62,366 psi — the number often quoted as proof 5.56 runs hotter.
300 Blackout vs 5.56 NATO	Identical 55,000 psi SAAMI maximum average pressure. SAAMI tests 300 BLK in a 16-inch barrel and .223 in a 24-inch barrel, which is most of the velocity gap people attribute to the cartridges.
.380 ACP vs 9mm Luger	21,500 psi vs 35,000 psi SAAMI maximum — a 1.63× ratio, not the “double” that gets repeated. SAAMI also tests them in 3.75-inch and 4.0-inch barrels.
9mm Luger vs .45 ACP	SAAMI test barrels are 4.0 inches for 9mm and 5.0 inches for .45 ACP. The FBI’s 1989 and 2014 papers reach opposite conclusions on whether bullet diameter matters, and neither acknowledges the other.
6.5 Creedmoor vs .308 Winchester	SAAMI sets both at 62,000 psi. CIP does not (4,350 bar vs 4,150 bar), and published velocity data uses different barrel lengths again.

The measurement problem: makers publish velocities from different barrels, so the numbers are not comparable until you normalize them. Popular Ammo · popularammo.com/home/

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