12/70 shotgun shells for hunting and clay shooting: lead and steel shot loads, buckshot, slugs, subsonic and sporting cartridges from SAGA and Winchester. The 70 mm case fits every standard 12 gauge chamber, so one category covers duck blinds, driven boar hunts and range practice.
12/70 shotgun shells are the standard ammunition for smoothbore guns in Europe. The 12 stands for the gauge and 70 for the case length in millimetres. These cartridges fit every 12 gauge shotgun with a 70 mm or longer chamber, including guns with a 76 mm magnum chamber. In this category you will find SAGA and Winchester loads for bird hunting, big game and clay sports.
These cartridges suit hunters and sport shooters who own a 12 gauge smoothbore. One gauge covers nearly the whole hunting season: fine shot for ducks and pigeons, larger shot for geese and hares, and slug loads for driven boar hunts. Sporting shells from the same shelf keep range practice affordable.
The 12/70 format stays popular because recoil is moderate and the choice of loads is wide. Light 21 or 24 g loads spare your shoulder during a long training session, while 32 or 36 g hunting loads throw a dense pattern at realistic field distances. Remember that buying ammunition requires a valid firearm permit.
The category holds five main groups: lead shot, steel shot, buckshot, slugs, and sporting plus subsonic loads. Each group solves a different task in the field, so most hunters keep several types in the cabinet through the season. Below you will find what sets them apart and where each works best.
Lead shot remains the classic choice for upland hunting. The Winchester Super Speed 36 g load with 2.9 mm pellets gives deep penetration and a dense pattern at medium range. It suits hares, foxes and pheasants in open country where lead is still allowed. A heavier load means more pellets in the pattern but also more recoil, so match it to the weight of your gun.
Lead shot is banned over wetlands, so pick steel loads for duck and goose hunting. This is the largest group in the category: SAGA EXPORT 28 STEEL with 3.25 mm No.4 pellets, SAGA FIELD 32 STEEL with 3.75 mm and 4 mm pellets for geese, Winchester STEEL HP CANARD 34 g and Winchester STEEL STANDARD 28 g. Steel is lighter than lead, so go one or two sizes larger than you would with lead and avoid full choke.
Buckshot cartridges carry several large pellets in one load. You will find Winchester Buckshot SUPER-X with nine 00 pellets, Winchester BUCKSHOT RAZORBACK with eight, and SAGA TOP EXPORT 34 with 4.5 mm No.00 shot. Buckshot works at short range only, and hunting regulations restrict its use, so check the rules in your hunting grounds before loading it.
A slug from a smoothbore is the main tool on driven boar hunts. The category includes SAGA PRACTICAL, SAGA TWISTER and SAGA HURRICANE slugs, plus the SAGA Rubin Sabo Brenneke load that sends a 28 g slug at 450 m/s. Smoothbore slugs work reliably out to about 50 metres, so plan a short shot and always know what stands behind your target.
SAGA SUBSONIC 24 and SUBSONIC 28 shells fly below the speed of sound, which makes the shot quieter and softer on the shoulder. For clays, SAGA EUROTRAP 21 with No.7.5 pellets and SAGA SKEET 24 with 2 mm No.9 shot let you fire hundreds of rounds per session on the trap or skeet field without fatigue.
Look first at the game and the ground you hunt, then at pellet size and material, and only then at load weight. A wrong shot size ruins results faster than a cheaper hull does, so it pays to keep several types for different situations. Work through these steps:
Every barrel patterns the same shell differently, so fire test shots at paper at 35 metres before the season opens. You will see how your choke spreads a given load and learn your real effective range. One box is enough for the test, and the knowledge serves you all season.
Never push steel shot through a full choke: hard steel does not compress like lead and can damage the barrel. Half choke usually gives the best pattern with steel. Store your shells dry, because moisture harms primers and powder. In freezing weather powder burns slower, so the first shots on a winter morning can hit lower than they did on a summer range day.
Two makers fill this category. SAGA is a Spanish manufacturer known for fair prices and a wide range that runs from clay loads to slugs. Winchester is an American ammunition brand with a long history, and its Super Speed, Steel and Buckshot lines are valued for consistent quality. Both makers offer loads for hunting and for sport, so you can stay with one brand through the whole season.
Browse the neighbouring categories as well: longer 12/76 shells for magnum chambers, shorter 12/67 loads, and smaller gauges such as 20/70 shells and 16/70 shells. If you are not sure which load fits your gun and your hunting, write to us and we will help you choose.
