I have strong opinions about mine shells and no. 4 buckshot for defensive use. The combination of the two certainly wouldn’t please me from a defensive perspective, but the world of shotguns loves mini shells. If you’re a 20-gauge fan, then you’ll love the new ammo from Aguila. Aguila is bringing mini-shells to the 20-gauge format.
Aguila started the modern mini shell market with 1.75-inch shells initially designed for the 12-gauge platform. The popularity of these shells was propelled by the Shockwave and TAC-14 series of firearms that came to be in roughly 2018. The reduced recoil and expanded capacity made the super short PGO firearms seem more attractive.
Until now, the mini shells have been only for 12-gauge shotguns. This year, with little announcement or fanfare, Aguila introduced a Number 4 buckshot mini shell load. How many pellets? Great question. Aguila lists it as 9/16th of an ounce. The website doesn’t list it either. This means we need to do a little math.
The Aguila Mini 20 Gauge Shells
A No. 4 pellet weighs approximately 20.7 ot 20.8 grains. If we do the math to calculate what a 9/16th of an ounce of shot means, we get about 12 pellets. A twelve pellet laid that moves at 1,100 feet per second. For a short shell, it’s a fair bit of pellets that offers a hefty payload that’s moving fairly quickly for its size. It’s not bad for a minishell, but it’s not up to my standards.
No. 4 doesn’t meet the standard I want, and minishells offer even less payload. This cartridge simply isn’t for me. I prefer a proper 00 buckshot in an 8-pellet 2.75-inch variety. That’s me, but if you’re a 20-gauge fan, Aguila has finally given you a mini shell load for the pump or break-action guns.
As of this writing, all mini shell adapters are designed for 12-gauge pump guns to ensure smooth, reliable operation. I don’t imagine it will take long for 20-gauge adapters to hit the market. Companies like Defender Tactical are fairly quick to adapt, so I don’t think we’ll go long without an adapter.
With guns like the 590 now coming in 20 gauge, including Shockwave variants, I imagine you’ll be racking and rolling with 20-gauge mini shells at any time now. The folks at Aguila seem interested in sending some out, so if you want to see a pattern test, let me know below. If you want to see gel tests, I might bend over and finally purchase some proper ballistic gel to see how these rounds perform.
Yes to pattern testing. Cylinder, improved cylinder, and maybe modified choke testing if possible.
Yes to gel testing. Also maybe a derivative of the critically acclaimed “Paul Harrell Meat Target” ™ ?
Yes to more shotgun testing in general. One can never go wrong showing off more “This is my Boomstick!”
It’s about time. I have been advocating for 20 gauge mini-shells for years, although I much prefer a slug in mini-shells. A 20 gauge slug with a muzzle velocity of 1100 feet-per-second is an excellent home defense platform. And if you can load 8 to 10 of these in a shotgun that normally holds 5 shells, that is a serious boost in capacity and hence defensive capability.