10 Rounds of 20ga Ammo by Winchester Defender - #3 Buck

This is the most important 20 Gauge ammunition you might ever purchase, because it may just save your life one day. Winchester’s Defender series shotgun ammo could be used for hunting or target practice, but its utility for home defense is what makes it truly invaluable.

This shotshell is loaded with 20 pellets of #3 buckshot, which are each 1/4” in diameter (as opposed to 00 buck, which is 1/3”). Its smaller size means that #3 buck poses a lower risk of potentially catastrophic over-penetration. It also means you can put 20 individual wound channels into the threat instead of just 8 or 9 like you could with a 12ga 00 buck shell.

And you may just land all 20 of this round’s #3 buck pellets into the threat, because this shell is designed to pattern very densely. Its lead shot pellets are plated with copper, which helps to preserve their sphericity under pressure, and those pellets are also suspended in granulated buffering which further protects them against flattening down during ignition.

This round’s clean-burning powder and felt wad push its ~1.07 ounce shot column out of the barrel at a rate of 1,145 fps. You shouldn’t experience an unmanageable amount of recoil, but you’ll also dump approximately 1,300 ft lbs of kinetic energy into the threat at close range. For reference, the minimum amount of energy typically recommended for personal protection is 220 to 300 ft lbs. Made in America – this is Winchester we’re talking about, after all.