The Remington 870 is an iconic shotgun. And it’s a really solid platform for any type of shotgun shooting, despite the aging design. It’s simply one of the best shotguns ever made.
So you should get the best Remington 870 ammo that you can find, based on your intended shooting context.
Now, there are a ton of different shotgun ammunition types out there. And the Remington 870 comes in multiple calibers. So there are a lot of options to sort out.
Well, we sorted them out for you as best we could.
Our Best Choice
Winchester Xpert Hi-Velocity Steel Shotshells
SPOILER—if you just want to know which Remington 870 ammo sorted to the top of the heap, get the Winchester Xpert Hi-Velocity Steel Shotshells. It’s reliable ammunition that comes in the most common calibers and shot sizes. So this ammo will most likely do what you need.
If you need something else, keep reading. We rounded up a whole bunch of the best Remington 870 ammo for you to choose from.
Top Remington 870 Ammo on the Market Today
The Best Remington 870 Ammo Reviews: The Shot You Need for All Your Shooting
The overall best Remington 870 ammo is under scrutiny first. All the other ammo options will be reviewed in order of price.
The most affordable ammunition is up first.
The ammunition that can be used to let your friends know what a baller you are is near the end.
Read the reviews that match the budget you’re blasting on.
1. Winchester Xpert Hi-Velocity Steel Shotshells - Overall Best Remington 870 Ammo
The Winchester Xpert Hi-Velocity Steel Shotshells are kind of the median shotgun ammunition. This is solid ammunition. It’s not too expensive. And it covers most of the bases in terms of shot size and calibers.
The star of the show with these shells is the corrosion resistant steel shot. It’s nice because your ammunition stays more reliable while you’re out in the water hunting and for as long as you leave your ammo in storage.
Additionally, the muzzle velocity is reasonably high. This ammunition pushes the shotload to 1,500 feet per second. That’s fast.
This ammunition is definitely powerful enough for hunting. And you could use it for sport shooting, if you want to use one type of ammunition for all your shooting. Just make sure that your sporting range accepts the larger pellets.
Lastly, this ammunition feeds and ejects smoothly. That’s pretty much par for the course, these days. But it’s worth pointing out, since running your shotgun quickly depends on the action operating reliably.
Although this ammunition is primarily designed as a waterfowl hunting ammo. It’s versatile enough to use for all your shooting, if you want. And it’s very reasonably priced. So you can’t go wrong.
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2. Federal Premium Vital-Shok - Defensive Remington 870 Ammo
Federal Premium Vital-Shok ammunition gives you 2 options for your home defense shotgun:
- Federal Premium Vital-Shok TruBall Rifled Slug Shotshells.
- Federal Premium Vital-Shok Buckshot Shotshells.
Both are perfectly acceptable for home defense. Choose whichever fits your needs better. I’ll talk about both.
The rifled slugs use a ball between the wad and the slug to keep the slug centered. That way you get the most precision possible from a shotgun slug.
Additionally, these are 2.75 inch shells. So you get good muzzle velocities (about 1300 feet per second). But the recoil is a bit mellower than a standard 3 inch shell.
If you use the Vital-Shok shot, you’ll get a shot load coming out of the muzzle at upt to 1290 feet per second.
However, you’ll have to use a standard 3 inch shell, if you want the highest muzzle velocities. So you might not be able to take advantage of the softer recoil from a 2.75 inch shell.
The shot load consists of copper-plated, buffered pellets for more reliable patterning at typical home defense distances. That way you get the sort of performance you need from your home defense shotgun.
One last thing to know: these rounds are originally designed for hunting medium game (deer and such). So they work for hunting as well.
They’re a bit expensive. But defensive ammunition is usually expensive. And these Federal Premium shells give you exceptional performance per dollar.
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3. Winchester AA Supersport Sporting Clays Shotshells - Remington 870 Ammo for Sport Shooting
The Winchester AA Supersport Sporting Clays Shotshells are designed to give you the best performance for blasting clays. But they’re a bit more versatile than some other sporting shotgun ammo.
Winchester packed as much shot and powder as possible into these shells. That way you get the best pattern to reliably hit clays when you press the trigger.
Additionally, the shot is concentric to produce more predictable flight paths. And the premium wad is packed to ensure that you get even spread every time.
These are 2.75 inch shells. This makes the recoil quite manageable. That way you don’t get too sore from a day on the range.
The hulls are also reloadable. So you can use these as a source for reloading your own shotgun ammunition.
Lastly, this Winchester ammunition is also good for hunting upland fowl. Just make sure you get a shot size that you’ll be able to find and remove from the meat.
It’s not the least expensive ammunition on the market. But it performs very well. And it’s reasonably versatile.
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4. Federal Game-Shok Upland Game Heavy Field Load Shotshells - Remington 870 Ammo for Hunting
The Federal Game-Shok Upland Game Heavy Field Load Shotshells is designed specifically for hunting birds. There is one small downside, though.
But first, this ammunition produces good muzzle velocities—over 1200 feet per second. This ensures that you get birds on the ground with every shot.
The shot is precisely manufactured to produce super consistent shot pellets, which means more consistent and predictable patterns. That way you know where your shots are going every time.
Unfortunately, the pellets are lead. I prefer steel shot for hunting, since lead can be toxic. However, people have been using lead shot for hunting for a long time. And it’s usually not an issue because you usually pull the pellets out before you eat, anyway.
These shells also come in a variety of shot options. You can get this ammo with large enough shot even for larger game birds or with smaller shot for exclusively hunting waterfowl.
Even though it’s solid ammunition, this ammo is reasonably priced. It’s actually on the lower end of the price-per-round spectrum.
So, if you’re not opposed to lead shot, this could easily be your go-to Remington 870 ammo for hunting.
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5. Federal Premium Field & Range Steel Game & Target Load Shotshells - Remington 870 Ammo for Trap Shooting and Hunting
The Federal Premium Field & Range Steel Game & Target Load Shotshells is specifically designed to be do-it-all ammunition. It suffers from some of the usual jack-of-all-trades issues. But it’s still good enough to be the only ammunition you shoot, depending on your shooting context.
First, this ammunition is available in the most common calibers: 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and .410. Even if you have more than one Remington 870, you can use this ammunition in all of them.
This ammunition comes in the most common shot sizes for hunting birds and blasting clays. So it’s perfectly capable of being multi-purpose ammunition.
However, it’s not ideal for hunting small or medium game, or any type of shooting that requires larger shot pellets.
The shells are built for precision. The crimping and the wad are designed to produce the most consistent shot patterns and deliver consistent performance in all conditions.
Lastly, the
It’s not perfect for everything. But, if you’re a bird hunter and clay shooter, this can be the only ammunition you use.
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6. Hevi-Shot Hevi-Metal Longer-Range Shotgun Shells - Long Range Remington 870 Ammo
The Hevi-Shot Hevi-Metal Longer-Range Shotgun Shells uses a few unique design features to ensure that your shots are effective at the longest ranges possible.
The first unique feature is that this ammunition uses 2 types of shot:
- High density bismuth shot.
- Steel shot.
The shot is arranged in layers, rather than being blended. This ensures that you get maximum range and lethality for hunting.
Additionally, the pellets are dry-film lubricated to improve corrosion resistance. The dry-film lubricated pellets are backed by custom blended propellants to produce more reliable and consistent performance in wet and cold environments.
The shot charged is topped with a flaxseed buffer. The buffer makes the crimp more consistent. That way you get more consistent patterns and muzzle velocities.
Last thing, which is also kind of the least important, the base wad is extra thick to improve reliability in semi-automatic shotguns. Obviously, that’s not a huge deal for shooting a Remington 870. But, if you also run semi-auto shotguns, this is a nice feature.
What does matter, though, is the muzzle velocity. This Hevi-Shot ammunition produces muzzle velocities up to 1500 feet per second. That gives you the range and penetration you need for hunting just about anything.
Unfortunately, this ammunition is a bit pricey. But that’s because the performance is excellent.
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Filling the Tube
The 870 is a great shotgun. It could easily be your all-purpose shotgun.
And, if your Remington 870 is your all-purpose gun, you definitely want the best Remington 870 ammo.
If you need good ammunition without reading another diatribe about ammunition, get the Winchester Xpert Hi-Velocity Steel Shotshells. It’s affordable and versatile, which is exactly what you want from your Remington 870 ammunition.
Is your Remington 870 still thirsty? That’s no good. And now you know what the best Remington 870 ammo options are. Get some ammo and feed your shotty.