Best Waterfowl Ammo 2025

When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) mandated the switch to nontoxic shells in 1991, many waterfowlers were left searching for new ammo. In my native northeastern Ohio, I had a head start on others as we made the switch in groups of counties before that date. Steel shotshells were in their infancy, and to be honest, in terms of an overall rating, they weren’t all that good. Let’s make that “not good” status even worse, since I shot nothing but 16-gauge and was left with only one option from Federal.

Luckily, today, there are plenty of nontoxic shotshells to choose from, and no longer are these choices relegated only to steel. Currently, the USFWS lists some 14 metals or combinations of metals approved for use by hunters targeting migratory waterfowl. The most common of these are steel, bismuth, and tungsten, with these ‘Big Three’ occasionally being mixed with materials like tin, bronze, nickel, or a nylon polymer. With an influx of new shotshells, materials, and configurations, here are my picks for the best waterfowl ammo in 2025.

HEVI-Hitter 2025 (hevishot.com – $43 / 25)

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 28, 20, 16, and 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Steel/Tungsten blend
• MSRP: $43 a box

HEVI-Shots’ newest load, HEVI-Hitter, is available in 28-, 20-, 16-, and 12-gauge platforms. HEVI-Hitter layers 20 percent tungsten pellets over 80 percent steel of the same shot size, e.g., 4/4, creating great patterns at moderate ranges while providing exceptional pattern density/pellet count at longer distances. A colleague of mine just got back from Saskatchewan, where he was hunting with HEVI-Hitter. He reported back that HEVI-Hitter performed to expectations. A consistent pattern and the added tungsten punch killed birds cleanly. Now the added tungsten does come with an increased price, at roughly $43 a box.

Remington Duck Club Steel (Remington.com – $25 / 25)

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 20 and 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Steel
• MSRP: $24.99

Remington’s new Duck Club Steel is a testament to the effectiveness of modern steel shotshells. Duck Club delivers a payload of 1-1/4 ounces of steel #3 shot at 1,400 fps. I’ve shot this configuration for years in other shells, and am happy to report Duck Club kills ducks. At a buck-a-bullet, it’s not going to break the bank either, which is increasingly hard to find in good waterfowl ammo these days.

Federal Rob Roberts Raptor Steel (federalpremium.com – $26 / 25)

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Steel
• MSRP: $25.99

Rob Roberts is a master gunsmith, known for taking the best shotguns and making them even better. His custom shop features a wide range of services and products to help maximize shotgun performance, including choke tubes. The Raptor series of choke tubes now pairs with Federal’s Rob Roberts Raptor Steel. Designing a shot shell specifically for a choke tube produces better, more consistent patterns. There’s no more guessing when it comes to pattern density, pellet count, and optimal performance. The same colleague in Saskatchewan killed four geese and one duck in five shots, all stone dead.

Migra 2F.7 Funeral Pack Stacked Steel (migraammunitions.com – $33 / 25)

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 20 and 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Stacked Steel
• MSRP: $33

Everyone loves a great box design and a catchy name, but Migra and 2F.7hunt’s shell collab is much more than a marketing play. This steel waterfowl load is a stacked shell load, meaning multiple shot sizes are in one shell. The overall pellet count includes 205 pellets, containing both #2 (82 pellets) and #4 (123 pellets) steel shot, housed in what Migra calls a Low-Friction Wad (LFW) meant to improve pattern density and concentrate pellets into the center of the pattern. A ‘Negative Degree Primer’ provides reliable get-up-and-go, even in the worst conditions (only available in 12-gauge at the moment). At $33 a box, it falls into the more budget-friendly category, considering the technology Migra put in this new shell.

Winchester Xpert Steel (winchester.com – $22 / 25)

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 20 and 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Steel
• MSRP: $22

Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t shooting Winchester’s Xpert line of shotshells. Today, it’s the company’s High Velocity Steel, as affordable a box of non-toxics as you’re going to find anywhere. But Xpert doesn’t end with affordability; there are decades of in-the-field evaluation and performance packed into each and every 25-round box. Xpert Steel is available in a wide variety of 20 and 12-gauge formats, ranging from Winchester’s NEW 2-3/4” 1,550 fps #3 shot to 3-1/2” BBs with a muzzle velocity of 1,625 fps.

APEX S3 Steel (apexmunition.com – $24 / 25)

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 20 and 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Steel
• MSRP: $24

S3 from Apex stands for Steel Super Shot, and that’s precisely what you’ll find in every shell. Apex achieves consistent performance, thanks in large part to its commitment to using only the most uniform plated steel pellets. Apex then drops them into the same wad design as is used in the company’s wildly popular Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) shotshells. S3 comes in 3” 12 gauge 1-1/4 ounce loads of BBs and #2 through #4, all at 1,450 fps. There’s also a 20-gauge version (S320) for sub-gun shooters, which is offered in 1-ounce loads of #2 through #4 shot.

Browning Wicked Blend (browningammo.com – $34 / 25)

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 20 and 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Bismuth and Steel
• MSRP: $34

In Browning’s Wicked Blend (WB), you have the best of both metallurgic worlds. There’s the affordability and vastly improved performance of 21^st Century steel, along with the incredible knockdown power and pattern density of bismuth, all in a single 3” hull. Plus, and while it’s not going to put ducks on the strap, there’s the eye-catching artwork on the WB packaging. Wicked Blend is offered in 3” and 3-1/2” 12 gauge in BB/#1, #2/4, and #3/5 (steel/bismuth), as well as a pair of 3” 20 gauge load in #2/4 and #3/5.

HEVI-Bismuth 16 Gauge (hevishot.com – $72 / 25) 

Key Features:

• Available gauges: 28, 20, 16, and 12-gauge
• Shot Material: Bismuth
• MSRP: $72

No, there’s nothing cheap about shooting bismuth nowadays, largely in part to tariff wars; however, if you’re like me and occasionally take the Old Man’s 1952 Winchester Model 24 16 gauge SxS into the marsh, then (1) you’re going to have to find 16 gauge non-toxic ammunition, and (2) it’s going to have to be bismuth, so as not to potentially score that old metal. Fortunately, the folks at Hevi-Shot have a solution to the availability part of the equation in the form of their Hevi-Bismuth 16 gauge. They are available in two categories: a waterfowl line offering 1-1/8-ounce loads of #2, #4, or #6 bismuth, or an upland line, also with 1-1/8-ounce loads, but in #3 and #5 bismuth.

Final Thoughts on Waterfowl Ammo

Modern shotshells have come a long way from the initial steel loads of the 90s. Today, there are countless options in steel, bismuth, and even tungsten that will kill a duck. While there are some differences between shot type performance, at the end of the day, if your shot is true, you’ll kill birds. There are some great loads on this list, so choose what fits your budget and your waterfowling needs and get in the blind.