Shot shell colors??

ladytech777 · Aug 12, 2011

Can anyone tell me why 10 or 12 ga comes in all different colors and
20 ga is only available in yellow? Different manufactures us different colors for the 12 ga,
but everyone uses yellow for the 20 ga.

ripjack13 · Aug 12, 2011

Yellow is the only color designated to 20g loads only for safety. so you don't accidentally load it into a 16g and blow off your hand ( or more)...the rest is manufacturers choice.

Rossignol · Aug 12, 2011

I hadnt thought about that before until you said something.

ripjack13 · Aug 13, 2011

Excerpt Taken from Federal's website page.

Federal was the first company to color code shotshells for safety and identification and make the color variations by mixing colored pellets in with the white ones.

The following is Federal's color code...
Brown for 10-gauge
Red (or black) for 12-gauge
Purple for 16-gauge
Yellow for 20-gauge
Red for 28-gauge and .410

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Excerpt Taken from Shotshell Cartridge History.
Copyright 2006 by Ronald B. Standler

Most shotshells in the USA had a red color, but Remington used a distinctive green color and Peters used a distinctive blue color. In 1960, Federal introduced purple 16 gauge hulls and yellow 20 gauge hulls, to help prevent inserting a smaller diameter shell into a larger diameter shotgun (e.g., 10 or 12 gauge), with consequent barrel blockage and explosion of the barrel. Soon after, all brands of 20 gauge shotshells were yellow.

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SHOOTER13 · Aug 13, 2011

Thanks for the good info...never shot a 20, so I didn't know that color scheme was designateed just for that gauge.

Learn something new every day... !!

ladytech777 · Aug 14, 2011

Thanks guys. I never knew there was a rhyme or reason. It just seemed totally random to me with
the 12's having different colors and the 20 only yellow.

John A. · Aug 14, 2011

I don't own a 10 or 20 gauge, so I know nothing about them.

But there are a lot of different colors for other gauges.

Winchester Superx are red

I have green nitro mag 12 gauge

I have green and red .410 shells

I have green 16 gauge slugs

I guess it's just a company thing.

Rossignol · Aug 14, 2011

I dont use any 20 ga. not yet any way... Soon though for Allison!

We have all sorts of 12 ga. Red and blue Federal, blue Hornady, red blue silver and grey Winchester, green and OD green Remington. .410 we have red Winchester and the red Federal. We did have some black Remington shells too at one point.

But when this topic came up I realized just as you pointed out, I had only seen yellow for the 20 ga.

Sn3aKyGuY · Aug 14, 2011

Rossignol said:
We did have some black Remington shells too at one point.

There home defense rounds are black hulls.

While where on the subject of shot shells, was my brother and our friends the only ones that used to cut open shells and make pellet guns with random items? We'd take the shell, cut it open for the pellets and gun powder. Then we'd take the spoke end that connected to the rim, put a little powder in it, then a pellet and light the thing. Not the most accurate thing on earth, but it was fun to play with. Oh small town fun.

ladytech777 · Aug 14, 2011

Rossignol said:
I dont use any 20 ga. not yet any way... Soon though for Allison!

We have all sorts of 12 ga. Red and blue Federal, blue Hornady, red blue silver and grey Winchester, green and OD green Remington. .410 we have red Winchester and the red Federal. We did have some black Remington shells too at one point.

But when this topic came up I realized just as you pointed out, I had only seen yellow for the 20 ga.

Exactly- I have had all different size shot or slug and no matter what size ammo I buy it is always yellow. Does not make a difference who made it.

Rossignol · Aug 14, 2011

Sn3aKyGuY said:
Oh small town fun.

I know what youre talkin bout! I never the did the thing with the shells though...

Sn3aKyGuY · Aug 14, 2011

I wouldn't recommend doing it as we had quite a few incidents that almost cost someone an eye or finger, but then again who recommends jumping out of a plane, but there are crazy people out there that live for it.