Mighty Minishells - Brief Article

Guns Magazine, Dec, 1999 by Holt Bodinson

The Mexican ammunition manufacture Aguila just does things differently. Recently, the company introduced one of the most intriguing assortments of new loadings we've seen in many years. This assortment includes an utterly silent 20 gr./375 fps and a hard-hitting 60 gr./950 fps load for the .22 Long Rifle; a 117 gr./1,450 fps load for the .45 ACP; and, wonder-of-wonders, slug, buckshot and #7 loadings for the 12 gauge packaged in a little plastic hull measuring only 1" in length.

Aguila is marketing the short 12 gauge loadings under the name "Minishells." Since Minishells, at least the #7 loading, are beginning to turn up at the local gunshops, I thought it would be interesting to see what the new shell could do.

According to Eduardo Belgrano, President of Centurion Ordnance that distributes Aguila ammunition, the Minishell was originally developed with law enforcement and military applications in mind. That makes perfect sense. You can load a bundle of these 12 gauge shorts in a tubular magazine, although only the Winchester 1300 series will cycle Minishells flawlessly.

The little rounds are designed to limit penetration and collateral damage inside of buildings, and given their ergonomic size and weight, an officer can grab and carry a lot of them when going into a potentially hostile situation.

The specifications for the new Minishells are indeed Lilliputian. The 12 gauge slug weighs a mere 386 grs. (normally 1 oz. Or 437 grs.) and has a muzzle velocity of 1,265 fps. The buck-shot load carries only six pellets (normally 16) #1 Buck at 1,100 fps. The regular shotshell carries 5/8 oz. of #7 -- more or less a .410 or 28 gauge shot charge. I broke a Minishell down and found it contained a petite, unslit shotcup and a charge of Alliant Red Dot powder.

What good is a 5/8 oz. Load of #7s? Plenty. By reducing the payload of a 12 gauge shotshell to that of a .410 or 28 gauge and firing it in an average weight 12 gauge gun, recoil is noticeably reduced.

The Aguila Minishell is an ideal, low-recoiling practice round for close-in trap or for a skeet challenge. It's a perfect combination for easing kids and women into a 12 gauge gun, and frankly, for even the most experienced shotgunner, the Minishell provides welcome relief from the constant pounding of full-power loads.

For the cowboys and cowgirls among us, the Minishell is selling like hotcakes on the cowboy action shooting circuit -- again, due to its low recoil.

A downside to the Minishell is that it will not cycle in semi-automatics and will create stoppages in most pump guns without modifying the elevator. It is ideally a single- or double-barrel round, although the Minishell can be loaded directly into the chamber of an auto or pump by hand if needed.

When Minishells appeared on the shelves of Murphy's Gun Shop in Tucson, I immediately bought some to the tune of $6.29 per 20 rounds. I was curious about the patterns these diminutive shells would throw when fired in a standard 2" chamber.

Using my favorite patterning target, the HunterJohn clays format, I spent a pleasant morning banging away at 25 to 35 yards with my Browning Citori, and then added some hand-thrown clays for more excitement.

With an IC choke, the Minishell throws a very balanced pattern at 25 yards -- just about right for hand-thrown clays. Even at 35 yards, the pattern is fairly well distributed if a modified choke is used. One thing was obvious when reviewing the patterning sheets -- the little shell has a tendency to produce slightly high core densities.