If you’ve never heard of Fetter 12 gauge ammo then you aren’t alone, as this is one of the more obscure ammo manufacturers on the market. Made in Russia to help supply the competitive clay shooting sports, Fetter Ammunition produces a wide variety of shotshells loaded with #7-1/2 and #8 shot for competition to 00 buckshot and slugs for home defense.
Although Fetter Ammo has not established a major foothold in North America, it is more well-known in Europe as a budget-friendly alternative to more expensive brands like Remington, Fiocchi, Winchester, and Federal.
However, if you find Fetter ammo in stock, should you load up your shopping cart with these shotshells or will you be better served by a more traditional brand?
In this in-depth ammo review, we are going to take a hard look at Fetter Ammunition and see if it’s the right choice for your home defense shotgun or your fancy Beretta DT11 O/U.
We found that Fetter 12 gauge ammunition was reliable and accurate enough for sporting clay shooting, hunting, or personal defense.
As much as we love ammo, we understand that no manufacturer is perfect. Here are some of the pros and cons of Fetter ammo you should be aware of.
Fetter Ammunition only offers shotgun ammo in the current gauges:
Established in 1901, the Fetter Ammunition plant is one of Russia’s oldest ammo manufacturers. Specifically producing shot shells to supply European and American sporting clays shooters, Fetter aims to keep their cost per round as low as possible to ensure you’re out exploding clay pigeons and not sitting at home pining for range time.
Fetter shot shells are exclusively available in 12 gauge as the company looks to establish themselves as one of the key supporters of shotgun sports in Europe. In fact, Fetter was the general sponsor of the 2011 European and World Trap Shooting Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.
Fetter Competition grade 12 gauge ammunition is held in high regard with European shooters, as this is the company’s highest quality ammo available. Per the company’s recommendation, this ammo works best in 0.75 mm (full) or 0.50 mm (modified) chokes.
Fetter offers shooters the standard spread of shot sizes appropriate for clay shooting to home defense. They also offer 1 oz slugs and buckshot for big game hunting, but make sure to check your local laws before hunting with buckshot.
Although the company produces excellent 12 gauge ammo, they currently do not offer any rimfire or centerfire rifle or handgun ammunition+ options. So, if you love shooting your 5.56 NATO, 300 Win Mag, 6.5 Creedmoor, 300 Blackout, or 6.5 Grendel, you’ll need to find a different source of rifle ammo. Furthermore, if you’re an avid 1911 shooter in 45 ACP, you’ll have to look elsewhere to fill your beloved piece with the ammo it craves.
There are some questions surrounding the shell length used by Fetter. Although the company states that their shells are 2 and 3/4” long, we found that they measured closer to 2 and ½” in length. This can be a good thing as you might be able to cram an extra round in the tube, but it makes their hulls more difficult to reload if you’re into that.
The shorter shell length can also be an issue for semi-automatic shotguns like the Saiga 12 gauge or Beretta A400. Therefore, I’d recommend you try out a box first to ensure proper function in your preferred semi-auto before committing to a large bulk ammo purchase.
There is also some debate on the internet about the efficacy of Russian ammo. Now let’s be honest about something here, anyone online can write a review and be critical about the country where the ammo is made. However, in our experience, we found Fetter 12 gauge ammo to be clean shooting and reliable in all our shotguns.
If you’re looking for a low-cost hunting round, I’d have no problem recommending Fetter 12 gauge slugs for taking down that trophy buck that’s been teasing your trailcam during the off season. Or if you need some bear medicine for a trip to Alaska, Fetter ammunition will perform admirably for all your big game hunting or self-defense needs.
Fetter 00 Buckshot would be my recommendation for home defense while I prefer their #7-1/2 shot for sporting clays shooting.
To summarize, Fetter 12 gauge shotgun shells are a great choice if you are looking for a budget option for all your shotgun shooting needs. However, their lack of rimfire, handgun, and rifle ammo make them more of a specialized ammo manufacturer.
Sadly, Fetter ammo has become extremely difficult to find in stock thanks to the Biden Russian ammo ban. However, if you can find it, you should fill up your shopping cart with as much as you can afford as shooters like you love cheap ammo and getting out to the range.
Fetter Ammo is made in Russia.
Fetter makes their own shotgun shells which they load in their factory in Russia.
Although the company states their shotgun shells are 2.75” long, we found their shell length was closer to 2.5”.
No, Fetter ammo is loaded with non-corrosive Boxer primers.
We found that Fetter ammo performs best in 0.75 mm (full) or 0.50 mm (modified) chokes, providing satisfactory shot patterns.
Fetter uses non-corrosive Boxer primers in all their centerfire ammunition.
Fetter Ammo Review: Is Russian Shotgun Ammo Any Good? originally appeared in The Resistance Library at Ammo.com.