Aguila Ammo
Aguila: Proven Performance Shot After Shot
I don't think Aguila Ammunition has the name recognition it deserves. While you may not find it in every mom-and-pop shop across the country, Aguila is a fine ammunition manufacturer and has led innovations like Minishells. You might be surprised to learn that Aguila has been around for 61 years and is one of the world's largest manufacturers of rimfire ammunition. Yes, Aguila is a Mexican company—located about 40 miles south of Mexico City in Cuernavaca—but it also has a plant in Texas.
But what's most impressive about Aguila is that they cover about every type of ammo out there—rimfire, centerfire rifle, centerfire pistol, and shotgun. Not every company can boast that. They also keep a few near-extinct ammos alive, including Super 38, 32 S&W, and 5mm Remington—the best part: the value proposition. Aguila is known for making good ammo affordable, which matters to today's consumer.
Aguila Ammunition History
Aguila was founded in 1961 in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, by Industrias Tecnos, S.A. de C.V. In 1998, they made their first major innovation: the introduction of the first 12-gauge 1¾-inch mini shell. In 2011, Tecnos partnered with TXAT as an exclusive distributor (bringing Aguila to the US) and began a company-wide modernization and optimization project. Around 2013, most Americans first learned about Aguila as 22 LR shortages hit. Aguila fills the void. In 2016, Aguila launched its first U.S. branding and marketing campaign while TXAT finalized plans and began production at a second manufacturing facility in Conroe, TX. The rest, they say, is history.
Ammunition Manufacturing and Innovation
Aguila is especially known in rimfire and shotgunner circles. While they invented the Minishiell, Aguila is one of the few manufacturers to use a 72-meter shot tower—a method some top shotgunners believe is the only way to produce "truly round" pellets. Aguila also sources its own "premium" raw materials and produces all components in-house, except for powder.
For rimfire ammunition, Aguila recognized the challenges of producing quality rimfire ammunition. The nature of rimfire ammo meant they needed to create their own processes to overcome traditional inconsistencies. Manufactured using "Aguila Prime" technology, engineered and tested to Olympic shooting standards, Aguila's rimfire cartridges are meticulously formed for performance and perfection. After talking with friends in the competitive rimfire world, I can attest that they swear by Aguila.
Aguila Rimfire Ammunition
Aguila offers an extensive rimfire lineup, with cartridges ranging from .22 LR and .22 Short to .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, .17 HMR, and 5mm Remington. The company also produces specialized loads such as Colibri and Super Colibri (perfect for not alerting the neighbors), along with popular product lines including Supermaximum, Interceptor, Target Competition, and Subsonic. This diverse selection supports a range of shooting applications, from recreational plinking and competitive shooting to small-game hunting, with an emphasis on reliability and accuracy.
Aguila Handgun Ammunition
Aguila offers a diverse selection of centerfire handgun ammunition designed for recreational shooting, training, and personal defense. Its lineup includes popular chamberings such as 9mm Luger, .380 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and 10mm Auto. Shooters can choose from full metal jacket (FMJ) loads suited for practice and range use, as well as jacketed hollow-point options designed for defensive applications. By offering multiple bullet configurations and popular handgun calibers, Aguila gives both casual plinkers and experienced handgun enthusiasts options.
Aguila Rifle Ammunition
Aguila's centerfire rifle ammunition lineup covers a variety of popular cartridges for recreational shooting, target practice, and hunting. Available chamberings include .223 Remington, 5.56 NATO, .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30-06 Springfield, and .300 Winchester Magnum, among others. Depending on the cartridge, shooters can find full metal jacket, soft-point, and other loadings suited to different applications. Whether punching paper at the range, developing skills with an AR-style rifle, or heading into the field for a hunting trip, Aguila offers ammunition options for a broad range of rifle platforms and shooting pursuits.
Aguila Shotshell Ammunition
Aguila produces a broad selection of shotshell ammunition for hunting, recreational shooting, and competitive clay sports. Its lineup includes popular 12- and 20-gauge loads, along with offerings in smaller gauges including 16-gauge, 28-gauge, and .410 bore for specialized applications. Shooters can choose from different shot sizes, payloads, and velocities tailored to pursuits ranging from upland bird and waterfowl hunting to competitive shooting events. And there's also the RATA load, a .22 LR shotshell that's perfect for snakes and other vermin at close range.
However, one of Aguila's most recognizable offerings is the 1¾-inch 12-gauge Minishell (also available in 1 ¾" 20-gauge Minishells), a compact shotshell designed to reduce recoil and increase ammunition capacity in compatible shotguns. These loads come in 7-shot, 4BB, and slug configurations, making them ideal for any problem. These became especially popular in the Mossberg 590s Shockwave and the Keltec KSG-series of shotguns, where the shortened shells greatly increase capacity.
Why Choose Aguila Ammunition?
With over sixty years of experience and manufacturing facilities in Mexico and the United States, Aguila offers quite the compelling lineup for today's shooters. Additionally, Aguila is available in over 45 nations and is trusted by law enforcement worldwide. The company's friendly prices and unique ammunition offerings build upon its legacy. Check them out today.
-
Aguila Minishell 12 Gauge 5/8 oz. #7.5 – 25 Rounds
$19.85Product Type Ammo Manufacturer Aguila Condition New Bullet Weight 5/8 oz. Bullet Type #7-1/2 Shot Use Type target practice and clay shooting Quantity 25 Ammo Caliber 12 Gauge Manufacturer SKU 1CHB1387 Shot Material Lead Shell Length 1-3/4" Magnetic No UPC Barcode 640420017020 Cost Per Round 79.4¢ per round Great things come in small packages! And here’s the prime example – Aguila Minishell 12 Gauge ammo! The inventor of the mini shotshell offers a stellar way to plink and shoot trap, and it’ll chamber in all 12 Gauge shotguns!*
No beating around the bush. These are short shells. At 1-3/4” long, the hull can only hold 5/8 ounces of #7.5 lead shot, although it also holds enough powder to launch those 0.095” diameter pellets to a standard muzzle velocity of 1,200 fps.
This 2-1/4 dram equivalent ammo is going to treat you to surprisingly low recoil. That’s especially helpful to slightly built shooters who aren’t designed to soak up stout kick from a shotgun. This ammo also doesn’t shriek out very loud on ignition. Excellent if you’re all about subtlety while you’re blasting targets!
*This ammo can’t cycle semi-automatics. It also can’t cycle through many pump-actions until they have received an adaptor, e.g. the Mini-Clip which OpSol designed for Mossberg shotguns. -
Aguila 308 Win 150 Grain SP – 20 Rounds
$27.85Product Type Ammo Manufacturer Aguila Condition New Bullet Weight 150 Grain Bullet Type Soft-Point (SP) Use Type hunting whitetail deer Casing Type Brass Quantity 20 Ammo Caliber 308 Winchester (7.62X51) Manufacturer SKU 8090AG Primer Type Boxer Magnetic No UPC Barcode 640420012681 Cost Per Round $1.39 per round You want 308 Win ammo for hunting. Well, guess what we got? Exactly that thing we just said you want! How’s that for a coincidence!
Aguila was founded in 1961. It was originally run in partnership with Remington, but has since gone off on their own without Big Green’s oversight. Aguila is the Mexican Armed Forces’ biggest ammo supplier, and has become increasingly famous in the U.S. for their rimfire ammo and 1-3/4” shotgun shells. They also make dependable centerfire rifle cartridges – just like the 308 hunting loads you see here.
This cartridge takes care of all kinds of business thanks to its 150 grain soft point projectile. If you only enlist it for target practice, then you’ll appreciate the ~0.310 G1 BC projectile’s similar (albeit not identical) trajectory to that of NATO’s 7.62 M80 load. If you land the bullet on a medium game animal, then you can trust its capacity for deep penetration and broad, rapid expansion to make fast work of the critter.
Aguila doesn’t deal in corrosive primers, and their cases are always fresh out of the factory. That makes this nonmagnetic ammo a good investment in any handloader’s favorite hobby! -
Aguila Minishell 12 Gauge 5/8 oz. #7.5 – 250 Rounds
$179.85Product Type Ammo Manufacturer Aguila Condition New Bullet Weight 5/8 oz. Bullet Type #7-1/2 Shot Use Type target practice and clay shooting Quantity 250 Ammo Caliber 12 Gauge Manufacturer SKU 1CHB1387 Shot Material Lead Shell Length 1-3/4" Magnetic No UPC Barcode 10640420017027 Cost Per Round 71.9¢ per round We reckon that anyone would love firing Aguila’s Minishell series 12 Gauge ammunition. Are you looking to experience the lowest recoil you’ll ever get out of your shotgun? Are you trying to make as little noise as possible – or would you like to increase your shotgun’s mag capacity without actually lengthening its tube? Then get on in here!
One look at a Minishell is all it’ll take to understand why it does so much. The shell is just 1-3/4” long! Its muzzle velocity isn’t unusually low at 1,200 fps – but its payload of #7.5 lead shot, which tips the scales at a mere 5/8 ounces, is most surely as light as they come. Still effective for trap and such, but with significantly fewer shot pellets!
Two words of caution about this ammo. First, it won’t cycle a semi-auto. Full stop. Second, many pump-action shotguns can’t fire 1-3/4” ammo unless they have an adapter. (For example, OpSol makes one for Mossbergs.)
