Kent Cartridge Recalls 12 and 20 Gauge Shotshell Lots

Last updated October 2026 · By Nick Hall, covers ammunition and firearm safety recalls for USA Gun Shop readers

Quick take: Kent Cartridge is recalling specific lots of 12 gauge and 20 gauge shotshells because they may produce excessive chamber pressure when fired. Ten product codes are on the list, and a box is only affected if its product code and its lot number both match the same row of Kent’s notice. If yours match, stop shooting them and contact Kent.

• What happened: Kent Cartridge posted a Product Warning and Recall Notice covering ten product codes and 20 lot numbers of 12 gauge and 20 gauge shotshell ammunition.
• Why it matters: Kent says excessive chamber pressure “may damage the firearm, render it inoperable, and expose the shooter and bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury.”
• Affects: Named lots of Ultimate Turkey, Fasteel+, Ultimate FastLead, Steel Dove and TealSteel, with every other product code and lot number outside the recall according to Kent.
• What to do: Stop using matching shells, keep them apart from your other ammunition, do not sell or hand them to anyone, and contact Kent at 844-951-6098 or support@kentcartridge.com.

It’s October, and a lot of Kent shells are sitting in blind bags and truck consoles right now. The good news is that this notice is easy to act on: one table, two numbers on the box label, a minute of your time. I went through Kent’s notice line by line and copied the table out below. Check it against your boxes before the next hunt, and then check it against Kent’s own page.

Table of Contents

What the Kent Cartridge Recall Notice Says

Kent has published a two-page Product Warning and Recall Notice on its website, headed “KENT CARTRIDGE® 12 Gauge and 20 Gauge Shotshell Ammunition.” The footer of each page is marked 09-2026, and the company’s announcement went out on October 2, 2026.

The opening line is in red capitals: “STOP USE IMMEDIATELY IF BOTH THE PRODUCT CODE AND CORRESPONDING LOT NUMBER MATCH THIS NOTICE.”

Kent’s stated reason is short. “Kent Cartridge has determined the affected ammunition may exhibit excessive chamber pressure when the cartridge is fired,” the notice reads. “Excessive chamber pressure may damage the firearm, render it inoperable, and expose the shooter and bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury.”

That is all Kent says about the cause. The notice doesn’t explain how the problem was found, how many boxes are involved, or where they were sold. It doesn’t report any incidents either way.

The Ten Product Codes and Lot Numbers

Here is the rule Kent sets for reading its table: “A product is affected only when the Product Code and Lot Number listed on the same row match.” A listed code with a different lot is not in the recall. Neither is a listed lot on a different code.

These are the ten rows, in Kent’s order, exactly as the notice prints them.

Ultimate Turkey, product code C123TK50-4: lot number IH215

Ultimate Turkey, product code C123TK50-5: lot number IH216

Ultimate Turkey, product code C203TK36-4: lot number IH219

Ultimate Turkey, product code C203TK36-5: lot number IH218

Fasteel+, product code CC203FSP28-3X5: lot numbers IH137, IH475, IH594, IH707

Ultimate FastLead, product code CC203UFL36-5: lot number IH527

Ultimate FastLead, product code K123UFL50-5: lot numbers IH222, IH459

Ultimate FastLead, product code K203UFL36-5: lot number IH561

Steel Dove, product code K20SD24-6: lot numbers IH497, IH535

TealSteel, product code KTS20328-6: lot numbers IH196, IH220, IH304, IH537, IH630, IH717

Every lot number on the list starts with the letters I and H, followed by three digits. That first character is the letter I, not the number 1.

Kent closes the table with one more line in capitals: “ALL OTHER PRODUCT CODES AND LOT NUMBERS ARE NOT AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL.” Recall lists can be revised, so treat Kent’s recall page as the final word and confirm your box against it before you act on this copy.

Where the Codes Sit on a Kent Box

Kent’s instruction is to “Use the box label to locate both the Product Code and Lot Number.” The notice shows a Steel Dove box as the example. The product code is printed at the top left of the white label, and the lot number is printed at the top right after “Lot#”, above the barcode.

Kent gives two steps. “Check the Product Code first. If it is not listed in the table above, the ammunition is not included in this recall.” Then: “If the Product Code is listed, compare the Lot Number on the box label with the Lot Number(s) shown on the same row.”

The notice doesn’t list a gauge next to each code, but Kent’s catalog does. Its product pages show C123TK50 and K123UFL50 as 12 gauge, 3 inch loads. C203TK36, CC203FSP28, K203UFL36 and KTS20328 are listed as 20 gauge, 3 inch, and K20SD24 as 20 gauge, 2 3/4 inch. The sixth row, CC203UFL36, has no catalog page on Kent’s site that I could find, so match that one by the code on the box.

In Kent’s catalog tables the figure after the hyphen is the shot size, so K203UFL36-5 is the size 5 load of that shell. If shell length and shot size markings are new to you, learn them first, because the recall turns on reading that label correctly.

And if the shells are loose in a vest pocket with no box? Kent’s notice only describes checking the box label. Call the recall line and ask.

What to Do if Your Shells Match

Kent lists four steps for anyone holding a matching product code and lot number. “Immediately discontinue use of the affected ammunition.” “Segregate it from ammunition that is not subject to this recall.” “Do not sell, distribute, or transfer affected ammunition to another person.” “Contact Kent Cartridge using the information below for return and replacement instructions.”

The recall phone number is 844-951-6098 and the email address is support@kentcartridge.com. Those are the two contacts printed on the notice.

On what you get back, Kent says it “will make all arrangements necessary for the return of affected product and will provide information regarding replacement product and/or reimbursement options, as applicable.” It doesn’t publish a dollar figure or a timeline.

It makes no difference what the shells were going through. A pump with thirty seasons on it and a brand new duck gun get the same instruction, which is to stop.

Four of the ten rows are Ultimate Turkey loads. So the half box left over from spring needs a look before it goes back in the vest next to the turkey gun.

Why a Chamber Pressure Recall Is Not One to Sit On

Most recalls ask you to do some admin. This one asks you to stop pulling the trigger, and Kent’s wording explains why: the risk it names is to “the shooter and bystanders,” which means the person next to you in the blind is part of the math.

Do not shoot up a matching box to be rid of it, and don’t pass it to a buddy who is short on shells, because Kent’s notice tells owners in plain terms to stop using the affected ammunition and not to sell, distribute or transfer it to another person.

If your codes and lots don’t match, Kent’s notice says your ammunition is not included. If they do, the box goes on a separate shelf and you make the call.

Two numbers. One phone call. Check the box tonight.

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