*Turkey, teal* and dove loads in Kent's pressure recall

Kent Cartridge is recalling 20 lots of its 12- and 20-gauge shotshells because they "may exhibit excessive chamber pressure" when fired. Kent says that pressure can damage the shotgun, put it out of action, and seriously injure the shooter or people nearby. The affected lines are Ultimate Turkey, TealSteel, Steel Dove, Fasteel+ and Ultimate FastLead.

Kent's notice, dated September 2026, sits on its recall page. The Outdoor Wire carried it to the trade on October 2. In Ontario, the fall wild turkey season with a shotgun opens October 13 in the listed management units. That leaves eleven days to look at a box label.

Ten codes, twenty lots

Kent's rule is narrow. A box is affected only when its product code and its lot number match on the same row. Kent limits this recall to those listed pairs.

Seven of the ten codes, and 16 of the 20 lots, are 20 gauge. The 12-gauge exposure is three codes: two Ultimate Turkey and one Ultimate FastLead. Owners who shoot 20 gauge at teal, doves or turkeys have the most checking to do. The notice gives no root cause, manufacturing dates or total number of boxes involved. The list spans steel loads for waterfowl and doves and lead loads for turkey and upland birds, so shot type alone tells you nothing useful.

Reading the box

Kent's notice shows where to look on a Steel Dove box. The product code sits at the left end of the label strip, above the gauge, length, load and shot size. The lot number sits at the right, above the barcode, printed as "Lot# IH497-" followed by more digits. Match the IH number to the table.

The product names invite a second look. Fasteel 2.0 is a different line from Fasteel+, and only one Fasteel+ code, a 20-gauge, is listed. The recalled Ultimate Turkey codes are 3-inch loads; a 2 3/4-inch Ultimate Turkey is a different code. Sportèque in Drummondville lists sixteen Kent products, fifteen of them Fasteel 2.0, and none in a recalled line and configuration.

One listed code appears in Canadian retail. Easthill Outdoors in Orono, Ontario lists Ultimate Turkey 12-gauge, 3-inch, No. 5 shot under article number KC-C123TK50-5, a recalled code, shown out of stock on October 2. That establishes a Canadian product listing. Holdover has not confirmed that any affected lot reached Canada. The lot number on the box decides whether a particular purchase is covered.

Loose shells are the harder case. Once a handful moves from the box to a shell bag or a vest pocket, the label stays behind on the shelf at home. For loose Kent shells you cannot trace to a box, ask Kent for identification instructions. Keep their origin and any surviving packaging details together; hull colour or a familiar product name cannot establish a lot match.

Who to call from Canada

The notice gives one phone number, 844-951-6098, and [email protected]. Kent's own contact page lists a Canadian office at 2161 Whittington Drive in Peterborough, Ontario, with its own line, 800-844-1880, and [email protected], weekdays from 9 to 5 Eastern. Kent says it loads its shells in West Virginia and runs Canadian sales and distribution from Ontario.

If a box matches, the notice asks owners to stop using it, keep it apart from other ammunition, and neither sell nor transfer it. Kent says it will coordinate returns and explain replacement or reimbursement options as applicable. Ask for those instructions before you pack anything. The recall notice does not set out a separate Canadian return procedure. Use the recall contact first, and the Canadian office if you need help finding the applicable instructions. Holdover has not tested the phone lines or arranged a return.

Finding the notice in Canada

The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act applies to consumer products except those in its Schedule 1. That schedule lists explosives, firearms and ammunition. A search of Health Canada's recalls site for "ammunition" returned no results on the morning of October 2. Natural Resources Canada classifies shotgun shells as small arms cartridges, Type C.1, and its public guidance covers buying, selling and storing them.

Those exclusions describe the Act's scope. They do not establish which notices the federal recall website can carry. For this recall, Kent's own notice is the primary source to check for revisions. The Canadian retail listings identify a reason to look at a box, while the notice supplies the affected pairs.

Most of the shotguns in my safe are 12 gauge. I also handload rifle ammunition, so a notice naming individual lots gets my attention. I want the exact identifiers kept with the ammunition. A familiar name on a shell bag tells me less than the small print on the original box. Here, that small print is what connects an owner's ammunition to Kent's warning.

In my view, Canadian owners deserve recall information they can find without following American trade wires. Kent has already published a useful table and label diagram. A clearly identified Canadian version, in English and French and with the applicable contact details, would make those materials easier to use. Retailers can also direct customers to the manufacturer's current notice.

For now, keep the product code and lot together when contacting Kent. A photo of the complete box label gives the company more to work with than the words 'turkey loads' or '20 gauge'.

Feature photograph: AI-generated illustration using official Kent packaging references. The home preparation scene is fictional and shows no identified recalled lot.

Sources

• Kent Cartridge, Product Warning and Recall Notice: Kent Cartridge 12 Gauge and 20 Gauge Shotshell Ammunition, dated September 2026. Product codes, lot numbers, reason, label diagram, instructions and contact details. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
• The Outdoor Wire, Kent Cartridge Announces Recall of Certain 12 Gauge and 20 Gauge Shotshell Ammunition, October 2, 2026.
• Kent Cartridge, Contact Us and About Us. Canadian office address, telephone and email; loading and distribution locations. Retrieved October 2, 2026.
• Justice Laws, Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, S.C. 2010, c. 21, section 4 and Schedule 1, items 1, 11 and 12.
• Health Canada, Recalls and safety alerts search: "ammunition", no results, October 2, 2026.
• Natural Resources Canada, Buying, selling and storing ammunition.
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 2026 Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary, page 82, fall wild turkey seasons.
• Easthill Outdoors, Kent Cartridge Ultimate Turkey Diamond Shot 12GA 3" 5 Shot, article number KC-C123TK50-5, retrieved October 2, 2026.
• Sportèque, Kent Cartridge brand listing, retrieved October 2, 2026.

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