Apex and 24.7 Hunt Debut Cold Front Steel Waterfowl Shotshells

Apex Ammunition has launched Cold Front, a new steel waterfowl shotshell line developed in partnership with 24.7 Hunt, arriving just as peak duck season gets underway across the flyways. The Firearm Blog reported the launch on November 2. Cold Front is built around Apex's graphite-coated, zinc-plated steel shot loaded with the company's Limited Bore Contact WAD system, which Apex says improves pattern density and velocity consistency compared to conventional plastic wad designs.

The load uses a duplex structure — #2 and #4 shot stacked in a single shell — available in 12 and 20 gauge, both in 3-inch configurations only. The 20-gauge offering runs 1 ounce per load, sold as model CF20-100-24 in 25-round boxes. Apex has not yet announced MSRP. The graphite coating on the steel pellets reduces friction between the shot column and the barrel walls, while zinc plating maintains pellet sphericity through the manufacturing process for more consistent ballistics at hunting distances.

The partnership with 24.7 Hunt follows an increasingly common model in the ammunition industry, where brands collaborate with professional guides and hunting media organizations to develop loads validated under real field conditions rather than purely in a ballistic lab. 24.7 Hunt, whose guides and content teams run extensive decoy spreads across North American flyways, contributed field performance data to the design process. Apex previously worked with Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Habitat on a co-branded waterfowl blend and has steadily expanded its non-toxic waterfowl lineup through targeted partnerships.

Cold Front is a distinct product from Apex's existing Stratified S3 Steel and TSS/S3 Blend waterfowl lines. The S3 architecture layers multiple shot sizes ballistically in the shell to achieve specific velocity-at-range profiles; Cold Front's duplex design focuses on a broader strike pattern from two complementary pellet sizes rather than a layered-velocity approach. The result is a steel-only load aimed at hunters who want measurable performance improvement over budget waterfowl shells without committing to the higher cost of tungsten blends.

Timing is well-suited to the calendar. Duck season is fully open across all four North American flyways — Pacific, Central, Mississippi, and Atlantic — through December, and the waterfowl shotshell market sees peak retail demand from early November through the close of the season. Cold Front joins the shelf at a moment when hunters are actively restocking mid-season, and availability through Apex's dealer network and regional distributors is expected to vary by location as inventory builds. Shooters looking for Cold Front can contact Apex Ammunition or their local dealers for current stock status.