The men's shot put event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, had an entry list of 23 competitors from 17 nations, with two qualifying groups (23 putters) before the final (12) took place on Saturday July 24, 1976.

Al Feuerbach increased that by 2 cm with a 20.55 in the second round, with Udo Beyer moving into bronze medal position with a 20.50.

The third member of the 1972 American team, Brian Oldfield, started competing in the rivaling International Track Association since the Munich Games; his 22.86 metres world record was not ratified by the IAAF and he was barred from entering.

The United States appeared for the 18th time, the only nation to have competed in all Olympic shot put competitions to date.

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1936, with the qualifying round completely separate from the divided final.