Shot (pellet)

Shot is a <a href="/facts/Collective_noun/0HDhzEQG">collective term</a> for small spheres or pellets, often made of <a href="/facts/Lead/EYljasJN">lead</a>. These have been projected from <a href="/facts/Sling_(weapon)/EwYNdjPG">slings</a> since ancient times and were the original <a href="/facts/Projectile/kaDpG3N7">projectiles</a> for shotguns and are still fired primarily from <a href="/facts/Shotgun/tGxz1bqj">shotguns</a> and <a href="/facts/Grenade_launcher/TjWnnf9b">grenade launchers</a>, while they are less commonly used in <a href="/facts/Riot_gun/WDWq3ANA">riot guns</a>. <a href="/facts/Shot_shell/YABrvUeX">Shot shells</a> are also available in many <a href="/facts/Handgun/Vz25G3C4">handgun</a> calibers in a configuration known as "<a href="/facts/Birdshot/YABrvUeX">birdshot</a>", "<a href="/facts/Rat_shot/XDy6CTIT">rat shot</a>", or "<a href="/facts/Snake_shot/XDy6CTIT">snake shot</a>". 
Lead shot is also used for a variety of other purposes such as filling cavities with dense material for weight and/or balance. Some versions may be plated with other metals. Lead shot was originally made by pouring molten lead through screens into water, forming what was known as "swan shot", and, later, more economically mass-produced at higher quality using a <a href="/facts/Shot_tower/7PbPt966">shot tower</a>. The Bliemeister method has supplanted the shot tower method since the early 1960s.

Shot (pellet) open-in-new

Shot (pellet)