Every Type of Shotgun Shell Explained

Shotgun shells can look almost identical from the outside while doing completely different jobs. This video explains the major shotgun shell types, from birdshot and buckshot to Foster, Brenneke, and sabot slugs. See how pellet size, shot material, wads, shell length, and projectile design change what happens after the primer fires. We also cover duplex loads, frangible breaching rounds, less-lethal impact ammunition, blanks and launching cartridges, pyrotechnic and signal shells, flechettes, Dragon’s Breath, mini-shells, magnum loads, and low-recoil ammunition. You’ll also see why a “rifled slug” is commonly used in a smoothbore while a sabot slug actually depends on barrel rifling, why steel behaves differently from lead, and why labels like “magnum” describe performance rather than one specific projectile type. 0:00 Shotgun Shell Basics 1:26 Birdshot 2:43 Lead, Steel, Bismuth & Tungsten 3:52 Buckshot 4:59 Duplex Loads 5:50 Foster Slugs 6:48 Brenneke Slugs 7:33 Sabot Slugs 8:30 Breaching & Frangible Rounds 9:16 Less-Lethal Impact Rounds 10:13 Blanks & Launching Cartridges 11:01 Pyrotechnic & Signal Shells 11:53 Flechettes & Exotic Loads 13:04 Magnum, Mini-Shell & Low-Recoil Loads Which shotgun shell type surprised you the most? #ShotgunShells #Ammunition #Firearms VIDEO TAGS shotgun shells, shotgun shell types, shotgun shells explained, shotgun ammo, shotgun ammunition, shotgun ammo explained, 12 gauge shells, 12 gauge ammo, birdshot, buckshot, 00 buckshot, shotgun slugs, Foster slug, Brenneke slug, sabot slug, breaching rounds, less lethal shotgun rounds, shotgun blanks, flechette shotgun shell, dragons breath shotgun shell, mini shells, magnum shotgun shells, birdshot vs buckshot, buckshot vs slug