Shotgun cartridge

A unit of ammunition for a shotgun, typically containing a primer, propellant, and either multiple pellets or one projectile inside a case.

Shotshell: A complete shotgun cartridge, including its case, primer, propellant, wad, and shot or slug. This common name emphasizes the assembled cartridge as a complete unit.
Internal ballistics: The study of projectile motion and pressure inside a firearm before the projectile exits. It describes what happens inside the shotgun after the primer ignites.
Gauge (firearms): A traditional system for specifying shotgun bore and compatible cartridge size. Gauge identifies a major dimension of the shotgun and its ammunition.
Rimfire ammunition: Ammunition whose primer compound is housed in the rim of its case. It uses a different ignition arrangement from the typical centerfire shotgun cartridge.
Shotgun primer: An ignition component that produces a flame when struck by a firing pin. It starts the propellant burning when the shotgun fires.
Firing pin: A firearm component that strikes a primer to initiate ignition. Its impact activates the cartridge’s primer.
12-gauge shotgun: A shotgun with a nominal bore size associated with twelve lead balls weighing one pound collectively. Its cartridges are among the most widely used shotgun ammunition.
Centerfire ammunition: Ammunition with a primer located centrally in the base of its case. It is a broader ammunition design that includes many shotgun cartridges.
Smokeless powder: A propellant that produces expanding gas through rapid combustion. Its gas drives the payload down the barrel.
Combustion: A chemical reaction that releases heat and gases as a substance burns. Propellant combustion creates the gas pressure that accelerates the payload.

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