Shotgun

A firearm designed to fire shotshells, which typically contain multiple pellets or a single solid projectile called a slug. Its smoothbore barrel is common, though some shotguns use rifled barrels.

Shotshell: A cartridge containing a primer, propellant, wad, and payload, assembled for use in a shotgun. Its components determine whether the gun launches pellets or a single projectile.
Birdshot: Small pellets loaded into shotshells, commonly for hunting birds and clay-target shooting. It is the traditional payload for uses that call for many small projectiles.
Trap shooting: A clay-target sport in which competitors shoot targets launched from a trap house. Shotguns are used to break targets moving away from the firing station.
Blunderbuss: A short firearm with a flared muzzle, used in Europe from the seventeenth century onward. It is an early firearm often associated with the shotgun’s historical lineage.
Rifle: A shoulder-fired firearm with spiral rifling inside its barrel, typically designed to fire a single projectile. Rifles use spin-stabilized bullets rather than the shotgun’s usual pellet payload.
Shotgun choke: A constriction near a shotgun muzzle that influences the spread of shot. Different choke constrictions produce different shot patterns.
Buckshot: Large pellets loaded into shotshells, historically used for hunting larger game. Its larger pellets distinguish it from the smaller shot used in birdshot.
Skeet shooting: A clay-target sport in which targets cross between two launch houses along a semicircular field. It tests shotgun handling against crossing targets at varied angles.
Percussion cap: A small metal cap containing a shock-sensitive explosive compound used to ignite a firearm’s propellant. Percussion ignition preceded the self-contained cartridges used in modern shotguns.
Handgun: A firearm designed to be held and operated with one or both hands rather than braced against the shoulder. Its compact form and typical ammunition distinguish it from a shoulder-fired shotgun.

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