[header] How to choose shotgun shells and chokes [title] Distinguish between the two basic styles of shotgun shell. [step] From a shotgun, you can either fire " shot " or " slugs. " shot shells are plastic cartridges filled with tiny metal pellets and should always be fired from non-rifled shotgun barrels. 
Slugs are essentially a single, fairly large metal bullet loaded in a plastic cartridge. [substeps] The kind of shot used in shot shells also varies and it is important to understand the way shot is sized.