Common shotgun gauges and loads, plus slugs and pistol snake shot: what each is made for, payload and pellet count, speed, effective range and the choke to use. Slug point-blank figures assume iron or rifle sights about 0.6" over the bore, not a scope or red dot. Tap a column header to sort.
| Made for | Choke / barrel |
|---|
Gauge is the number of lead balls of that bore size it takes to make a pound, so a smaller number means a bigger bore. The .410 is measured in inches instead. Payload is the shot weight in ounces; shot size gets smaller as the number goes up (#2 is bigger than #9). Shell length is the length after firing; the unfired shell is shorter because of the folded crimp.
Only single-projectile slugs get an MPBR. It uses a 6" deer vital zone, open iron or rifle sights 0.6" over the bore, a G1 drag model and sea-level air, with sight-in height given at 50 yards. A scope or red dot sits higher and changes these numbers. Shot loads spread into a pattern, so their limit is pattern density, shown as effective range.