Shotgun Shells

The magazines presented here are based on light alloy magazines. For steel magazines, increase weight by 2%; for plastic or synthetic magazines; decrease weight by 8 percent.

For the most part, the shells here have buckshot with 00 shot (the shot causing less damage on the shotgun tables) or 0 shot (the shot causing more damage on the shotgun tables). Some have stats for 000 shot. If, on the shotgun tables, only one type of damage rate is listed, it will be based on 00 shot or possibly even lesser in size. The Buckshot for these tables is based on lead shot. Slugs are simple rifled lead projectiles, essentially large bullets fired through non-rifled bores with rifling grooves in the projectiles themselves. Cases will be “Shotgun” as per Fire, Fusion and Steel. The standard case is plastic; for brass cases, increase weight by 0.1% (unless the specific cartridge is listed as being a brass case). For paper/cardboard cases, reduce weight by 0.1%.

Most shotgun shells have a more-or-less standard length. For purposes of these pages:

Notes: The .410-Gauge shell is designed primarily for small bird hunting, though with slugs it is also a good small game round, and many argue that it is also an ideal home-defense round, as it limits damage to the house and the recoil is manageable for even small women, young teenagers, and even older children. The .410-Gauge round, due to its small caliber, is not limited merely to shotguns; it is often chambered in revolvers, particularly those which are also chambered for .45 Long Colt ammunition. .410-Gauge is about the smallest-caliber round except for a few obsolete shotgun rounds and some special-application handgun-type loadings, and for many shooters that started shooting in their childhood, their first firearm was chambered for .410-Gauge. Many adults also like the .410-Gauge, as shotguns chambered for it are generally light in weight and short in length, easily carried all day. Some competitive shooters also use the .410-Gauge for clay pigeon shooting; the lesser amount of shot thrown by the round makes clay pigeon shooting more challenging. 2.5-inch shells are primarily used in revolvers and used in relatively few shotguns; 2-inch shells are very rare and used only in a very few firearms.

Notes: The 32-Gauge shotgun shell was designed by American manufacturers originally in the late 1870s; until well into the 1930s, it was still a common shotgun round, but it fell out of favor after that, and today, it is a rather rare chambering. The 32-Gauge round hangs on only because of this small but dedicated following, and because of certain Russian and European manufacturers who use the 32-Gauge shell as a base or manufacture shotguns in this gauge. Because of this, there are also plastic-cased and brass-cased 32-Gauge shells, though historically most 32-Gauge shells have been cardboard-cased. Most 32-Gauge shells have been 2.5-inch shells, though some firearms, especially today, are designed for 2.75-Inch and/or 3-inch shells. 32-Gauge shells are primarily produced in Europe these days, but not in large numbers; Fiocchi in the US also produces small numbers of 32-Gauge 2.5” shells.

Notes: The 28-Gauge shell is an old round, originating as a blackpowder round in the 1870s. The 28-Gauge round is today relatively rare, though several shotgun manufacturers do make shotguns in 28-Gauge, and those numbers seem to be growing. 28-Gauge shotguns are quite useful for hunting both small birds and some larger ones, and is used by some competitive shooters for clay pigeon shooting. Though a good amount of 28-Gauge shotguns are made, the 28-Gauge is limited by the fact that magnum shells are not made, and a .410-Gauge 3” magnum round easily duplicates the 28-Gauge 2.75” round in performance. However, there is enough interest in the 28-Gauge round to keep manufacturers making shotguns and shells in that gauge. Most shotguns in this chambering fire 2.75” shells; 2.5” shells are by comparison quite rare. In addition, slug rounds in 28-Gauge are also a bit on the rare side.

Notes: This gauge is largely considered obsolete, though there are some shotguns produced by Italian manufacturers FAIR and Fausti that still chamber this obscure gauge, along with small numbers by some other European shotgun manufacturers. As a result, ammunition is still produced in small lots by Beretta, CBC, and Fiocchi, and in even smaller numbers by some other ammunition manufacturers. The 24-Gauge shotgun reached its heyday in the 1930s when several European manufacturers made shotguns in this gauge as well as some being made in the US by Stevens and by Harrington & Richardson, but today the 24-Gauge enjoys only a small following as sort of an intermediate cartridge between .410-Gauge and 20-Gauge. Firearms chambered for 2.5-inch 24-Gauge shells are relatively rare.

Notes: One of the most popular shotgun rounds out there, the 20-Gauge is not only a main-line hunting cartridge, it is used in many youth shotguns and competition shotguns. It is also a popular choice for home defense shotguns, and has even been considered here and there for police and military shotguns. The 20-Gauge shotgun is useful against most of the fowl that a 12-Gauge shotgun is used against, and allows for a shotgun that is a lighter, easier to tote package that has less recoil than a 12-Gauge shotgun. At first considered an anemic round when first introduced in the 1870s, the 20-Gauge got a significant boost from its conversion to modern propellant, allowing for more power and heavier shot loads to be fired, as well as making 20-Gauge slugs useful. 20-Gauge magnum shells virtually duplicate 16-Gauge 2.75” shells for performance, and the shotguns that fire 20-Gauge shells are far more numerous than those which fire 16-Gauge shells. 2.5-inch shells are relatively scarce.

Just an aside: The 20-Gauge round once indirectly saved the life of a sergeant I had when I was in the Army. His wife was trying to kill him, and was trying to load 20-gauge shells into 12-gauge bird gun…he was able to get out of the house and call the police.

Notes: To many, it is surprising that the 16-Gauge round is still in existence, since the 20-Gauge 3-inch shell can basically do everything a 16-Gauge 2.75” shell can do, and a 12-Gauge 2.75-inch shell can do as much or more than a 16-Gauge 3-inch shell can do. Nonetheless, the 16-Gauge round has a good-sized following, and lots of shotguns are still made in 16-Gauge. The ammunition is still made in good numbers. Even modern loads are made for the 16-Gauge round, such as steel shot and bismuth shot. Like many modern shotgun rounds, the 16-Gauge round began in 1870s as a blackpowder round, and benefitted greatly from smokeless powder loadings. 2.75-inch shells for the 16-Gauge are the most common; 2.5-inch shells are a bit less common, though 3-inch magnum shells are actually gaining in popularity. The 16-Gauge round, despite its seeming obsolescence, will probably be around for a long time to come.

Notes: The 12-Gauge round is the current king of shotgun rounds; virtually every shotgun produced at present is either chambered for 12-Gauge rounds or has a chambering in 12-Gauge. Round sizes range from short 2.5-inch shells to huge 3.5-inch Magnum (sometimes called Super Magnum) shells, with many specialist shells of odd sizes or unusual (sometimes, very unusual) loadings being made. The 12-Gauge may in fact be the most popular firearms round ever produced, perhaps exceeded only by the .22 Long Rifle round in popularity. 12-Gauge guns have been produced since shortly after cartridge guns were invented, and were some of the first rounds produced using modern propellants. The popularity is because the 12-Gauge round is so popular – it can be loaded with a large amount of birdshot or heavy 000 buckshot, as well as a wide variety of special loads. It can be subloaded for lower recoil and pressure or hotloaded for more power (especially using brass cases). It can be had with virtually any case material – paper, plastic, or brass or steel. Several types of slug rounds are available, making the 12-Gauge round useful as an all-purpose gun to hunters. Even if you take only the biggest three 12-Gauge round manufacturers, you have 435 different shell sizes and loadings to work with. The military has developed several special loadings and (which will be listed further down the page); the HK CAWS program weapon was based on modified 12-Gauge all-brass shells. The 12-Gauge round is literally used in every corner of the world, and handloading a 12-Gauge round is easy. 12-Gauge guns are used by everyone from military entry teams to civilians wanting a home-defense weapon. The 12-Gauge round will not be going away any time soon.

Notes: The Aguila Mini-Shell was produced especially for the Centurion Ordnance Poseidon MS (MicroShotgun); the shotgun is primarily sold in the US, though the shotgun itself is produced in Turkey and the ammunition by Aquila in Mexico. Currently, only buckshot is produced by Aquila, though they are examining the possibility of producing slug rounds. The Aquila is a very short (44.45mm length) shell which allows for very high-capacity shotguns in weapons of short length, though of course the range and amount of shot thrown are correspondingly low. The Aquila mini-shell is aimed at for the home-defense market, though military and police concerns have examined shotguns firing this round to limit collateral damage. Currently, only a small handful of shotguns are designed for the Aquila Mini-Shell, though some have developed modifications of standard shotguns for the round, with mixed success.

Notes: 10-Gauge is about the largest shotgun shell that is commonly available, though the round and the shotguns that fire them are relatively quite rare. The introduction of 12-Gauge 3-inch and 3.5” Magnum shells have largely worked against the use of the big 10-Gauge shotguns, particularly the 2.75-inch version of the shell, as they are capable of duplicating the 10-Gauge 2.75-inch shell in most respects in a round which has less kick and is cheaper. Time was, however, when the 10-Gauge was a common shell, before the introduction of 12-Gauge magnum shells in the early 1900s; before that, the 10-Gauge was the shotgun to have. Perhaps its most famous user was Doc Holliday, who used one at the famous OK Corral shootout in its blackpowder days. Today, however, the 10-Gauge has only a small, if devoted, following, and the shotguns that fire 10-Gauge are rather rare. Most of these shotguns fire magnum loads, as these produce the only shot patterns and volume that cannot be reproduced by the 12-Gauge. 10-Gauge rounds come in some odd shell lengths, however, that fall in between the standard shotgun shell lengths. Most manufacturers of the 10-Gauge round are located in England and the US these days, and they produce only relatively small lots at any one time. In most jurisdictions in the world, 10-Gauge is the largest bore of shotgun that civilians are allowed to own.

Notes: Fired only by the Russian KS-23 Drozd shotgun, the 23mm Drozd shell is fired only by the Russian KS-23 Drozd shotgun. It is equivalent roughly to a 4-Gauge shotgun in size and whether is a shotgun round or a grenade is debatable, though the KS-23 is primarily used as a special-purpose shotgun. The standard KS-23 fires from a tubular magazine; the KS-23M uses an underbarrel box magazine, which is itself huge. The 23mm Drozd is itself a rather very weapon, and the rounds also rare. Though the 23mm Drozd is used to throw large amounts of shot, some of specialist rounds are available. The Anti-Vehicular round is a large steel-cored round designed to penetrate light armor or things like engine blocks, and costs double standard prices. CS rounds are also available, at quadruple normal prices.

Notes: Environmentalists have, with some legitimacy, objected to the use of hunters’ firing of 12-gauge shot against waterfowl, citing lead contamination of wetlands. Hunters have countered, again with some legitimacy, that the use of a substitute, steel shot, makes the buckshot too light, reduces range, and widens the spread too fast. The steel shot is much more biodegradable, though it does still contaminate the environment to some extent. Steel shot also tends to be harder on a barrel, as it is harder than lead shot (though not hard enough to increase penetration in Twilight 2000 v2.2 terms; some sources say that large amounts of steel shot can reduce barrel lifetime by half. The GM will have to wing it here as far as the increased wear of shotgun barrels firing a lot of steel shot.

A compromise of sorts was reached with the use of shot made of bismuth. The problem with bismuth rounds is that they are more expensive than regular or steel shot, and bismuth is still not natural to the environment, though it does biodegrade faster than lead (though not steel). It does not cause the increased barrel wear as steel shot. A strike against them is that they are still not as heavy and don’t have the range of lead shot.

To simulate the use of steel shot in Twilight 2000 v2.2 terms, reduce the damage of shot by two points per die, and reduce range by 15%. As stated above, the GM will have to adjudicate increased barrel wear, though this will only affect the gun only after large amounts of steel shot are fired (say, 10 shots per day for a month).

To simulate the effects of bismuth shot, reduce damage of shot by one point per die, and reduce range by 10%.

Notes: Due to its ubiquity, a large amount of special rounds have been devised for use with 12-Gauge shotguns. These rounds are often for use by military and police concerns only, and have a narrow range of applications.

Baton and Rubber rounds are designed to be minimally-lethal rounds (they are not entirely nonlethal, though the chances of a lethal injury is substantially reduced. When firing a baton or rubber round, damage is resolved the same as for slug rounds, but only 25% of the damage is “permanent” damage, healed as the standard firearms combat damage. The rest is temporary damage that heals at a rate of 1 point per 10 minutes (it equates to bruising and suchlike). Head wounds heal at a rate of one point per 20 minutes, and half the damage is permanent damage. Baton and Rubber rounds have a penetration of Nil, regardless of range. Baton rounds have their range reduced by 20%; rubber rounds are not so affected.

Beanbag rounds open up into a small beanbag after traveling at least 10 meters from the muzzle of the shotgun; range is reduced by 30% when firing a beanbag round due to extreme drag. Similar rounds for Twilight 2000 v 2.2 purposes include rubber “cross” rounds, which open up, as the same suggests, into a rubber cross. The beanbag round works as the rubber slug above, except that only 10% is permanent damage (20% for a head hit), and knockdown chances are doubled. Beanbag rounds cost 1.5 times the standard cost for 12-Gauge shotgun rounds.

This round consists of two balls joined together by a wire. Only two balls are fired, but the combination does damage like a slug round.

Breaching rounds are very short-ranged rounds designed specifically to blow out hinges or locks of doors. They generally consists of a large charge of metal powder which is propelled by a larger-than-normal propellant charge. Such a round is 80% likely to blow out a hinge or lock per 25mm of thickness of an average wooden door; metal doors are much less likely to be penetrated (10% change). A dense wood door is only 50% likely to have its hinges or lock blown off. Used as an antipersonnel round, resolve the damage as a slug round, but short range is 5 meters. Damage at 5 meters is only 3d6, and at 10 meters only 1d6. Beyond that, the round does no damage. Penetration is not only Nil, but any sort of body armor or thick clothing will mean that the round does no damage.

This shot round has only two large balls, but damage of each ball causes 3d6 damage.

These contain a small explosive charge instead of a standard shotgun load. When personnel are hit by an explosive round, the round causes 1.75 times the damage of a slug round (rounded down); penetration is always 2-2-2. The round has a concussion of 1 and a burst of 1; against vehicles; penetration is -2C. Range is the same as for a shot round. Attempting to load a magazine or tube with multiple Explosive rounds will instantly result in a jam when the weapon is fired, though the first round will feed. Explosive rounds cost 6 times the normal cost of 12-Gauge rounds. A variant of the Explosive shell is the Frag shell; this increases collateral damage to C0 B2, though it decreases penetration vs. vehicles to Nil, and penetration vs. personnel to 3-3-3. Explosive shells cost five times the normal cost.

There are a number of different brands and types of rounds that are collectively called here 12-Gauge Flamer rounds. These rounds produce a gout of flame just beyond the muzzle of the weapon (to protect the barrel). Flamer rounds are available in 2.75-inch and 3-inch shells. The range of these rounds is 5 meters. 2.75-inch rounds produce a gout of flame 0.5 meters wide and a short range of 15 meters; this has the effects of a flamethrower burst within that area of effect. The 3-inch shell has the same effects, but the short range is 20 meters. The flame gout is nearly instantaneous, lighting and burning out in less than one second. The Flamer will not cycle in a semiautomatic shotgun, with the exception of cylinder-fed shotguns like the Protecta. (The Pancor Jackhammer cannot chamber these round, due to the cassette feed and automatic fire mode). Attempting to load a magazine or tube with multiple Flamers in a semiautomatic shotgun will instantly result in a jam when the weapon is fired, though the first round will feed. Flamer rounds cost 10 times the cost listed above for 12-Gauge rounds.

Shotgun flares function essentially like normal flares (see Signaling Device Rules), but the altitude feature is twice the shot range of the shotgun. Virtually any color is available.

Device	Size	Weight	Burn Time	Burst	Altitude	Price
Shotgun Flare	18.52mm	0.1 kg	2	B1/2K	2xRange	$1

This does damage as per standard 2d6-type buckshot, but each flechette has a penetration of 1-Nil (if the table indicates no penetration) or 1-1-Nil (if the penetration indicated on the table is 1-Nil). Cost is three times the standard cost. This round includes such rounds as Atlas Ammo’s Shredder.

These shells are filled with irritant gas, usually CS. The amount of gas is small and has one-quarter the size of cloud and length of cloud persistence as a CS grenade. Range is 60% of a shot or slug load. Cost is four times that of a standard round.

This type of load can consist of plastic pellets, rubber pellets, or hollow steel or aluminum balls. They cause the same damage as standard buckshot, but only 25% of the damage is “permanent” damage, healed as the standard firearms combat damage. The rest is temporary damage that heals at a rate of 1 point per 10 minutes (it equates to bruising and suchlike). Head wounds heal at a rate of one point per 20 minutes, and half the damage is permanent damage. Penetration is always Nil. Range is reduced by 20% unless the load is rubber pellets; range of rubber pellets is not affected.

The Pit Bull consists of a combination of buckshot and a lead slug. This results in a combination of effects – the buckshot does normal 1d6-type damage, and the slug does the same damage as a lead slug, minus 1d6. Range is -25%.

Shotgun sabots are slug rounds which use a subcaliber penetrator to increase the effectiveness of slug rounds. The result is a smaller round flying at a higher velocity; they are generally still soft lead rounds, though sometimes with a steel core. Sabot rounds are resolved use the standard slug round as a base, but damage is lowered by one point per die, and penetration is increased by one level (1-Nil becomes 1-1-Nil, 2-3-Nil or 2-4-Nil becomes 1-2-Nil, etc.) Range is increased by 20%, and most sabot rounds use rifling for the round itself to spin the round. Cost is double what is listed above. Note that Sabot rounds can make somewhat effective antivehicle rounds.