Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1532285
T HE AVERAGE LEAGUE ATHLETE FIRES ABOUT 1,750 SHOTGUN SHELLS EACH YEAR. In 2024, that amounts to more than 70 MILLION shells! We buy them in boxes of 25 and cases of 250. But often, we don't pay much attention to this key part of our sport beyond loading them into our shotgun's action, aiming at the target, and pulling the trigger. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SHOTGUN SHELL Shotgun shells were initially developed in the 1860s, but instead of the plastic or paper shells we see today, the original shotgun shells were completely made out of brass. It wasn't until later that manufacturers started experimenting with other materials. Today, shotgun shells are made of a combination of brass and either paper or plastic. BREAKING DOWN THE SHELL A shotgun shell consists of five key parts: 1. Hull 2. Primer 3. Gunpowder 4. Wad 5. Shot 1. The hull is what holds the shell together. It's made of two parts: a brass 'head' that encloses the primer and the gun- powder charge, and the plastic or paper casing that encloses the rest of the shell. The brass head also has a rim that holds the shotgun shell in place so it doesn't fall through the barrel. THE FIELD S C ORING TA BL E 36 PULLUSA MAGAZINE WINTER 2025 ANATOMY OF A SHOTGUN SHELL 2 3 PRIMER GUNPOWDER