Yet tailoring a shotshell to the game hunted or the game played is crucial to shooting success. The following definitions will help you match your loads to the type of shooting you plan to do. Magnums Unlike rifle magnums, which are extra-fast, magnum shotshells have extra pellets and the heaviest magnums must be loaded to quite low velocities to keep chamber pressures down. The key to a good magnum is high-quality, hard shot. The harder the pellet, the better it will resist deformation, flying truer, faster, and hitting harder than flattened pellets.
Shot is hardened by the addition of the element antimony to the lead.
The grex cushions the pellets during firing the way plastic peanuts protect your fine china in a box when you move. Many magnums pellets are also copper or nickel plated. Opinions on the value of plated shot are not unanimous, however. Modern copper or nickel plating is not thick enough to make pellets significantly harder. Plating does improve shot lubricity, helping pellets flow more smoothly out of the choke.