Editing Shotgun (section)

==Ammunition Types==
*'''Birdshot''': Like buckshot, but the balls are much smaller, and as a result there's less empty space in between each ball when fired. This makes it well suited for shooting birds out of the sky. While each ball individually won't do quite as much damage, you'll definitely give someone a bad day if you hit them with it. Note for writing: birdshot is a terrible choice for use against humans or any substantially sized animal, so unless your characters have a reason for using it specifically (desperation, etc.) having a character use birdshot for fighting will result in /k/ laughing at you. Dick Cheney shot an old man with some at point blank range, hitting the throat, and the guy is still alive.
*'''Buckshot''': The most commonly associated ammunition used in shotguns. Buckshot is a shell filled with lead balls that fire out from the barrel in a cone; how tight that cone is depends on whether the shotgun has a choke. Buckshot, as the name implies, is lethal to deer, but works just as well on humans. 12 gauge 00 (pronounced double aught) is the most common type, consisting of 9 lead balls .36"(9.1mm) in diameter.
*'''Dragon's Breath''': What do you get when you fill a shell with metal shards and flammable liquid? A giant fireball coming out of a shotgun barrel, that's what! You'd also get a barrel full of afterburner shit, so make sure you don't fire this thing more than twice before you clean the gun, unless you like your gun exploding in your hands (hence why it's almost universally used with cheap throwaway double-barrels).
*'''Flare''': As unusual as it sounds, shotguns can fire flares if you do not have a flare pistol on you. The only caveats are that they must be the same gauge, must be manually loaded if you’re using a pump action shotgun, and must be fired from a none choked shotgun. If the flare propellant isn’t strong enough or if the barrel is choked, you risk having the flare stuck in the barrel and heating it up to cherry red hot temperatures that can warp the metal. So if you want to be safe, double check your instructions on the box to ensure the flares are shotgun compatible. On the other hand, it’s a good back up if you do not have a working flare pistol.
*'''Flechette''': Instead of balls, you fill a shell with long metal needles. Supposed to be more aerodynamic than buckshot, but in practice they can be deflected by things like raindrops and have less stopping power. Also tear up barrels.
*'''Flexible Baton Rounds''': These are the less-lethal rounds typically used by police. It hurts like hell to get hit by one and can break a rib or two, but at least you don't start bleeding out (most of the time). Typically contained in a bag (hence the nickname of "beanbag" rounds) so spread in minimal. Rubber slugs are occasionally used as an alternative. Shotguns mean to fire these are typically used only for them and marked in bright colors so nobody loads lethal rounds into them. Can still be lethal, especially on the elderly or if it hits you in the head.
*'''Frag-12''': Mini-explosives crammed into a shotgun shell. It has four spring-loaded fins at the back of the shell to guide it towards its target. Is often associated with the AA-12 because of the inherent awesomeness of turning your shotgun into a fully automatic grenade launcher. Incredibly dangerous, incredibly expensive and incredibly illegal for obvious reasons.
*'''Slug''': A solid piece of lead; this allows shotguns to be used more like a rifle in that you're aiming at a single point in space. Compared to a rifle bullet, a slug is shorter ranged and less accurate since the barrel isn't rifled, but the greater weight and the fact that shotguns are higher caliber than rifles means that a slug tends to have greater penetration, is less likely to fragment or be deflected, and hits with far more force- a 12 gauge slug is roughly equivalent to a 70 caliber bullet in terms of kinetic energy. They're often used for hunting since the lower velocity of a slug means it's less likely for a stray projectile to clear the woods and hit someone's house by accident but still has a good chance of taking down big game in one shot that would probably survive long enough to fuck you up if you only used shot (like bears or boars).
**'''Frangible Round''': A specialized type of slug made from metal powder and wax, these rounds are made to shatter on impact, making them safe to use in close quarters or for breaking door hinges and locks, hence their alternate name of Breaching Rounds.

It's actually quite easy to make custom ammunition for shotguns by cramming whatever the fuck can fit into a barrel into a standard slug shot maybe with some tightening. Most weapon shops even sell custom shotgun ammo kits. Sure, custom slugs more often than not have terrible accuracy, but it's invaluable in urban fantasy/mystic/horror settings where you can shoot whatever the fuck that eldritch abomination you're fighting against is vulnerable to - like wooden slugs for staking vampires from the (relatively) safe distance or saltshot against ghosts or demons. Hell, making silver shotgun slugs against werewolves is a much safer option than silver bullets for rifles or pistols if you're not a proficient smith, as poorly made slug is much less likely to jam your gun than poorly made bullet. Ask /k/ for examples of crazy shotgun loads, up to and including live .22 LR being fired out of a 12 gauge. There are even several old timer tricks for making shot into slugs as 100 years ago the slug game was limited to single, bore wide, ball projectiles. Cut shells are simply bird or buck shot that has had it's case cut a bit to weaken the point below the wadding. Not enough to separate while loading into the chamber (NEVER PUT THESE INTO A MAG OR A TUBE) but the case will separate during firing, launching the contained shot as a single mass held together by the remaining case. Another old trick is to cut the crimp off, pour out the shot into molten wax, and then loaded back with the wax acting as a binder. This results in a round with weight similar to a lead slug but that shatters on impact similar to a frangible or breaching round. It actually is surprisingly accurate and produces a much nastier but not as deep wound than a slug, almost like shooting the target at point blank with normal birdshot.