Powder for "Gun Bugs" Bridgeport, Conn.--Shotgun shells are very different from riffle cartridges. A rifle shoots a single bullet, while a shotgun shoots a charge of lead shot--hundreds of tiny lead pellets spraying out from the muzzle of the shotgun to help the shooter hit the clay target or the duck. If the shooter's aim is right, he will put the center of this cone of lead on the bird and hit it. The brass head of the shell is a base for the shell and also contains the primer. In the above picture, some of the shells are shown being inspected before they are loaded to eliminate the imperfect ones. The inspecting is done by mirrors. As the shells roll past the girl, she examines the outside. The mirror above reflects the inside of the shell and the mirror below her fingers "throws back" the bottom of the shell, showing the primer cup in the center of the brass cup end.

Wide World Photos, Inc. · [ca. May 1938]

[Information from item housing] Guns & Ammunition Misc.