In a wide, popular perception, shotguns were only to be used at close range. Packing a massive punch within a close distance, they grew increasingly useless the greater the range.
But that perception came from the games who had to simply balance the power of the shotguns in order to keep the game fun. As Makary explained while presenting the neuspas, the reality couldn't be any further from this popular misconception.
The performance of shotguns was mostly centered around the type of ammunition used with them. With birdshot, one sacrifices the power of each individual pellet by shooting a whole bunch of them within a single discharge. On the other end of the spectrum, there are slugs, where a single, heavy projectile is shot at a great distance with great speed.
