As noted above, even with US shells, it's not a bad idea to cut open a shell and check shot size. I've found shells that were supposed to be US 6 (nominal 225/oz) that counted below 200 and over 250.

That being said, if you're breaking targets or killing birds to your satisfaction with a particular load, you may want to avoid looking too hard at either pellet count or pattern. Might upset your confidence level.

Last edited by L. Brown; 03/09/15 09:59 AM.