Summary: Ever wonder why some shotgun shells are so much cheaper than the rest? Here's why.
Have you ever wondered if those cheap steel shot shells are just as good as the more expensive ones? Being a reloader my self I decided to cut a Winchester X-pert steel shot gun shell apart one afternoon. Wow was I surprised! The shot was far from being round. Ever through a lop-side ball before? Well it doesn't go straight...
The next problem I found was that although the shell was labeled #2 shot, I found shot from #2 shot all the way to smaller #8 shot. This means the effectiveness of this shell at longer ranges is going to be significanlty reduced.
So how do you know if the shells your planning on using this hunting season are loaded with poor shot? Just take a utillity knife and cut the crimp off the top of the shotgun shell. Now spill the shot on a dinner place and tip the plate to watch it roll, or not roll... In the end I think the saying "You get what you pay for..." is still very true.