[Gehrhard]

Good prior descriptions.

Let me add...

US star-crimped shells are the shortest (see pic with Nobel and S&B on the left) -- you WILL get five 2-3/4" and 3" Magnum shells of these in a Mossberg 500. They are made for both but NOT that many foreign typically roll-crimp magnum shells.

Plated shot would be so described and is less common (see Fiocchi USA on right in pic).

One of the reasons I was willing to order Winchester #1 Buckshot just before the start of The Great Ammo Run of 2009 despite that the shells do NOT have rows along their length (note the ONLY one in the pics) which arguably makes extraction more difficult, was that I would only use it in a pump gun, and the price was excellent for the largest shot that they used a full-length shot cup in. Those, and it is buffered to help protect against said deformation. OK, I waited 16 months for it and picked up inexpensive Remington WalMart 00 Buck Value-Packs like everyone else here and there the longer I waited on a whim, but...

Otherwise, I typically avoid Winchester ammo and gravitate towards Remington though Federal has the best reputation for consistently good patterning (I did buy some of that recent "military" 00 Buck in .50 cal cans -- too good to pass up on and a friend wanted some). It can be a little disconcerting when you pick up a shell with a roll crimp securing only a piece of cardboard holding the rattling shot back -- I dunno.

FYI, at my home, S&B 21 (vs. 27) pellet #4 Buck from an open cylinder is just the ticket.

Gehr