SHOT, a denomination given to all sorts of balls for fire-arms: those for cannon being of iron, and those for guns, pistols, &c. of lead. See SHOOTING.
Case SHOT formerly consisted of all kinds of old iron, nails, musket-balls, stones, &c. used as above.
SHOT of a Cable, on ship-board, is the splicing of two cables together, that a ship may ride safe in deep waters and in great roads; for a ship will ride easier by one shot of a cable, than by three short cables out ahead.
Grape-SHOT. See GRAPE-SHOT.
Patent-milled SHOT is thus made: Sheets of lead, whose thickness corresponds with the size of the shot required, are cut into small pieces, or cubes, of the form of a die. A great quantity of these little cubes are put into a large hollow iron cylinder, which is mounted horizontally and turned by a winch; when by their friction against one another and against the sides of the cylinder, they are rendered perfectly round and very smooth. The other patent shot is cast in moulds, in the same way as bullets are.