Back in the days you could order the gun choked to shoot "buckshot". And all the older guns made to shoot the wad type of shells are a bit closer in the choke, so this could explain some of the wonderfull killer that the buckshots was.

But anyway when you can only afford one gun you by a shotgun. And when you need food on the table you load it with something that probably/hopefully kills whatever you run across. And then when you hit it your hunger would ceep you looking untill it was found, not as today when if it doesent drop you think you missed and theres always another one another day.

Pesonally i would newer take a shot at an unvounded animal hoping that one of the pellets would penetrade deep enough.But they do apparently work up close but that would a slug also.