Firearm projectiles and cartridges and methods of manufacturing the same

A method of forming ammunition shot from a length of clad wire, the clad wire including an inner core and a cladding surrounding the inner core, the method comprising:

• obtaining a supply of copper-clad steel wire, wherein the copper-clad steel wire was manufactured as a standard gauge electrical wire;
• performing at least one of:
• working the copper-clad steel wire into a plurality of interconnected pellets, wherein each pellet has a dimension generally corresponding to a desired diameter of the ammunition shot, and separating the plurality of interconnected pellets into individual pellets;
• cutting individual pellets from the supply of the copper-clad steel wire, wherein each pellet has a dimension generally corresponding to a desired diameter of the ammunition shot;
• and
• pinching the clad wire to form individual pellets so that the cladding of the clad wire wraps around the metal from the inner core of the clad wire, and wherein the individual pellets substantially do not include exposed metal from the inner core of the clad wire;
• and
• rounding the individual pellets into generally spherical pellets.