"Chain shot" is the high velocity separation and ejection of a piece or pieces of cutting chain from the end of a broken chain in mechanized timber harvesting. Chain shot exposes both machine operators and bystanders to a risk of serious injury or death. Chain shot typically occurs near the drive end of the cutting system but can also come from the bar tip area.

A chain shot consists of two breaks in a chain. First, the loop of the chain breaks and forms two ends. One end moves past the drive sprocket or bar tip and is rapidly accelerated due to a whip-like motion of the chain end. The whip action causes the second break, releasing small parts at extremely high speed.