It throws a solid bolt into a socket rather than engaging a keep sideways.

The bolt enters the head or the cill vertically.

That resists the whole sash being forced out of the frame.

Defeating it means shearing the bolt or destroying the frame around it.

A cam resists being levered sideways.

The engagement is fundamentally different and considerably stronger.

Because a tall sash bows in the middle when pushed.

Side locking alone leaves the top and bottom free to flex.

Shootbolts hold the sash at the points that move most.

That resists both forcing and wind loading.

It also improves how evenly the sash meets its seals.

The taller the sash, the more the difference shows.

More often than not, and they are where installations underperform.

A shallow socket gives the bolt very little to engage with.

A socket in weak material tears out under load.

A socket filled with debris stops the bolt entering.

Cill sockets collect water and dirt continuously by their position.

Keeping them clear is routine maintenance rather than an occasional job.

The sash has probably dropped and the bolt no longer meets its socket.

A shootbolt either enters its hole or it does not.

A cam tolerates a millimetre of drift; a bolt does not.

That makes the failure sudden rather than gradual.

Adjusting the hinges or stays usually restores alignment.

Forcing the handle in that condition damages the gear.

Frequently - and that combination is what multipoint gear usually means.

Vertical bolts engage at head and cill.

Cams engage keeps along the sides.

One handle movement drives all of them.

The combination resists both levering and forcing out.

Which points a given system uses is published by its manufacturer.

The sockets have to be in material that can hold them.

Depth and fixing both matter.

In uPVC and aluminium the section behind the socket is critical.

Reinforced sections are used where security matters seriously.

A strong bolt into a weak frame is limited by the frame.

Enhanced security standards specify frame requirements alongside the hardware.

By keeping sockets clear and checking alignment periodically.

Cill sockets in particular collect debris.

Bolts and their guides benefit from occasional lubrication.

Alignment drift is what stops them working entirely.

Adjusting hinges and stays keeps the sash where the bolts expect.

Catching drift early avoids a window that cannot be closed at all.