What shotshell pellet size for steel plate?
- Thread starter Redmaple
- Start date
Most ranges I have shot on will specify the largest shot size you can use on plates. Usually #7 or smaller is okay.
So to compensate I use chokes. Have never gone tighter than improved modified for far out poppers and plates.
Usually improved cylinder or light modified does just fine.
If there were no shot size limitations, #4 does beautiful things to steel plates.
So to compensate I use chokes. Have never gone tighter than improved modified for far out poppers and plates.
Usually improved cylinder or light modified does just fine.
If there were no shot size limitations, #4 does beautiful things to steel plates.
Shot size is considerably less important than the choke, imho. Cylinder bore shotguns have considerable difficulty knocking down steel at any decent range. Modified will work most of the time, but might struggle a bit with the long range targets. I personally prefer an extra full or turkey choke.
Cameron SS
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Are you shooting steel plate just to make noise, or to knock it over?
If you just want to make noise, then the smallest number of shot with the most number of pellets over the largest area possible is going to suit you. The only risk here is that a single low energy pellet might not make enough noise.
If you need to actually knock it over, than this is a much different proposition.
To knock over the plate you need energy on target. That energy can take the form of a single projectile with enough energy, or many projectiles with the cumulative amount of energy necessary to knock it over. The tighter your concentration of energy, such as with a single slug, or a tight pattern of 00, or a very tight pattern of #4, the greater the odds you are of having the plate get knocked over with a good hit. However this necessarily places a greater emphasis on accuracy as well.
When you are balancing the factors of Probability of Hit (P-Hit), Probability of knock down (P-K) and the time (T) it takes to set up and execute a good shot, these are complex factors that don't yield a definitive solution that would suit all people. This is why you will get some people with very different approaches that all swear theirs is best and all with good results.
One safety concern is that depending on the plates you use and how they are mounted, multiple projectiles hitting a moving plate can yield seemingly random ricochets, even with lead shot. The use of intermediate sized pellets could result in people being hit pellets deflecting off the plate that still have enough energy to be harmful. Using the smallest possible shot size, as many ranges impose as a rule, is one way to mitigate that concern. While this could make the target a little harder to knock down, at least everyone is playing by the same rules.
If you go with 7.5 shot like most people, then the varying your choke really takes you back to the beginning of what ranges do you want your firearm optimized for? The solution then is to Pattern your gun and select your choke appropriately. IF you have access to the plates, pattern your gun on the plates to see if the number of pellets you are getting on target is sufficient for P-K
If you just want to make noise, then the smallest number of shot with the most number of pellets over the largest area possible is going to suit you. The only risk here is that a single low energy pellet might not make enough noise.
If you need to actually knock it over, than this is a much different proposition.
To knock over the plate you need energy on target. That energy can take the form of a single projectile with enough energy, or many projectiles with the cumulative amount of energy necessary to knock it over. The tighter your concentration of energy, such as with a single slug, or a tight pattern of 00, or a very tight pattern of #4, the greater the odds you are of having the plate get knocked over with a good hit. However this necessarily places a greater emphasis on accuracy as well.
When you are balancing the factors of Probability of Hit (P-Hit), Probability of knock down (P-K) and the time (T) it takes to set up and execute a good shot, these are complex factors that don't yield a definitive solution that would suit all people. This is why you will get some people with very different approaches that all swear theirs is best and all with good results.
One safety concern is that depending on the plates you use and how they are mounted, multiple projectiles hitting a moving plate can yield seemingly random ricochets, even with lead shot. The use of intermediate sized pellets could result in people being hit pellets deflecting off the plate that still have enough energy to be harmful. Using the smallest possible shot size, as many ranges impose as a rule, is one way to mitigate that concern. While this could make the target a little harder to knock down, at least everyone is playing by the same rules.
If you go with 7.5 shot like most people, then the varying your choke really takes you back to the beginning of what ranges do you want your firearm optimized for? The solution then is to Pattern your gun and select your choke appropriately. IF you have access to the plates, pattern your gun on the plates to see if the number of pellets you are getting on target is sufficient for P-K
I don't worry too much about calculating pH, pK or T in the shotgun action shooting context. Frankly, not at all, except perhaps at some subconscious level. (Though I am sure there are some sponsored shooters at the high levels of competition who might be interested in finely tuning such things.)
The targets tend to be steel plates or poppers, frangibles (clays), or paper (less often) and you do your best to match the shotshell and the choke to the target array that you have been presented. Usually on the basis of a combination of common sense and experience. If you cannot knock down any distant steel poppers because you are running a cylinder choke and a mild load of #7.5, that experience can mount rapidly (if with some degree of unpleasantness.)
At your own club match level, you quickly come to know what tends to work and what does not.
The targets tend to be steel plates or poppers, frangibles (clays), or paper (less often) and you do your best to match the shotshell and the choke to the target array that you have been presented. Usually on the basis of a combination of common sense and experience. If you cannot knock down any distant steel poppers because you are running a cylinder choke and a mild load of #7.5, that experience can mount rapidly (if with some degree of unpleasantness.)
At your own club match level, you quickly come to know what tends to work and what does not.
The frame of reference is action sport shooting (e.g. IDPA or IPSC). I will be knocking over steel plate and/or poppers at distances of about 15m. The points raised by CV32 are valid. A modified choke or less will suffice with 7.5. At distances beyond 25m it is my impression that you will have trouble knocking over steel targets.
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Not sure you'll ever come across stages with steel at 25+ meters (unless its a slug stage)
Even 20 is pushing it, mostly due to range/bay limitations at most clubs.
In IPSC, all bird shot courses of fire are supposed to be set up so that you can knock everything down using a cylinder bore and ammunition that at least meets the minimum power factor.
So theoretically the answer to your question is, cylinder choke and ammo at 480 power factor or greater.
In reality shooting a stage by getting into perfect perpendicular position to the steel face and getting as close as is safely possible is not the fastest way to shoot a stage so you'll need to experiment with chokes and ammo to learn what patterns best for you and what will or won't knock down steel at the different distances and angles you'll find in a match.
The choke that seems to get the most use in my gun is Light Modified.
If there are tight penalty targets I may choke up a bit
If everything is wide open and fairly close, skeet or cylinder choke.
I'm also using a 26" barrel so my average velocity will be higher than yours with your short barrel.
Pellet size is less relevant than your pattern, but 7.5 or 8 will work fine, 1oz or 1 1/8, 1200 fps (i.e target loads you'll find anywhere)
With your M4 clone, the ghost ring sights will slow you down to the point that you are aiming like a rifle vs a shotgun, and your short barrel muzzle velocity will be slower so you'll need a few more pellets on target for the heavier set poppers or longer distance plates, so you may as well run a modified choke and whatever target ammo you like.
For those "hoser stages" with all targets nice and close or shooting clays vs plates, cylinder or improved cylinder and hose away.
Should do the job for you until you get more experience and figure out what combo you personally like best.
