Delete please

Is the 'light modified' a 'tighter' modified or a more open one? I've been thinking it would be nice to have a choke between modified and improved modified.
Light modified is also called Skeet 2. It is .015" constriction and falls between improved cylinder and modified.
 
Claybuster is absolutly right. Klaus Hiptmyer uses a steel plate at 20 to adjust stocks. If I remember right, my friend Chris Batha does same. The extra four yards show more of the POI. Except for my DT10L, I prefer using LM which is slightly more open than Mod on clays. I don't use tight chokes on birds since I shoot with a dog and use target loads. My wife does not like the pellets to be in the meat. The only exception is waterfowl. On ducks and geese, I use LM with steel pellets.

AA extra light pattern very tight in the DT10L while Wally Mart stuff is used as speaders for close in targets. The Beretta LM with the AA Extra Light gives me full patterns at 40.

Here is a nice bird shot with the Chapuis 28 at distance and Federal Target 8.5:
IMG_4061w.jpg


Sorry about getting my knickers in a bind. I would tell you face to face, the same thing that I write. Spell checker should or could be included in this forum as in others.

Regards,
Henry;)
 
Claybuster is absolutly right. Klaus Hiptmyer uses a steel plate at 20 to adjust stocks. If I remember right, my friend Chris Batha does same. The extra four yards show more of the POI. Except for my DT10L, I prefer using LM which is slightly more open than Mod on clays. I don't use tight chokes on birds since I shoot with a dog and use target loads. My wife does not like the pellets to be in the meat. The only exception is waterfowl. On ducks and geese, I use LM with steel pellets.

AA extra light pattern very tight in the DT10L while Wally Mart stuff is used as speaders for close in targets. The Beretta LM with the AA Extra Light gives me full patterns at 40.

Here is a nice bird shot with the Chapuis 28 at distance and Federal Target 8.5:
IMG_4061w.jpg


Sorry about getting my knickers in a bind. I would tell you face to face, the same thing that I write. Spell checker should or could be included in this forum as in others.

Regards,
Henry;)

X2 for Spell checker. We all need a reality check. :)
 
Clabuster has it dead right (as usual) ... with one little modification. At 16 yards, every 1/16" on the stock changes the pattern 1"
( Game Shooting, Robert Churchill. See p. 208 )

Henry ... I don't doubt that you may be getting 70 % patterns @ 40 Yards with an
Optima choke ( "Orange" ) marked LM, but have you actually measured the bore of your
DT10 and the actual choke constriction ?

The bores on my DT10 are both .733" (Baker direct-read dial indicator Bore Gauge) ... the LM choke I have ( .017) will NOT pattern 70% at 40 yards (nor should it) with AA X-Lites
( but will at 30 ) ... Why I ask is that I have a factory "Blue" Optima marked "Cylinder" that actually has .010" constriction, a "Green" Modified that has .028" constriction and a "Black" I/M that has .039" constriction. The so called Cylinder is really an I/Cyl, the Mod. an I/M and the I/M actually a full. (Maybe the gents at Mechanica del Sarca were into the wobbly pop at lunch that day ! ) I've checked another 21 factory Optima chokes from different sets that I also have, and found them to be (constriction-wise) "as marked" ... don't know why I was lucky enough to get the 3 "overchoked" examples I have.

To the original poster ... by all means pattern your gun/chokes at different ranges with the cartridges you intend to use. I'd hazard a guess that you will likely find Improved Cylinder ( I/Cyl or Imp. Cyl. ) with # 7-1/2 lead loads to be a very useful and forgiving choke for shorter-range bird hunting, as well as a reasonable choice for use with steel shot for waterfowl hunting.
 
Clabuster has it dead right (as usual) ... with one little modification. At 16 yards, every 1/16" on the stock changes the pattern 1"
( Game Shooting, Robert Churchill. See p. 208 )
Thanks. You are correct. It's been a few years since I had the fitting at Churchill's in West Wycombe. ;)
 
Yes, I did measure the LM and IC as well as all the chokes that are used in the DT10L(.014LM and .009 IC.). The DT 10L shoots better patterns than my Optima 391 Gold. The barrels measure the same but the forcing cones seem to be well polishedin the DT10L.

Here are some patterns done at 40 yards in early 2009:
Notice the holes that a clay target can fly through!

BudgetloadIC.jpg


With Mod choke

BudgetloadMod.jpg


Winchester AA Extra Light 1 Oz 7.5 IC choke at 40 yards:

PremiumNAIC.jpg


Winchester AA Extra Light 1 Oz 7.5 LM at 40 yards

PremiumNALM.jpg


Just the facts and pictures say everything.

Regards,
Henry;)
 
Damn, there was a pissing match and I missed out on it...I'm only a week late...:(

One thing that wasn't mentioned here is "confidence" in your choke/gun combination. You have to pattern but you also have to "believe".

I personally shoot sporting and skeet using extra-full chokes. Why? Because when you dust a target, you know you are "on" and don't second guess yourself on the next pair.

I understand hunting is different but the concept applies, use a choke (mod or improved mod) that will take birds down on the first shot when you're "on". The last thing you need is to start wondering if you missed because the bird was too far or that it flew thru the pattern :rolleyes:. Patterning will tell you which is best. Whatever you do, don't use extra-full if you plan on eating what you bring down ;). As for which load is best patterning, will also tell you.
 
coldblood,
Thought you were using 7 1/2 shot? and I actually thought you were talking about birds. It is a bit difficult to tell with your pics because there is no scale. Looks like your cyl would be OK for skeet and your mod. would be OK for 16 yard trap. As far as sporting goes you will have to decide if your presentation is more like skeet or trap distance?
 
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Guys, let's straighten things out. I asked how to properly pattern shotgun on the clay/skeet/trap shooting forum because that's what I intend to do as far as birdshot load is concerned - clay/trap/skeet. If I needed advice in actual bird hunting, I would ask on the hunting forum.
I would really appreciate if somebody could take a look at my patterns that I posted (post #29) and tell me is it any good to bust CLAY birds with it? Which choke pattern will do the best job on your opinion?

Thanks. :p

I personally shoot sporting and skeet using extra-full chokes. Why? Because when you dust a target, you know you are "on" and don't second guess yourself on the next pair.
Whatever you do, don't use extra-full if you plan on eating what you bring down ;). As for which load is best patterning, will also tell you.


Damn, and here I was all worried you guys were gonna post a recipie for clay targets wellington or something like that.
 
It is hard to tell from the pictures, since they don't look real clear to me, but I will give my humble opinion.

The idea of the 13 yard pattern is not to look for pellet distribution, but to see if the pattern is centered on the target from left to right. For example your first photo "#8 AA Win heavy load, CYL (0;.000), 20m: looks like it is shooting to the left of center.

The 13 yard shot will also tell you if the gun is shooting high or low. See your 4th photo "#8 AA Win heavy load, FULL (1/1;.043), 20m". I know you marked it as "aimed low", but I am using this as an example.

At 13 yards, the wad will rip through the paper and the pattern may be fairly dense ... but what we are looking for is an indication of where the gun is shooting. High, low, left, right of center.

The 35 yard patterns are to see if there are any holes in the pattern that will allow a target to pass through for 16 yard trap.

Many choke tubes that come with most manufacturers guns are not very good. I threw away the ones that came with my Beretta and bought Briley and Trulock choke tubes. After looking at your pictures, I suggest you get another aftermarket tube(s), if you want to have any consistency shooting clay targets.
 
As your full pattern was low, your cyl pattern seemed to shoot left? Can you fix that? Nothing much changes with my opinion. Cyl would be OK for skeet distance targets and the modified would be OK for singles trap distance targets. In general crossers take less pattern than quartering targets. The only time I would use the IM or Full would be very long quartering targets, or just for fun.
 
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