Delete please

Often, chokes supplied with shotguns, suck. Benchrest pattern each one at about 13 yards to see if they shoot straight. Then pattern them at the distance you plan to hit the target and look for holes in the pattern that will allow a target to fly through.
 
Just as a measuring stick for you, skeet birds are shot at approx. 22 yds. and most folks use Skeet chokes which are just a little tighter then cyl. Trap shooters' closest birds are approx. 32 yds. and most use IM or full chokes. Sporting clays shooters change as they go depending on distances, I've seen layouts where the closest shot is closer then skeet and the longest is further than Trap.
 
13 yards? Duh!!!! Are you hunting over a dog? A pointer? To get a proper idea of what the performance of a choke/load combination on clays and upland birds, you need to check the performance at 40 yards. I would draw an on edge clay on an old building plan or piece of paper 4 foot square. I would then shoot my choke and load combinations from 40 yards. If you can get 3 pellets on the on edge clay target, you are good to go for any upland game.

For waterfowl, I use Federal goos and duck patterning papers at the same distance to make sure that I get sufficient pellets on the neck and head portions. 13 yards targets are only good for home defense!

Regards,
Henry;)
 
I don't reload!!!!!!!!!! Reloads usualy (I will get crap for this) are not as consistent as factory shells, as every reload will result in a decrease in velocity. The first reloads can be more consistnet, though! I only use commercialy available amunition. This is very important when shooting waterfowl.

One needs to know of the choke/ammuniton combination performance before hunting those type of birds. Then while hunting, the final proof is on the kill versus wound. The Federal "Black cloud" loading has prooven to be very deadly with few wounded birds.

Regards,
Henry;)
 
hnachaj said:
13 yards? Duh!!!! 13 yards targets are only good for home defense!

Regards,
Henry;)
Click to expand...

Actually shooting a 13yd pattern with a full Choke will give you your POI (point of impact). Nice to know where your gun is actually shooting. :)
 
hnachaj said:
I don't reload!!!!!!!!!! Reloads usualy (I will get crap for this) are not as consistent as factory shells, as every reload will result in a decrease in velocity. The first reloads can be more consistnet, though! I only use commercialy available amunition. This is very important when shooting waterfowl.

One needs to know of the choke/ammuniton combination performance before hunting those type of birds. Then while hunting, the final proof is on the kill versus wound. The Federal "Black cloud" loading has prooven to be very deadly with few wounded birds.

Regards,
Henry;)
Click to expand...

What a load of "Crap" My reloads are more consistent than factory loads and are loaded with better components than most factory loads. You obviously don't reload (your fellow shooters should be thank full).

PS you need "Spell Check"

Regards,
Scott
 
I don't give a d*** about spell check but do give a damm about chrono and patterning! Once you reload, the velocity drops! And it drops at every reload. It is a proven fact. I have chronoed reloads and verified the patterns as well as Technoid, Bruce Buck.

There is no way that a reloaded shotshell can match a premium factory loaded shell such as the Federal Gold Medal Exra Light Paper 8.5, can EVER, MATCH the density and even spread of the shot pattern! I am willing to put $100CDN to match the pattern at 40 Meters with an IC choke! B& G Comp 2000 are very well patterning loads. I doubt that ANY reloaded shot could match the performance . Put your money where your mouth is! Show me the paterns at 40 Meters!

Regards,
Henry;)
 
Here Henry, I put some space between the lines that I wrote ... perhaps this time you can read all of them ...

Often, chokes supplied with shotguns, suck.

Benchrest pattern each one at about 13 yards to see if they shoot straight.

Then pattern them at the distance you plan to hit the target and look for holes in the pattern that will allow a target to fly through.
 
hnachaj said:
I don't give a d*** about spell check but do give a damm about chrono and patterning! Once you reload, the velocity drops! And it drops at every reload. It is a proven fact. I have chronoed reloads and verified the patterns as well as Technoid, Bruce Buck.

There is no way that a reloaded shotshell can match a premium factory loaded shell such as the Federal Gold Medal Exra Light Paper 8.5, can EVER, MATCH the density and even spread of the shot pattern! I am willing to put $100CDN to match the pattern at 40 Meters with an IC choke! B& G Comp 2000 are very well patterning loads. I doubt that ANY reloaded shot could match the performance . Put your money where your mouth is! Show me the paterns at 40 Meters!

Regards,
Henry;)
Click to expand...

I really don't think your going to get much of a pattern at all with an IC Choke at 40 Meters. :rolleyes:
And not all of us can afford to shoot Federal papers all the time. But I love reloading them. The smell of the fired shell is intoxicating. ;)
 
Henry and Scott,
I think we should have a shoot out. Both grab your favorite load, IC choke and a witness and shoot a few patterns at a measured 40 meters. Photo bucket a few digital pics and we will be the judges.
 
As to which choke I would choose for most clay? Light Modified! If you feel you need more choices I would try one of Gil Ash's methods. Choke it or Don't. Zero to 25 yards cylinder or skeet. Over 25 modified. If you want to get more complicated, get a Briley Choke chart and If you really want to know how your firearm patterns, go out and shoot it at every distance that may be realistic.

OOOOOOOPS! I just realized that even though the OP asked his question on a clay target forum and he used the word bustin, he probably was talking about game birds. In that case, one should pattern your hunting load at every distance out to the maximum he plans to shoot.
 
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coldblood,

The recommendation offered by Beretta687EELL is sound. Moreover, it would be to your advantage to test with a variety of brands (of #7.5s) including perhaps other loads i.e. should you also plan to hunt with that - in order to determine which your shotgun likes the best.

Henry - I usually enjoy your posts but sometimes you do really venture off ....... maybe its due in part to the wine that you likely brought back along with that 28ga Chapuis :D
 
Not all chokes are created equal.
this chukar was taken with my 28 gauge CZ Bobwhite at over forty paces ( left to right crossing shot)with an IC choke with a 7/8oz load of 7 1/2 nickel shot.
The chokes are made by Trulock, and the mod. choke runs VERY tight at 40 yards.
I never did bother to pattern the full choke as the IC/MOD chokes killed everything from chukars to geese.
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Cat
 
I was sure glad that Win64 and B687 mentioned where the gun was shooting or how straight it was shooting, because there was a real chance of misunderstanding about patterning. Maybe it is worth saying again. Close up tests like 13 yards (I ended up using 16.) with a full choke are used by many to tell 'where' their gun is shooting. It 'usually' isn't a test of the actual pattern your shot makes as far as I understand it, but a test of the location of the pattern like Win64 and B687 said. It makes sense to me to test the pattern at the range you intend to shoot. As far as I can see, it doesn't make any sense, for example, to test your patterning at over 25 yards for skeet. For clays or trap the testing people do will likely be very different. I tend to take birds in trap, for example, around 32 to 35 yards. So, right or wrong, I test at 35 yards for trap loads. I'm an even ranker (is this a word?) beginner at sporting clays but, from what has been said, I'm probably going to end up testing at least one load at 50 yards someday and carry a few in my pocket. Just my $0.02.
Now for a dumb question...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.
 
There are two reasons to pattern a gun, fit and shell/choke performance. 16 yards is the Churchill method for determining POI and gun fit. A 1/8" stock adjustment at 16 yards equals 1" movement of the pattern. Do this patterning first to ensure your POI is right. Then pattern shells and chokes.

40 yards is the generally accepted distance for shell/choke patterning. Chokes are defined in two ways, by constriction which is the physical difference between the choke diameter and the bore and pattern performance which is the number of pellets that fall within a 30" circle at 40 yards.

However, what's marked on a choke may be different that the eventual pattern performance for a variety of reasons including shot hardness, velocity and shell components.

The other point about patterning is that while 40 yards is the general rule don't be shy about patterning at different distances. That shell that is great at 40 yards might open up large holes at 50 yards or be too dense at 30.

Here's a link to a chart that explains constrictions and patterns.

http://www.shotgunworks.com/content.aspx?ckey=Shotgun_Choke_Types
 
Buy a roll of Kraft paper. Cut and mount large pieces of it to a board to pattern each choke and type of shot used. Use a Sharpie marker to write on the paper because you are likely to forget which one was which by the time you get home.

The paper is cheap. You can take shots from various ranges to see the exact performance of each different type of ammunition or choke used. Can lead to some surprising (or disappointing) results.
 
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