For anyone interested in shot string

Gerald Burrard conducted experiments in this back in the '20's/30's. They attached a steel pattern board to the side of a car, and had it drive past the shooter at various speeds. They could discern no difference in the shape of the pattern regardless of how fast the car was moving, or how hard the shooter was swinging the gun. The difference in the time of impact between the first pellet and the last pellet is minimal. If it weren't, the patterns would have a distinct oblong or oval shape, not round.

It strikes me that the gentleman was an already skilled shooter who'd naturally learned to compensate for the shot string from his own gun. I think the important thing is for the shooter to know that it's supposed to be there and I have a feeling that results will improve more quickly if the shooter does.
 
What are you saying, that he lead a tiny bit more so the target would hit half way through the shot string because if you are then I disagree.
Also, I don’t think anyones scores are going to get better once shooters realize shot strings are real but maybe I’m reading what you wrote wrong.
 
As the video illustrates well, a patterning board only tells part of the story. Beyond that, the rabbit hole is dangerously deep, with many branches. lol. Putting a few shots onto a patterning board is never a bad idea, but I’ve always found that observing how your given choke/load performs in the field is the best way to find a preferred combo - either looking at how “hard” you’re breaking clays or downing your game of choice.

Well said.
 
I don't know how many pellets are in a 1.25oz load of #4 steel but I do know on a pattern board I get nice dense patterns with very few flyers from my water fowl gun. I've shot many ducks and geese inside 30 yards and I doubt I've ever seen double digit pellet hits in the bodies more than a few times. Now maybe I'm not as good as I thought and I'm just lucky with fringe pellets killing ducks over decoys or the reality is there's gaps between pellets in the shot colum and pellets are passing before and behind flying ducks otherwise my game would be like Chase Cominskis walleyes lol
Plus i can blame a long shot string when I do everything right and that redhead keeps flying by so there is that benefit lol


Either way I'd love to watch more videos using subgauges and also heavy turkey loads thru various choke designs
 
brybenn - your post brings up an interesting point to ponder. Look how shot up a goose can be when it’s backpedaling in the decoys (so, soaking up more of the shot string) vs. a passing bird at the same range that’s raking through the shot string and, like you suggested, only catching a few pellets of the hundreds launched.

This is a 3-whiskey topic of conversation, at least. lol
 
Reason I love a sxs for waterfowl. 2 chokes 2 loads. One open choke for birds like you say coming in wings cupped to land in the dekes and a tighter choke for those crossing by.

I think it's more of a bottle of single malt topic
 
brybenn - your post brings up an interesting point to ponder. Look how shot up a goose can be when it’s backpedaling in the decoys (so, soaking up more of the shot string) vs. a passing bird at the same range that’s raking through the shot string and, like you suggested, only catching a few pellets of the hundreds launched.

This is a 3-whiskey topic of conversation, at least. lol

The math says there is no difference. The fastest duck going full out at 90 degrees left to right can only move 6 to 8 inches in the time the shot string completely passes it. Most ducks i shoot at aren't going full out. Geese are even slower. Greater canadas slowest of all.

Your example of geese in the decoys vs crosses can also be explained like this. Look at the hitting percentage difference between those types of shots. Back pattling legs down geese are generally closer. and almost anyone can hit them. Crossers often just get nicked with the edge of the pattern. And then you will shoot 2 in a row that litterly dust the feathers off of them at 40 yards. Then the next 2 need the dog again. I'm blaming my shooting not the shot string.

Patterning a shotgun especially with bigger shot is just as important to me as sighting in a rifle. A good patterning load always preforms well in the field if the shooter does there part.

I have patternmaster( the choke in question in this vid) choke tubes and conventional choke tubes. Some ammo preforms better in the patternmaster so that combo gets used. Some days I actually believed the short shot string advertising, when I was having a good day. Other days it seemed bogus. Hi speed cameras proved there was litterly 0 difference. But but but I remember days where I could see it in the air!!! Bs. Those were the days when i put the pattern right center on the bird.
 
By all that theorizing then one to could believe that quartering shots will receive more lead that crossing shots and going away birds or coming straight toward you birds will absorb even more lead than quartering birds. Yet I shot pheasants this week and straight away's, quartering and crossing birds all folded as if they hit a brick wall albeit I didn't think to count pellet holes in them.
Call me sceptical.....
 
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