shotgun patterning

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rkr

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hi,

I've tried today my shotgun and I'm shooting almost 1ft high. Would this something to expect from a mossberg 535? I tried BB Winchester with IC and Mod. and the latest gave me the best results although I was expecting IC to give me a better pattern. I tried BBB and it was worse than BB.
Am I missing something or my shooting skills needs to be improved?
 
If you haven't already done so, basic first step would be to determine shotgun fit and then move on to other things .....
 
Ahsan Ahmed said:
If you haven't already done so, basic first step would be to determine shotgun fit and then move on to other things .....
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+1 Too many people purchase shotguns based on looks, or on price, and they don't pay attention to gun fit. Many people don't even know how to tell if a shotgun fits them.
 
stubblejumper said:
+1 Too many people purchase shotguns based on looks, or on price, and they don't pay attention to gun fit. Many people don't even know how to tell if a shotgun fits them.
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I've tried almost all models at Cabela's and there is nothing that I like 100%. I'm a short guy and that cannot be changed :).
I'm looking to buy an adjustable stock and that should solve the problem.
 
rkr said:
ontop of the target, I lowered to just under the target and was much better but not perfect.
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That point of aim position at that distance really isn't too irregular.

As mentioned, fitment could be the culprit as you may be ever slightly raising the barrel just before or while pulling the trigger.

You might benefit from a shorter length of pull. Maybe look into a Hogue youth stock for Mossbergs which will bring your LoP down to 12".
 
OP - The attached video may provide high level insight regarding gun fit. Once the "fit" factor has been validated, next steps will be to try a variety of ammo brands/shot sizes and choke(s) at the distance(s) you may be planning to kill your birds.

Should you find the fit to be OK, then prior to commencng pattern tests, you may intially wish to shoot from a bench (holdng dead on) to ensure the barrel shoots reasonably to point-of-aim.

[youtube]P-JOj4J_Ltc[/youtube]
 
Two questions for you OP. First was your Point of Impact (POI) testing done over a rest or free hand? If you want to remove any chance for human error it should be done over a rest. Here's a link to a patterning/POI article done by Neil Winston. It's very detailed and is oriented at trapshooters, but is good information.

http://www.mn-trap.org/tech_corner/n_winston/Point_of_Impact_and_Pattern_Testing_at_13_Yards.pdf

Also if you focus on the rib with the gun mounted can you see some of the top of the rib? or is it flat?

Second why did you expect the IC choke tube to pattern better than the mod? Even with steel you need some constriction to maintain pattern density at longer ranges. The manufacturers acknowledged this and some used to mark tubes with equivalent choke rateings based on shot material . Eg "Mod lead, Full Steel"
 
R&R Rancher said:
Two questions for you OP. First was your Point of Impact (POI) testing done over a rest or free hand? If you want to remove any chance for human error it should be done over a rest. Here's a link to a patterning/POI article done by Neil Winston. It's very detailed and is oriented at trapshooters, but is good information.

http://www.mn-trap.org/tech_corner/n_winston/Point_of_Impact_and_Pattern_Testing_at_13_Yards.pdf

Also if you focus on the rib with the gun mounted can you see some of the top of the rib? or is it flat?

Second why did you expect the IC choke tube to pattern better than the mod? Even with steel you need some constriction to maintain pattern density at longer ranges. The manufacturers acknowledged this and some used to mark tubes with equivalent choke rateings based on shot material . Eg "Mod lead, Full Steel"
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Big steel tends to pattern better out of open chokes, too much constriction blows BB patterns
As a general rule.
all barrels, chokes are different
 
I think for water fowling your 535 shooting high is not a bad thing. Remember steel shot (as all shot does drop with distance). The gun shooting high will allow for some of this at longer ranges. Another plus is you can keep the bird up over the rib and bead a little so you can see what's going on when you shoot. If able, do you remember (approx.) what the ratio above/below point of aim the pattern impact was? ie: 70/30 60/40? or is the entire pattern a foot over the aim point?

Darryl
 
eastcoastsoxfan said:
Big steel tends to pattern better out of open chokes, too much constriction blows BB patterns
As a general rule.
all barrels, chokes are different
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Got to disagree with ya there ole buddy lol but i am going to compare the ic factory choke to my brily im just to test that theory i'll let ya know the %.Right now im fighting poa to poi and my 10 guage is 60/40 on the board so i put a fibre optic sight to to see if that drops it down to were i like..
 
I have found that to tight of a choke will indeed blow out larger steel shot patterns .I shoot a mod choke with BBB shot for geese and it seems to be about as tight as I can go and still get a even pattern ,,Dutch
 
My experince with steel is that shell choke matches follow no set rule . But haveing said that I like wad wizzard /pattern master chokes for steel waterfowl loads . I shoot 1 1/4 oz 1400 ft/s ammo over decoys and if I put the pattern where it needs to be the bird is dead in the air . Played with a box of the black cloud with flight control wad it seemed to like a more open choke as I got better pattern with the ic than I did with mod .the black cloud were #2 3 inch .
 
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A ww was the first choke i tried my homeloads were to fast it blew alot of patterns plus i hated the size of it on the end of the barrel lol i like these brileys i got but there tight and so i really notice the diff of poa and poi.So i been playin with the camber but because of the snow i can't get to my test site.Once i get that figured out back to the pattern board for some open and tight comparisons of the pattern.I think the video on here for fitting a shotty was the easiest to understand that i've seen...My experiment load is f/bbb at an 1 1/2 load doin 1550/80 on the chrony it was deadly on pass shooting geese this year.
 
bubba682 said:
Got to disagree with ya there ole buddy lol but i am going to compare the ic factory choke to my brily im just to test that theory i'll let ya know the %.Right now im fighting poa to poi and my 10 guage is 60/40 on the board so i put a fibre optic sight to to see if that drops it down to were i like..
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10ga doesn't count lol
We are talking OPs skinny 12ga bore
 
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