Shotgun Patterning?
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I guess from 20 yards for grouse and 40 yards for shartail and pheasant. For grouse I'll be using the Federal 1.5" Shorty's and 2.75" for sharptail and pheasant. In about 12 days I'll be at the gun club, will pattern it there.
My .02 pennies worth....
Been using white bristol board for our patterns. Use a red sharpie..2 inch dot in the center...quarter the target with the red lines N-S and E-W...then from the center..draw a 10 inch circle and a 20 inch circle. Include a 3rd line if you like to further disect the board. You can pattern at whatever distance you like...16, 20, 30+ yds...have at er....they works well for us !
Been using white bristol board for our patterns. Use a red sharpie..2 inch dot in the center...quarter the target with the red lines N-S and E-W...then from the center..draw a 10 inch circle and a 20 inch circle. Include a 3rd line if you like to further disect the board. You can pattern at whatever distance you like...16, 20, 30+ yds...have at er....they works well for us !
Butcherbill
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I only hunt small game with a shotgun, grouse and sometimes hares. So I’ll pattern at 15m and 25m and then take a couple 35-40m shots so I know where I’m hitting at the usual ranges as well if I need to reach out to my max range.
A shotgun is commonly patterned at 40 yds. within a 30" circle. Patterning ones shotgun with various shot sizes, velocities, and shot weights is a very enlightening and informative experience. Every shot gun barrel has its likes and dislikes.
This is the correct answer. A 30” circle at 40 yards. This is the standard so that different loads can be compared equally through different barrels ( guns). This is what the factories use. There is nothing to stop you from patterning loads to be used for a specific purpose or type of hunting at any range you like and it will show you how that particular barrel will pattern that particular load at that specific range but it won’t show how these loads compare otherwise. A serious patterning program requires lots of ammo, loads of time, much measuring and hole counting good record keeping and a solid plan with a goal. Effort in = results out.
That may be an industry standard, but it is meaningless for some applications. When patterning skeet loads/chokes, I wouldn't waste the time or ammunition patterning at 40 yards, because we never shoot 40 yards at skeet. I pattern skeet loads/chokes at about 20 yards, the distance to the stake from the muzzle, because that is where I want to break most targets. If patterning the fixed IC barrel on my 28 gauge SxS, I pattern at 25-30 yards, because I don't shoot that barrel at more than 30 yards on birds. I do pattern the fixed IM barrel at 40 yards.
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Well the concept of choke surfaced in the early 1860’s and was perfected and patented by W.R. Pape in the late 1860’s. Neither the concept nor the application are a mystery today. There are near endless variables that can affect patterns, but for those that must split hairs, nothing provides as much useful information as actually patterning specific ammo in a particular barrel at a specific distance. How you use this information will be the key to finding the results you’re looking for.
Strangely, after 150+ years of use, choke is still one of the most misunderstood concepts of shotgunning. And during all those years there have been hundreds of articles and many dozen books written on the subject of choke, most, even the oldest ones, use examples, drawings and actual numbers to explain the principles of choke. One of these more modern examples from 1930-1990 will clear up the mysteries of choke.
Strangely, after 150+ years of use, choke is still one of the most misunderstood concepts of shotgunning. And during all those years there have been hundreds of articles and many dozen books written on the subject of choke, most, even the oldest ones, use examples, drawings and actual numbers to explain the principles of choke. One of these more modern examples from 1930-1990 will clear up the mysteries of choke.
I pattern at 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 and 50 yards. Each load I plan to use and each choke I have.
Yes it's alot of time and ammo but the results can be greatly useful. It also shows an average of what a load actually does over distance.
Most ppl shoot 1 shell at paper at 1 or 2 ranges and call it done but that doesn't always give accurate results
As mentioned there's to many possibilities of factors that affect patterns. Even how tight you hold the gun seems to make a small difference as that's what I've been experimenting with lately in my 20ga guns. A very hard firm hold results in a vertical egg shape where a loose hold results in a more even round pattern. Admittedly it's not enough to make or break a shot but it does show up
Yes it's alot of time and ammo but the results can be greatly useful. It also shows an average of what a load actually does over distance.
Most ppl shoot 1 shell at paper at 1 or 2 ranges and call it done but that doesn't always give accurate results
As mentioned there's to many possibilities of factors that affect patterns. Even how tight you hold the gun seems to make a small difference as that's what I've been experimenting with lately in my 20ga guns. A very hard firm hold results in a vertical egg shape where a loose hold results in a more even round pattern. Admittedly it's not enough to make or break a shot but it does show up
When patterning for skeet of coarse you only pattern at 20 -25 yds and you only need to use a choke with 2000”/7000” constriction actually patterning. Skeet choked gun is really a waste of time because it’s all calculated no surprises
As mentioned industry standard is 40 yds no matter what someone’s Reason is to do it incorrectly is irrelevant
At 40 yds your looking for choke percentage from full mod imp chl and everything in between
As mentioned industry standard is 40 yds no matter what someone’s Reason is to do it incorrectly is irrelevant
At 40 yds your looking for choke percentage from full mod imp chl and everything in between
It's not at all a waste of time to pattern a skeet gun, the point if impact can vary, the actual pattern size can vary, and the pattern can be more even with some loads than with others. If you haven't seen any surprises, then you haven't patterned many skeet guns. I have even seen chokes that weren't concentric, and changed the point of
impact.
