Why is the 8 bore illegal for waterfowl/migratory game?

[Ray Masciarella]

Charlie

I finally had to time to shoot at 70 yards. Results not what I had hoped but not bad. I did order one more custom choke about .005 tighter but I don't think it will make much difference. the final results in a 10' circle are:

40 yds 300-320
60 yds 130-140
70 yds 55-75

At 70 yds I'm getting 20-25 pellets in the trukeys head and neck. If the shot has the energy at that range, it is more than enough to kill him. The pattern drops about 5.5" between 40 and 70 yds so it is surely running out of stream.

The State of the Art has sure changed over the past 20 years. I have heard folks say that those old 8 ga guns killed ducks at 90 yds but I doubt it. I just don't see enough shot getting down range that far. The constriction on my 12 ga turkey gun is .070. Tighter than any gun made in the old days. Even if I drop it to .075 I don't think it would do much at 90 yds.

Best, Ray

[charlie cleveland]

ray that is sure good patterning.. i think my old 8 ga is too open choked to ever achieve the guns pattern it is shooting...maybe destry old 8 ga has tight chokes or bills maybe they would pattern them for us...how about it fellows...but i will continue to try and equal your patterns...thanks ray... charlie

[Ray Masciarella]

Charlie

There is nothing like giving your gun a good cleaning. I did and my pellet count at 70 yds increase from 56 to 88 in 10" circle. Now we're cooking with peanut oil!!!!!! I hoped to be in the 80-100 range. Cleaning also increased 40 yd pattern to 320-330 with highest at 332.

The barrel looked clean but there must have been a build up of plastic from the wads.

Best, Ray

[Bindlestiff]

If it looked clean to start with I can assume that you used a new or different cleaning method than previously used? If so, what was your new and improved method for this "good cleaning"?

[Ray Masciarella]

Robin, clean to a hunter is different from clean to a shooter. I usually just hose it down to get the mud off....lol!

Actually, I just let the solvent soak in for about a half hour. Then all the copper/bronze/plastic wad junk broke up and came out. Things I couldn't see after running a dry patch through it between shots.

Another interesting thing was the first pattern after super clean was terrible. it likes to be a little dirty-just like my rifles.

Best, Ray

[Steve McCarty]

Originally Posted by Ray Masciarella

Robin, clean to a hunter is different from clean to a shooter. I usually just hose it down to get the mud off....lol!

Actually, I just let the solvent soak in for about a half hour. Then all the copper/bronze/plastic wad junk broke up and came out. Things I couldn't see after running a dry patch through it between shots.

Another interesting thing was the first pattern after super clean was terrible. it likes to be a little dirty-just like my rifles.

Best, Ray

The good ol' fouling shot! I wonder why that works, but it is true nevertheless.

[charlie cleveland]

will try the cleaning method.hope it works as well as yours did... charlie

[MarketHunter]

I only recall making one tremendously long shot with an 8 gauge, a duck that fell dead around 80 yards. I never had the opportunity to try it at long range that many times though. I once saw my friend Captain Barry kill a pair of greylag geese (a clean right and left) at 80 yards minimum with his Tolley 8 bore shooting AAA size shot.

I killed a duck with a double 4 gauge at over 80 yards on a driven shoot once. I walked it off and it was something like 82 big steps plus the bird was up in the air as well so no telling the true yardage. It wasn't graveyard dead but it certainly wasn't going anywhere.

These shots were luck, not skill I assure you. If you put enough shot on the fly you're bound to hit something once in awhile. I don't try shots like that with anything but heavy artillery, of that you can be certain. Even with a magnum 10 gauge I usually stick to 50 yards and under.


Destry