More open patterns

[davidboyles]

I have a 30" Barrel 16 ga with R choke .30 and L .28. What experience has anyone had with RST Spreader 2 1/2" , 7/8 OZ load with #7 shot. What should I expect for pattern in these barrels as the are unaltered ---MOD???? Also have 20 ga with 30" bbls chokes are R-.19 L-.21 unaltered gun and was going to shoot same RST Spreader load but in 20 ga. 2 1/2' 7/8oz shot # 7. MOD????? Thx DAVID< been listening to all the posts about NOT ALTERING CHOKES OF THE GUN!!!!

[Mills]

A lot of folks like spreaders, but I have found it better to use a gun with appropriate chokes.

Briley opened chokes on an LC Smith of mine and I was pleased with the results, but don't plan on doing it again. I bought a 20 gauge Sterlingworth with full/mod chokes. It is not for quail, but works great on wood ducks. If a gun is not filling a need, see if it fills a different need

[Tom Flanigan]

If one has a gun with appropriate chokes that is best. But not all have a bevy of Parkers to choose from. For these folks, spreader loads work well, although I have heard that some types of spreader loads work better than others. I don't use them only because I don't need to. But back when I was a kid, I wanted more open chokes for early season pheasants than the modified and full in one of my grandfathers DHE's. So I made spreader loads by putting two over powder wads in the shot column. It worked although the patterns were uneven. Then Remington came out with their post wad which is no longer made. These opened up the chokes to about IC and modified and I was in business. Those old post wads threw wonderful wide and even patterns. I used to load #5 shot for the pheasants so I would get fewer shot in the birds. No. 6's at close range put too many pellets in the wonderful eating pheasants. I still remember the patterns I got with those post wad #5 loads. They were perfect.

[Joe D.]

I am curious to see if these guns, which throw a tight pattern with plastic shot-cup shells, would throw a more even (possibly slightly more open) pattern with modern felt wad shells. Can anyone comment on their experiences with these shells?
I was just reading a Husqvarna website which stated that the tight bored chokes of their guns did not perform as well with plastic shot-cup loads (getting extreme tight or blown patterns). They recommend using felt wad shells.

[Tom Flanigan]

Plastic shot cup shells throw more uniform and even patterns although they are tighter. I did a lot of patterning with them when they first came out and found that my modified 12 bore barrel on a DHE threw full choke patterns. It closed my VH 20 bore improved cylinder to modified. I started reloading at 14 years old because new shells were loaded with plastic wads. It was getting harder and harder to find the older shells with fiber wads. Back then I hated the new power piston wad shells, so I had to load my own shells to get what I wanted. I still load fiber wads in my hunting cartridges.