Is your shotgun effective to 60 yards?
 

Only if it can produce a 90% + pattern at 40 yards.

I came across this article today on Shotgun Sports regarding patterning shotguns. I had not seen the tables from Oberfell & Thompson before this. They show patterns deteriorate on average 10% for every 5 yards beyond 40 yards. With a 50% pattern needed for success on target it means a gun has to shoot at last 90% at 40 yards to do it.

A gun that shoots 80% is good for 55 yards and a gun that can shoot 70% is good for 50 and so on. It's not a precise science, simply a rule of thumb.

Here's the article:

http://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com...story0313.html

Pete,

My 10 Gauge Parkers and 12 Gauge Super Foxes routinely drop Canada geese in my pond's kill zone at ranges of 60+ yards. I shoot 1 3/8 oz of Nice Shoot #2 and BB at 1300 fps in the 10 gauges. My best in a Super Fox was with a factory Kent TM 1 1/2 oz with #1 shot. That feat was at over 60 yards and cannot be shared via public forum! Needless to say, with proper loads of large shot, the right shotgun can be effective atover 60 yards

Mark

the shotgun may be - but - is your shotgunner effective at 60 yards?

some are, many aren't

Mark, what kind of patterns are those guns throwing with those loads at 40 yards?

Pete,

Goood question! I never bothered to pattern them at almost $3 a shot! :rotf:

Mark

How do they pattern with lead? Apples to oranges I guess but gives some idea of what the gun can do.

Pete,

I can't pattern those Parkers because it's illegal to shoot lead at Canada Geese! :rotf:

Honestly, I'll get wrapped up into pressure testing and such but for patterns, I accept that if it kills the game at the selected range(s) the patterns are effective! As unscientific as this seems, this systems works for me!

Statically, any of my Parker 10's from lifter to hammerless, provide similar results on geese. All those Parker's have choke constrictions of about .030". I have a couple LC Smith 10 gauges with constrictions of .050". With them, I did not have the same success.

The way my brain analyzes everthing, if I were to pattern my shotguns then for every target that I shot at I'd be having a bout of paralysis by analysis!

Like Tuco said, "If you're going to shoot, just Shoot!", or something like that...

Mark

i have a few guns that are60 yard guns and beyound...but i have a lot of guns that are 30 to 40 yard guns...only my full choke guns are amy good out to the 60 yard mark....this is a good discusion... charlie

The guns I've got that I know will shoot a long way will never get patterned by me. I'm afraid they wouldn't look good on paper then I'd be leery of them. I know my big 34 inch DHE will shoot a good 10 yards further than my Magnum 10 gauge believe it or not. The 10 gauge is a 50+ yard gun, the 12 gauge kills them 60+.


DLH

I have never patterned any of mine But I liked petes targets so much I ordered a dozen. I will try one or two guns on them. Hope this isnt adictive

Good luck on the "addictive" because it is VERY ADDICTIVE scott

I find it is well worth patterning, I enjoy it and it almost always reinforces what I think the gun and load is doing. The 40 yard 30" circle % is the measure for shotgun performance, same as sighting in and trying to group shots with a rifle. It shows the actual performance of what the gun and load is doing rather than ancedotal evidence of how it is performing. Things I have recently learned, my Rem '94 10 bore would be good for turkey out to 40 to 45 yards using just 1 1/8 ounce of #6. I also learned Ballistic Products X inserts opened the pattern in the gun with the same load from 93% to 58%. I also learned that if I do my part my DHE will crush any trap target from the 16 yd line with a mere 7/8 of #8.