The familiar 22 caliber crimped brass shotshell will not break modern clay targets (mini, midi or standard) except at ridiculously close range. The period M-S-O black colored clays were made to be especially frangible.

Last year I did extensive pattern testing of (5) lots of vintage and modern 22 caliber crimped shotshells at 11 yards which is the distance specified in the Routledge Patent. Average of five shots with each lot. That was with a Remington smoothbore, a Remington Routledge bore and a regular 22 caliber rifled bore. 75 patterns total. The testing opened my eyes on these 22 caliber shotguns. Unfortunately a resulting article with pics was declined by the DGJ because it didn't "fit their theme of break-open shotguns". I pushed back on that but to no avail.

FYI, here's one of the test patterns..

MoSkeeto
 

I know Bill, darn... lucky to have some in the collection. If I remember
Black Products Company (Black Diamond Targets) offered the "Skeeter" miniature target.

RD

Oh, so I guess this thread is not about...

https://i.imgur.com/BBhpa6Ol.jpg

I shot .22 smoothbore MoSkeetO at Boy Scout camp back in the early to mid-60s. As I recall, we occasionally used Ritz crackers when we ran out of the little clays. Might be worth a try, George, in lieu of the original clays. Would probably have to back off the spring somewhat, and expect some erratic flight.

SRH

Didn't Ovis sell a hand thrower for Ritz crackers.

Yes they did. I copied the design and found out that many time crackers which were not broken in fact had been hit and had a number of holes. Perhaps a sturdier cracker might be more liable to break than the "mushy" Ritz cracker

use stale Ritz crackers.

Maybe I was shooting better than I thought I was!! :cool:

In reality it's the same with clay pigeons. It will hurt your feelings to see how many clays hit the ground unbroken, but with three holes or more through them. Center them in the pattern and that's not an issue tho', eh?

SRH

At the Ommelanden range in Delaware, in the very early days of American sporting clays, a Remington Model 121 and a Mo Skeet O trap was at one of the stations on the course. The shooter used their gun and their ammo and, as I recall, shot five or six shots at Mo Skeet O targets.

Bill - Where was the Ommelanden range?