[John E. Williams]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

I will take issue on your comments in point #5. I have found that small shot (8.5 and 9's) pushed at higher velocities tend to open a pattern whereas larger shot (7.5 and larger) pushed at moderate velocities (1125-1200fps) tend to keep the pattern tighter. Your mileage may vary.

Thanks for weighing in with this, Daryl. After posting, I started wondering if I'd stated that correctly or had perhaps gotten it backward. Perhaps some others will weigh in with their experiences? Part of my mind is confidently telling me the greater drag (generated by the larger frontal area) and increased tendency to deform generally produces a more open pattern with larger shot, but I could have it totally flipped. Should have written all this down when I was younger, right?

I'm planning to do some patterning with my 16 gauge bird gun in the next few weeks, as I went to an entirely new shell for it. I'll experiment with shot sizes while out there and report the findings. Of course, that will only tell us how MY Parker responds to THIS particular shell with different shot sizes but any sound data is good data, I believe.