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Pattern any good?
- Thread starter RAfiringline
- Start date
It looks to me like you have an effective pattern of about 12" across / with a few more holes in it at 3 O'clock and at 9 -11 O'clock than I'd like to see in a shell / if the paper is 24" squar...( and I can't read the box but it looks like you had a 1 1/8 oz load of 8's...).....
50 Feet....so about 16 Yds....is where you shot from...
so it looks to me like you have a full choke...
There are a few flyers...but its not terrible...
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good bad or indifferent for what...??
Shooting a load of 8's at a clay target...you'll need to hit a clay target with about 3 pellets to break it...
If you want to shoot Trap singles...you stand 16 yds from the house / but you break the target at about 30-35 yds.../ and with even 1 oz of 8's ( not 1 1/8oz of 8's ) a Modified choke will give you a good solid pattern of about 30" across at that range...but this full choke might work for you on Trap Singles...
50 Feet....so about 16 Yds....is where you shot from...
so it looks to me like you have a full choke...
There are a few flyers...but its not terrible...
---------------------
good bad or indifferent for what...??
Shooting a load of 8's at a clay target...you'll need to hit a clay target with about 3 pellets to break it...
If you want to shoot Trap singles...you stand 16 yds from the house / but you break the target at about 30-35 yds.../ and with even 1 oz of 8's ( not 1 1/8oz of 8's ) a Modified choke will give you a good solid pattern of about 30" across at that range...but this full choke might work for you on Trap Singles...
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RAfiringline
New member
>It looks to me like you have an effective pattern of about 12" across if the paper is 24" squar...( and I can't read the box but it looks like you had a 1 1/8 oz load of 8's...).....<
Yeh, it's some old trap ammo, "12AA8, 1 1/8 oz., 8 shot.
>50 Feet....so about 16 Yds....is where you shot from...
so it looks to me like you have a full choke...
There are a few flyers...but its not terrible...<
Yeh, it's some old trap ammo, "12AA8, 1 1/8 oz., 8 shot.
>50 Feet....so about 16 Yds....is where you shot from...
so it looks to me like you have a full choke...
There are a few flyers...but its not terrible...<
RAfiringline
New member
>What are you trying to accomplish?<
Just to determine if the barrel is in decent condition. The gun is over 100 years old, and I'm a rifle guy with little knowledge of what's good or bad in shotguns.
Just to determine if the barrel is in decent condition. The gun is over 100 years old, and I'm a rifle guy with little knowledge of what's good or bad in shotguns.
Basic shape of the pattern looks fine. Next time you go out take a piece of paper that's at least 3X3 feet, And put a large black dot in the middle of the paper and use it as a aiming point. As far as the range goes I will use the same 15 yards that you used this time. As a rifleman myself, let me remind you that your eye is the rear site. When you first pattern shotgun you are trying to determine where the pattern is in relationship to your front site. With an older shotgun like yours, I would expect that half pattern to be above the spot and that half pattern below the spot (50/50), and I would also hope half of the pattern to the left of the spot and have half of the pattern to the right of the spot. If this is the case, you can try moving back to 25 yards, and if it's still good try moving back to 35 to 40 yards.
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hmm
Fwiw....I enlarged the picture and tried counting the holes. Slow morning.
I came up with 329. If you shot a standard trap load of 1 1/8oz of #8 shot, that would make this a 70% pattern. Not sure my count is 100% accurate. With a full choke at 16 yards, I would expect better....closer to 90% (414)
The are, however, not a whole lot of fringe holes....so maybe someone else with better eyes (maybe the OP?) could count. And shoot a few more patterns.
Fwiw....I enlarged the picture and tried counting the holes. Slow morning.
I came up with 329. If you shot a standard trap load of 1 1/8oz of #8 shot, that would make this a 70% pattern. Not sure my count is 100% accurate. With a full choke at 16 yards, I would expect better....closer to 90% (414)
The are, however, not a whole lot of fringe holes....so maybe someone else with better eyes (maybe the OP?) could count. And shoot a few more patterns.
It is a smoothbore barrel so unless it has pits and signs of corrosion, a pattern test doesn't say much in THAT regard; but it does appear to basically make a full pattern with that ammo.Just to determine if the barrel is in decent condition. The gun is over 100 years old, and I'm a rifle guy with little knowledge of what's good or bad in shotguns.
At this point....we're all pretty sure you have a gun with a Full Choke..../ so like Fitasc suggested....as long as the barrel is clean and no corrosion ...you should be fine.
If your question is more like what shell will give you the best overall pattern ...rather than an old box of shells...try a newer premium shell...like Remington STS...and see how it goes.
( I didn't count the holes...like darkgael did --- geez man )...but run a couple of premium 12ga ( 2 3/4" shells thru the gun at a 36" X 36" piece of paper ..) put a 3" dot - and aim at it ....and see what you get....
1 1/8 oz of 8's ( 460 pellets ) / of 7 1/2's is 388 / or 9's is 658
1 oz load of 8's is 409 pellets / of 7 1/2's is 345 / of 9's is 585
but if you're just trying to evaluate the condition of the barrel ...and figure out what the choke is, if the barrel isn't marked --- you've probably accomplished that already.
If your question is more like what shell will give you the best overall pattern ...rather than an old box of shells...try a newer premium shell...like Remington STS...and see how it goes.
( I didn't count the holes...like darkgael did --- geez man )...but run a couple of premium 12ga ( 2 3/4" shells thru the gun at a 36" X 36" piece of paper ..) put a 3" dot - and aim at it ....and see what you get....
1 1/8 oz of 8's ( 460 pellets ) / of 7 1/2's is 388 / or 9's is 658
1 oz load of 8's is 409 pellets / of 7 1/2's is 345 / of 9's is 585
but if you're just trying to evaluate the condition of the barrel ...and figure out what the choke is, if the barrel isn't marked --- you've probably accomplished that already.
Testing, as stated, will best determine how well your gun will perform. No matter what constriction a barrel has marked on it, it is how it performs with the ammo you intend to use. I have seen barrels marked with tight constrictions pattern more like open ones and vice versa. If it is up to the task you need it for, go enjoy it. One thing since you said the gun was over 100 years old (and I am surprised we all missed this earlier) is to have the chamber length verified by a gunsmith. Shorter chambers will accept modern 2-3/4" ammo, even if they are 2-1/2 or 2-9/16'. They will even fire a few times, but the crimp then opens into a short forcing cone section and the pressure can not be kind to older metallurgy.