Pattern question

C

Creek Henry

New member
I have already posted my story about sending my Stevens 612 back to Savage and receiving a 512 O/U back. It is a nice little 20 ga but during last years dove season I kept missing with it. This was after I got a laser bore sighter and adjusted the comb so it hit to point of aim. It seemed to hit skeet okay.

I finally got to pattern it today and may have discovered the culprit. I set up cardboard sheet and shot IC and IM at them at 30 yards. It shot to point of aim and even put a pretty tight hole into the center at 10 yards. That was with the IM barrel. The IC choke left a very sparse pattern at 30 and an ugly, thin one at 10.

So, could it be that my perceived misses were from too thin of a pattern? I didn't have the mod choke with me to test, but I have already swapped it out for the IC one. Can a choke tube be soooo wonky as to make a shotgun ineffective? I would guess so but hearing some of yous guys stories might be helpful.
 
IC is improved cylinder, meaning only a tiny bit of choke compared to a cylinder bore (no choke at all) It will give you the most open patterns at all ranges (only full cylinder gives more open patterns).

IM ? Is that what we used to call "Modified" choke? Or is it Improved Modified? (between Improved cylinder and Modified)? Either way, a bit more tightly patterning than IM but not necessarily a lot tighter.

Also be aware that different brands of ammo and even different loads can pattern differently. Try several different types of ammo and see what each one does.

The traditional measure of choke was the % of pellets inside a 30" circle at 40yards. The actual inside bore diameter of the choke wasn't a fixed number, it was whatever produced the right result. IIRC 70% was the standard for a full choke gun.

I spent several years as a youth, shooting pre-WWII full choke 12ga. guns. I got pretty good. When I got a 70s manufactured modified choke 12ga, I couldn't seem to drop anything! The more open pattern, combined with my "training" on guns that today would be classed as xtra full or super full choke resulted in a lot of misses. I did, eventually find the sweet spot for the open choked gun, but it took a while.
 
An IM is an improved modified. The LM or Light Modified has a constriction tighter than improved cylinder but less constricted than a M (Modified). See this explanation by Briley.

To me, it makes sense that the OP gets a pretty tight patter with the IM at 10 yards. What he describes as an ugly thin pattern at 10 with the IC makes little sense to me. It should be wider than what he gets with the IM.
 
Savage/stevens guns come with 5 chokes, in order of restriction, cylinder, IC, mod, improved mod (IM), and full.

The original 612 model had a screwed up IC choke so it got shipped back withthe gun and I now have 8 chokes as a new set came with the new gun they sent me back. This is another reason I distrust their chokes, the threads of the original IC made it sit wonky... Not confidence inspiring.

I will do some more patterning if I can. There doesn't seem to be a place to do so at a range in Dallas and doing it in the field is less accurate.

But it is good to know someone else had trouble with a much more open choke also. TY
 
Forgetting about whether or not you IC is wonky (I love this scientific stuff, but this is a new one on me), if you are hitting well with the IM and doing poorly with an IC, I note that Briley generally recommends an IC for doves.
 
Elm Fork, Alpine, and some other ranges in the DFW have patterning boards. If you want to drive out toward Terrell - I would be happy to take you to my club range and help you with our pattern board. Maybe you would like to test your new knowledge then with a couple rounds of skeet or trap?
 
Terrell huh? I go hunting near there so... Maybe.

Elf Fork didn't have a pattern board last year, so the clerk said. Let me see how this season pans out but thank you for the offer.
 
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