I recently patterned my Hatsan Escort Magnum shotgun with an eye toward defensive use.
I believe the standard practice for patterning a hunting shotgun is to use a large piece of butcher paper and pattern it at a single range, somewhere between 25 and 40 yards. The idea is to find out which loads throw doughnuts or other patterns that run a risk of allowing the game to escape.
For self-defense, I was advised to pattern the gun at ranges between five yards and wherever the load would throw a pattern wider than a man-width. The idea is to determine how far the shotgun is safe to use for defense without endangering others.
I welcome reasonable comments on my assumptions, execution, documentation, and whatever else.
I believe the standard practice for patterning a hunting shotgun is to use a large piece of butcher paper and pattern it at a single range, somewhere between 25 and 40 yards. The idea is to find out which loads throw doughnuts or other patterns that run a risk of allowing the game to escape.
For self-defense, I was advised to pattern the gun at ranges between five yards and wherever the load would throw a pattern wider than a man-width. The idea is to determine how far the shotgun is safe to use for defense without endangering others.
I welcome reasonable comments on my assumptions, execution, documentation, and whatever else.