Hardest shot for me. You?

A5 Sweet 16 said:
As a rule of thumb, yes. But every gun/choke/load performs different, particularly with fast, large steel pellets. Sometimes too much choke will cause an erratic/spotty pattern, while loosening up a little will bring the pattern back together.
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I just bought a new auto loader and they recommend to NOT shoot steel out of the 2 tightest chokes including Full. Not because its unsafe or could cause damage but because it will screw with the patterns. Modified is the tightest they say steel should be shot out of it.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with #2 (or #3) steel for pheasant. If poor pattern is a problem, I'd suggest finding the slowest loads you can find, which today might still be 1400-1450. These 1550-1700 fps loads of relatively large shot are probably the most challenging in terms of decent pattern. A #2 at 1400 will still be effective on a pheasant out past 45 yds. Bumping it to 1600 only gains you about 5 yds and can totally blow out a pattern.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
I wholeheartedly agree with #2 (or #3) steel for pheasant. If poor pattern is a problem, I'd suggest finding the slowest loads you can find, which today might still be 1400-1450. These 1550-1700 fps loads of relatively large shot are probably the most challenging in terms of decent pattern. A #2 at 1400 will still be effective on a pheasant out past 45 yds. Bumping it to 1600 only gains you about 5 yds and can totally blow out a pattern.
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Not saying you are wrong but where are you gettin this 5 yd thing?
 
hyresmack said:
Not saying you are wrong but where are you gettin this 5 yd thing?
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KPY Shotshell Ballistics program.
A #2 steel pellet w/ muzzle velocity of 1400 fps will still penetrate ballistic gel 1.5" at 44.9 yds.
A #2 steel pellet w/ muzzle velocity of 1600 fps will still penetrate ballistic gel 1.5" at 50.1 yds.
Final velocity of each is 653 fps (when it hits the gel).
 
I have the new style a5 in the ultimate model has the ds chokes I didn’t like the way they patterned so I bought a set of carlson’s water fowl chokes I use the mid range with steel for pheasant I get a real good pattern with the mr
 
The only way to really know how your gun/barrel/choke/load combo performs is to pattern it at the distance of your shots.

Here are a few of my pattern numbers from some commonly used low-cost steel loads to give you an idea of how they perform in different chokes.

Patterning results from a 12-gauge 3-inch Remington 870 Special Purpose with a 28-inch barrel and factory flush Rem-chokes (pattern average of five, 30-inch post-shot scribed circle, yardage taped muzzle to target, in-shell pellet count average of five, and true choke constriction from bore gauge).

40 YARDS – IC REM-CHOKE (.009" const.)
Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (186 pellets) pattern 112 (60%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (193 pellets) pattern 113 (59%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (195 pellets) pattern 109 (56%)

Remington Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (139 pellets) pattern 85 (61%)

Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (154 pellets) pattern 92 (60%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (152 pellets) pattern 76 (50%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (146 pellets) pattern 76 (52%)

40 YARDS – MOD REM-CHOKE (.018" const.)
Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (186 pellets) pattern 128 (69%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (193 pellets) pattern 146 (76%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (195 pellets) pattern 131 (67%)

Remington Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (139 pellets) pattern 116 (83%)

Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (154 pellets) pattern 115 (75%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (152 pellets) pattern 110 (72%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (146 pellets) pattern 106 (73%)

40 YARDS – FULL REM-CHOKE (.037" const.)
Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (186 pellets) pattern 141 (76%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (193 pellets) pattern 150 (78%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #3 steel (195 pellets) pattern 154 (79%)

Remington Sportsman 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz #2 steel (139 pellets) pattern 118 (85%)

Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (154 pellets) pattern 118 (77%)
Remington Sportsman 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (152 pellets) pattern 117 (77%)
Winchester Xpert 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (146 pellets) pattern 118 (81%)

Hope this helps, good luck!
 
Interesting stuff, and only applicable to Joe Hunter's 870. Not another 870 made in the same year. Not my Montefeltro, or somebody else's Citori. Can somebody else's pattern data be used to make assumptions on how your gun may handle a load? Just barely. They're almost as likely to be similar as vastly different. That said, I do enjoy analyzing other people's data. It's fun.
 
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True. None of my SKBs pattern Fiocchi Golden Phez worth a hoot. However they love Federal Wing Shock and/or the Federal PF.

This is why it’s interesting to me. Same gun in both examples:

Mod choke: Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (154 pellets) pattern 115 (75%)

Full choke: Federal Speed-Shok 3" 1 1/4 oz #2 steel (154 pellets) pattern 118 (77%)

Essentially no difference between Mod and Full in this particular shotgun/choke combo.
 
Was listening to a podcast (I don't recall which one, The Flush? Pheasants Forever On The wing?) recently and they were talking guns, patterns, shells, etc. Mentioned that when shooting, some gun brands are designed to "cover up your target" while shooting, and some are designed to "see your target" while shooting. Meaning the brands that are "see your target" will shoot about 6ish inches lower than the "cover up your target" brands. Most gun owners do not know which kind they have... And to be honest, I don't even know what I have. I am not a "gun person" so to say, I am a "I love being outdoors, active, and watching a dog work person." Meaning I just put in the appropriate shot lead or steel ammo and go hunt and hit 50% of my birds. I should probably spend the time to pattern my gun, mess my chokes, and practice in the off-season to increase that number..
 
After this weekend I may change my hardest shots. I know I missed at least two flying away from me. My excuses are it’s harder to sex when fling away and I think they’re hit but just don’t come down. Twice this year I’ve miss birds and we later walked where they flew into have found dead birds. I missed another one that I was so mad at myself for missing when the blocker said he saw it drop a couple hundred yards away. That or I just suck!
 
All ballistics aside the ones having trouble with crossing shots they are not swinging through their target basically when a person is missing could be half a dozen other reasons than ballistics take your gun to the clay range with all different choked and ammo switch around if your hitting with any of it some of the time then it has zero to do with gun,choke or ammo they call that operator error it happens to the best of us 😊
 
jackrabbit said:
Was listening to a podcast (I don't recall which one, The Flush? Pheasants Forever On The wing?) recently and they were talking guns, patterns, shells, etc. Mentioned that when shooting, some gun brands are designed to "cover up your target" while shooting, and some are designed to "see your target" while shooting. Meaning the brands that are "see your target" will shoot about 6ish inches lower than the "cover up your target" brands. Most gun owners do not know which kind they have... And to be honest, I don't even know what I have. I am not a "gun person" so to say, I am a "I love being outdoors, active, and watching a dog work person." Meaning I just put in the appropriate shot lead or steel ammo and go hunt and hit 50% of my birds. I should probably spend the time to pattern my gun, mess my chokes, and practice in the off-season to increase that number..
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Yeah gun fit. Each manufacturer may have a different stock dimension that they feel will fit the average Joe. Namely drop to comb and also how much cast the gun will have. I would fair to bet most field guns off the rack will come with little to no cast and be pretty neutral. Drop to comb can be all over the place. Ideally having a drop to comb that puts your eye just above the rib. This allows you to float the bird over the rib to see it clearly. Too much drop you now will need to partially cover the bird up to center the shot, which also promotes head lifting to see the bird. Unfortunately gun makers would all have us be 5'9" 175 lbs with average length arms and neck. Works for some but not all.
 
4shot said:
After this weekend I may change my hardest shots. I know I missed at least two flying away from me. My excuses are it’s harder to sex when fling away and I think they’re hit but just don’t come down. Twice this year I’ve miss birds and we later walked where they flew into have found dead birds. I missed another one that I was so mad at myself for missing when the blocker said he saw it drop a couple hundred yards away. That or I just suck!
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Reminiscing over some of the birds I shot and I laugh at myself sometimes. Two months after I posted this I remember hunting a food plot….birds every where. I was walking through some evergreens when a cock flushed away down the tree line and I shot and missed. We decided later to walk back over the food plot a second time because of how thick it was. Buddy walked the evergreens again and brought back the rooster I shot. I would have never guessed I had hit him. Shooting at a butt full of feathers is harder than one thinks. I need to remind myself to shoot above, head shot!!!😉
 
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