Patterning question. How many shots per choke and shell combo?

[lunghit]

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Just curious when patterning, how many shots per choke and shot shell combo do you take till you call it good? Let’s say your first shot gives you 200 pellets in the 10 at 40 yards, how many more shots will you take to confirm that it’s a consistent performing combo and that first shot wasn’t a fluke?

[FL-Boss]

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I clean the barrel between each shot...because I always start out with a clean barrel when I hunt. I want consistency.  Assuming my shot was good, I only shoot 1 .. maybe 2 shot for each combo. I shoot a standard size poster board so I can clearly see the entire pattern

[BandedSpur]

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I have to have three consecutive adequate patterns from a choke/load combo to be satisfied. Consistency is the key.

[lunghit]

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I guess I will go 2-3 at 40 and then 1 at 20 and if those are good I’ll hunt. Thanks!

[jhoward11]

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 Here's my 2 cents... I have thrown a lot of lead at paper trying out different chokes. Then I found Clark's (rest in peace) write up and found out I came up with the same thing for my Mossberg. Should have read more books. Kind of depends on your pattern at 40. If it's a really tight pattern at 40, you're going to be throwing a baseball at his head at 20, and most likely shoot over him. Everyone's a little different (think the lord), but I like to pattern just a touch high at 30 with a good pattern, which should take care of 20, and 40 if aiming right below head. Now if you're talking TSS, then 1 shot at 30. If it's a good pattern...DONE. Them things are to expensive to be having fun with!!!

[Greg Massey]

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Until I'm satisfied with the gun and choke ....

[SumToy]

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Few dove loads at say 50ft to check poa/poi.   Then 40 with turkey load.   If it is stupid low or high numbers shoot one more to make sure not the shell.   If you like the numbers roll with it.   The numbers go up with most chokes that have stops in them until you get around 10 to 15 shells out them.   Then they level off. 

[Yoder409]

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Not that I'm qualified to add anything beyond what William just posted..............  Just that here's what I do.

Couple dove loads at 25-ish to establish a reasonably close POA/POI.  One shot at 30"-36" paper at 40 yards with the turkey load.  If that one pattern density looks like a keeper........fine tune the POI.  (If that one pattern is crap I stop there.  If it's "iffy", I'll shoot another)   Then, 3 shots.  I find and circle the best 10" density on each target.  Then inside the 10" I find the 3" core.  I average the POI from all 3 of the 3" cores and adjust my red dot to that place.  That gives me the best overall average pattern over every shot. 

[ChesterCopperpot]

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Think it depends how many chokes and shells you’re testing, especially if you’re shooting lead and shells are cheap. I’ve tested four or five chokes with five or six types of ammo from one gun and in those cases I was shooting one shot of each combo at 30 to compare. There were always very noticeable differences. That type of patterning is also when your realize how much POI can change between chokes and loads. You can also narrow it down pretty quick to a couple choices and at that point shoot two or three or more of each and make up your mind. At this point I’m pretty set on certain chokes for certain guns and I’m shooting TSS out of all of them. If I compare TSS brands I’m still shooting one of each but I’m extending distance to 40. I’ve never had Federal pattern as good as Apex and never had Apex pattern as good as Foxtrot out of my guns. All three are definite killing patterns. Can’t imagine a TSS pattern that wouldn’t be at reasonable ranges, but one shot from each and you can certainly see differences. All that to say I don’t find a whole lot of flukes in modern shotshells. Unless you’re in a bad lot of LongBeards


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