Pattern your shotgun

[MK M GOBL]

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Won't say this is for every beginner but for the terrain and area and how I hunt we make our sets to kill birds at the 15-17 yards with the shotgun, birds at this range are just dead. We do make sure guns are dead-on at 15 yards (our range), and we do have scopes on every gun to assure this. The young lady killed her bird during a Saturday mid-morning hunt and Abby filled her tag on this hard gobbling jake! DSD Did it again during Youth Season.

MK M GOBL

Way to go introducing so many youth to a great sport!!! 

Thanks, way too much fun with the kids!! This was a Double Blind set we made with the Double Bulls and videoed everything Dad & Daughter in one blind and setup in the other.

MK M GOBL

[Marc]

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Another tip about patterning...

When patterning for POI/POA (i.e. to see where the gun is shooting and where you are shooting the gun), I use light target loads.  No need to punish your self and waste money on those expensive turkey shells...

What I start off doing, is to use the tightest choke I have, and carefully fire three rounds at a red dot on paper.  This will pretty much make a hole in the paper as to where your pattern is compared to that red dot.

Once you have your hold-point and where the gun is shooting dialed in, it is time to pattern the gun with the loads and chokes, and the ranges you plan to shoot.  (I generally put a pattern at 20 yards and 40 yards). 

Several years back, I realized my factory full choke puts out a nice pattern, and that my turkey choke was really tight for anything under 30 yards.

[kjnengr]

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Guys, do you pattern your shotgun every year to make sure "it is still on" like a deer rifle? Or once you get it set up, you leave it alone year after year as long as you still kill turkeys?

[davisd9]

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Guys, do you pattern your shotgun every year to make sure "it is still on" like a deer rifle? Or once you get it set up, you leave it alone year after year as long as you still kill turkeys?

Yes, it takes less than 5 minutes to do and one shell. No sense in wounding a bird because of not doing it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Marc]

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Guys, do you pattern your shotgun every year to make sure "it is still on" like a deer rifle? Or once you get it set up, you leave it alone year after year as long as you still kill turkeys?

I should, but do not.

I do not use any special sights outside of the bead on my barrel...  As long as I am using the same chokes and loads, nothing will change.  If I change loads or chokes, or anything, I will of course have to pattern all over.

Now, if you are using a shotgun scope, or even sights, then yes, you need to pattern every year.  If there is a chance that someone or something can bump or change those scopes or sights, there is the possibility (and in my experience the likelihood) that things will get bumped or moved.

[MK M GOBL]

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One shell from the bench & rest every year just to make sure, all of our guns are scoped and we shoot dead-on at 15 yards to test.

MK M GOBL

[HFultzjr]

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Guys, do you pattern your shotgun every year to make sure "it is still on" like a deer rifle? Or once you get it set up, you leave it alone year after year as long as you still kill turkeys?

Every year. Plus it gives me a chance to try a new load or 2.
 

[Cut N Run]

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^same.  I also try a few beyond 40 just to do it and one in very close for the same reason.  You can't be too familiar where your gun patterns best.  So far, the farthest I ever shot at a turkey was 36 yards and the closest was 13 feet.

Jim

[Armyvet4583]

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I shot today. More to get new sights sighted in. However have a xxfull choke that came with it and was pretty surprised at the numbers. 30 yrds 315 however 40 yrds done to 151. Now this was just a quick shoot. No Lazer ranger and my 40 shot was only a sheet of paper. However was out of a mossy 535 with the xx full. Shooting long beard 6s 3in.

[WisTurk]

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Yep, lack of patterning is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make (that and failure to properly clean their guns).  They'll jump on the forums and see what shells/chokes everyone else likes, go buy them, then don't even bother to check the pattern or POI/POA.  They will of course miss an "easy" shot during the season then swear at the new shells/choke and gripe about how much they suck, whereas if they would have taken 20 minutes to pattern their gun and check the POA/POI there wouldn't be an issue.  I taught my brother this valuable lesson when I finally convinced him to come with me to pattern our guns a couple years ago.  He just assumed that you put a choke on the gun, throw a shell in the chamber, point it at the target, and you got a dead turkey.  Well, he shot at the paper, and lo and behold, his POA/POI was about 6 inches to the left (his BPS just has the bead, no optic).  Pattern was great but way off the mark.  Had he just went out without shooting ahead of time, he would have missed every time not knowing what happened unless he had a lucky BB kill the bird.  Now he makes damn sure to go out before the season and check his gun.  And his buddies now do it too.

Oh, and yes, I always check my gun before the season.  I never take for granted that it's shooting exactly like I left it at the end of last season (do this for my deer rifles too).

[Marc]

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Well, he shot at the paper, and lo and behold, his POA/POI was about 6 inches to the left (his BPS just has the bead, no optic).  Pattern was great but way off the mark.  Had he just went out without shooting ahead of time, he would have missed every time not knowing what happened unless he had a lucky BB kill the bird.  Now he makes damn sure to go out before the season and check his gun.  And his buddies now do it too.

Oh, and yes, I always check my gun before the season.  I never take for granted that it's shooting exactly like I left it at the end of last season (do this for my deer rifles too).

I have purchased a few chokes (for wing-shooting mostly), and have yet to have a choke shoot off the mark like that?  Was the issue that particular choke, or was the gun shooting off in general?  Was the choke defective or misaligned?

Now, with sights or a scope, I would certainly prioritize patterning...  But lining up two beads and a previously patterned choke, something unusual would have to happen to make the gun shoot off the mark...  Always a good idea, but far less necessary shooting a vented rib with a bead on the end, as compared to any sort of adjustable sighting system...

[Bowguy]

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Won't say this is for every beginner but for the terrain and area and how I hunt we make our sets to kill birds at the 15-17 yards with the shotgun, birds at this range are just dead. We do make sure guns are dead-on at 15 yards (our range), and we do have scopes on every gun to assure this. The young lady killed her bird during a Saturday mid-morning hunt and Abby filled her tag on this hard gobbling jake! DSD Did it again during Youth Season.

MK M GOBL

Way to go introducing so many youth to a great sport!!! 

X2

[Gooserbat]

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I take a lot of hunters hunting both as a paid guide and as a mentor.  The biggest thing I see wrong is not realizing the difference between point of aim (poa) vs point of impact (poi).  As a new hunter if I were on a budget I think you would be better off spending the money set aside for a choke on a quality sight set up like a truglo mag gobble dots or Williams firesights.  Use a factory full and Win longbeards.  You'll have a 40 yard gun that hits where you aim.

[HFultzjr]

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I take a lot of hunters hunting both as a paid guide and as a mentor.  The biggest thing I see wrong is not realizing the difference between point of aim (poa) vs point of impact (poi).  As a new hunter if I were on a budget I think you would be better off spending the money set aside for a choke on a quality sight set up like a truglo mag gobble dots or Williams firesights.  Use a factory full and Win longbeards.  You'll have a 40 yard gun that hits where you aim.

Very good advice. Nothing else matters as much as hitting where you are aiming.
 

[ruination]

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I think the biggest thing that could effect POA to POI is your shims.