federal heavyweight 20 gauge #7's inconsistent

[BowBendr]

It's not the shells.
Some chokes, especially the SSX are known to be very inconsistent shooters.
Quite a few threads in the 20 ga. section discussing this.
Other than that, my guess would also be over-choking.
Think about the purpose of the FC wad and why they designed it that way, they weren't meant to be squeezed to death.
My 870 in 20 ga. doesn't tolerate chokes that are much below .570


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[Rapscallion Vermilion]

I also have come to the conclusion that the flight control wad can interfere with the pattern.  With traditional choke designs I often see oblong patterns or ones with a distinct clump off to one side.  Not as bad as the pic above, but the general idea. I also think this causes the point of impact to jump around a bit, an inch or two on top of my own inaccuracies.  I recently switched over to the SumToy .562-5 choke with the 5 wad stripper ridges and the consistency of the pattern and point of impact have both improved.  I have found that the having a deep cleaned and dry barrel helps a lot, and it is good for several shots.

[BowBendr]

Nice pattern Rap !


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[Oconeeguy]

 That is a 20 ga pattern? Wow. I would be happy with that as a 12 ga pattern.