temps for patterning gun

[reynolds243]

being that it is now January and cold most of the time, what are decent temps to pattern a gun. I know cold has affects on patterns but is 50degrees or over good enough?

I would like to get out and shoot some to try a few new chokes and ammo but dont want to waste my time and $ if it is to cold to get a real idea of what it is doing. 

[allaboutshooting]

being that it is now January and cold most of the time, what are decent temps to pattern a gun. I know cold has affects on patterns but is 50degrees or over good enough?

I would like to get out and shoot some to try a few new chokes and ammo but dont want to waste my time and $ if it is to cold to get a real idea of what it is doing.  

It really all depends upon what your goal is for patterning your gun. If you want to see what your gun will do for you in "hunting like conditions", you should pattern it in conditions that are most like those in which you hunt.

If you want to see the most dense pattern that you gun can shoot, you need some different conditions. The conditions that most enhance patterning are low barometric pressure, high altitude and high temperatures. Wind does not adversely effect patterns but it can certainly blow them off target.

Low temperatures not only produce more dense air with more disbursed patterns but they also effect the powder burn in cold shells. The folks at Winchester/Olin did a lot of work on the subject of patterning many years ago and it's still the definitive work on that subject. You can find that, at least a part of it, on the web.

I'm always concerned when I see folks who pattern their guns in 70+ degree weather and then use that as a basis for their hunting in temperatures in the 30s or 40s. The results can be quite different.

One advantage to the sport of still target shooting is that we shoot from about April through November. Weather conditions vary a lot over that period and we also travel to different parts of the country. For the most part, we shoot the same shells and that allows us to really see the effects of weather and altitude, using the same shells and the same guns.

What we've seen are the very best patterns are always shot when it's relatively warm or hot and when the barometer is at a pretty low point, sometimes after a rain or when a storm has passed through. We've never set any records on cold, wet days.

Thanks,
Clark

[reynolds243]

thanks Clark that helps a ton!

temps here in TN can easily be in the 50's early in the season so if i can get some decent warm days i will use those to do some testing.

[Gobble!]

I have hunted some mornings in the 30s so I think its a good idea to shoot in a variety of temperatures. Im trying to remember but I think I had about a 40-50 pellet drop using Hevi 13 #6s when shooting in the 30s compared to the 70s.

[gob09]

it is suposed to be up around 60 in middle tenn. this week end im goin to shoot a little tomarrow just to get a good feel for a new gun and sighting system

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

I have patterned from 60 to 90 degrees.  At 90 degrees, you get to see the very best your rig is capable of doing in the afternoon during the late spring down south.  At 60 degrees, you get to see what your rig is likely to do on an average day down south.  At 40 to 50 degrees, great patterns are harder to come by.

[mcgruff1533]

I'll start pattern testing in late Winter/ early Spring when temps climb to around 30-40 degrees.    Pattern density won't be as good as a 70 degree day, but at least I'll have an idea how my gun/shell/choke combo will work in a worst case scenario.

It's amazing how a good pattern at 50 degrees can become a marginal pattern at 30 degrees with no changes other than the ambient temperature.

[chatterbox]

I plan on getting out this weekend if the temps hit the mid 40's.
I like to know what my patterns are gonna do in similar conditions as when I hunt a cool May morning in northern VT.