Why would my pattern change so drastically??

[traphunter]

Hello everyone.

Went out today to pattern my gun for the upcoming turkey season and was pretty disappointed.
Last spring I had 378 pellets at 40 yards in a 10 inch circle, and this today the best I could do was 226.  I am shooting an 870 supermag with a JH .660 choke and 2 1/4 ounce Nitro  straight #7's. The only thing different is the Buris FF2 to help me draw a quicker aim, and there is more humidity (47%) today then when I patterned it last spring. Anyone have any suggestions as to the drastic drop in pellets?? I did buy new shells this year from Nitro, same shells though just a different year. I would hope they had the exact same consistency as the shells from the previous year. I'm just really baffled on this one.

[mnbirdbuster]

Its not the ammo, no way, Nitros are very consistent I would look at the cleanliness of your barrel! I also shoot an 870 SM, and when i take the gun apart in the offseason, i make sure to put the magazine cap on tight to restrict any barrel movement that may occur! I hand tighten it as much as possible, and then with a neoprene grip channel lock pliers i tighten the cap until i hear 2-3 audible clicks! It makes for a rigid hunting rig! I think to get a consistent pattern year in and year out everything needs to remain the same! Temp/humidity can have a slight effect on patterns, but not the effect that you are experiencing with that many fewer pellets! I usually wait to pattern my gun until the weather is somewhat similar to what im goin to have when i hunt so i know what pattern to expect when afield!

[BigPeck215]

losing 150 pellets in the 10" is one of the largest losses i've ever seen, i've seen a dirty barrel lose 50-60 before but never 150......... i gotta believe its the ammo,

did you count how many pellets you had on the paper in total to try and find a pellet count for the shell, sounds to me like the shell component changed

[mnbirdbuster]

Yeah it is alot of pellets, i shoot Hevi13 3 1/2" 2 1/4oz #6 through an old Bansner made Truglo choke! I put 16" between my Allen sight science sights, clean barrel, shoot a 15yd pheasant load to check zero and then shoot a 40yd pattern at a turkey target! I avg 200+ or so in 10" circle at that range with a good congested pattern with minimal holes in it if any! I bought 4 boxes 2yrs ago after i found out my gun liked 'em, and it should last me yrs since i only shoot 2-3 birds a year!!!

[fountain]

Im not laying my blame anywher here,  first and foremost.

I got s brand new 835 turkey thug gun this year.   I cleaned the bbl with a drill and 0000 steel wool on a brush soaked in wd 40.  After it was nice and clean I went to pattern.  After sighting the scope in we shot the shells I was gonna hunt with..the 517t in 4x5x7..and had very low pellets on paper..and very low in the 20" circle.  Several brand chokes and several constrictions were tried as well.  I ended with the rhino giving slightly higher numbers..but still very low for that load out of the 835..250+/-..it would have been hard to count 300 pellets on paper.  Not sure what the troubles were.   Having never shot this combo out of this gun, I have nothing to refer to except what I see here.

I have another 835 that I tried the 517 loads with last year and got about 260 with the jh and the patterns were blown,  so I went to the 51013 loads and got 302.  I have not shot this years loads for that gun to compare them with last years...at$ 8.50 a piece i kinda hate to sin e that id not my go to gun..prolly should be, buy its really my wifes.

Im leaning towards load troubles, but that gun also didn't pattern the hevi 7s well either that same day.  Sumtoy had way better patterns with his gun..so it may be my gun..not sure.

[traphunter]

The load I am using is the H51013A's. I scrub the barrel until the patch comes out clean after each and every shot. I do not pattern it on a dirty barrel. The only thing I can think that would be different like I said earlier is if Nitro changed their load consistency. I will hunt with them this year because I already dropped $85 on them, but I think I am going to switched to hevi shot for next season. I shot 3 different shells and the most pellets was the 226 count, all the rest were less than that. Definately not worth the money paid.

[fountain]

I paid a load too..enough to set up 3 guns sufficiently.  I have only shot one type of the loads this year though ..as I have some left from last year with one gun and the other I don't even have the gun yet!  The numbers were more than off imo.  Im going to tss just as soon as the stuff gets here.  Hopefully the consistency will be closer to the same then and no more guessing. 

[goblr77]

Glad I didn't pony up the cash for Nitros this year.