A dumb question

[jim67]

Sorry folks but I have a dumb question. I will be recieving my Bantam 20ga soon (cant wait) and Im pretty sure I will be purchasing a new choke. Now Ive been lurking,learning all I can but I have one question, When you all post pictures of your patterns, why is the dot that is inside the 10" circle off to the side instead of center? And what is the dot used for?

[alloutdoors]

The dot is usually what was aimed at, but the circle is drawn after the shot around the densest part of the pattern whether it is dead center over the dot or not. When strictly patterning, measuring that densest area is what counts. Guys that are patterning a bunch of shells aren't going to usually re-sight for each shell. Of course the other half of the equation is to actually sight in with the load you choose to hunt with, which is when you want to get the densest part of the pattern to actually hit where you aim.

[R AJ]

As an ad on to the excellent answer by alloutdoors, the pattern for one shell/shot size/ lead vs. HTL is most of the time different for each.

So, choose your shell and shot and then zero that in after a few shots to center your pattern. Warmer weather generally means denser patterns.

[jim67]

Thanks guys, helps a lot. So here is what I did with my 835 with a tru-glo scope. I put a dot on a piece of cardboard and set it about 15-20 ft away,used cheap dove loads to get the POI correct, then moved it out farther,did the same. After I had the POI correct, I shot the turkey loads I hunt with into a turkey target at different ranges from 30-40yds. Is this wrong? I use the scope to get my face off the stock as it can bloody your nose, plus helps to keep me from missing, which I have done both.LOL.

[alloutdoors]

Using the dove loads is fine to get a rough idea of POI and make sure your turkey loads will be "on paper", but it will almost certainly be a bit different with the turkey loads. The best way to get an assessment of your pattern and also to dial in your sights is to shoot at a large piece of paper, at least 36"x36" so you can see the entire pattern. Then locate the densest portion, and sight in for that. You will also want to see what your turkey loads are doing at close ranges like 10-20 yards. With a lot of the really tight chokes, pinpoint accuracy at close range is going to be important.

[redarrow]

It's basically the same as shooting a rifle. You aim at the bulls eye.If you bullets are say 5 inches high and 3 inches left you simply adjust your sight until your in the bulls eye.