Patterning question.

[bornagain64]

I went out and patterned my gun Saturday, I will post pics when I finish the count and take pics.
I have heard this is how to pattern a gun.
You shoot at a dot in the middle of a large piece of cardboard, 30 inches or more, at 40 yards. You then draw a 10 inch circle around the densest part of the pattern, no matter where it is on the cardboard, and count your pellets.
Why wouldn't you draw a 10 inch circle and put a red dot dead in the center of that to be your POA, and then count the pellets in the 10 inch circle.

   Thanks John

[knightrider]

you shoot than draw the ten around your denses part of pattern than change your poi to match the dense part of pattern, best way i can explain

[hookedspur]

you shoot than draw the ten around your denses part of pattern than change your poi to match the dense part of pattern, best way i can explain

[VAHUNTER]

you shoot than draw the ten around your denses part of pattern than change your poi to match the dense part of pattern, best way i can explain

thats about it.

[tjh24]

When I pattern a gun, I start close, maybe 15 yards.  I figure out where its hitting there and then adjust as necassary.  Then I move it out 40 and fine tune it to where it needs to be.  The ten inch circle (densest part of your pattern) should be centered around your point of aim.  Hope this helps

[sugarray]

You don't draw the circle first b/c your gun might not shoot POA.  This way you get the pattern your gun shoots no matter where it hits the paper.  Then you move your POA to sight in your gun.

Here is where there is a lot of difference.  Some will check their pattern as they are shooting, me included.  No since in wasting shots.  Others like to sight in their gun, then pattern their loads.  This is to ensure consistency shot to shot.  You will use more shells like this, but you will see for a string of 3 how consistent your gun shoots.  You just need to decide what you want to count.

[bornagain64]

Thanks for the replies.
I shot some dove loads at 15yds, and adjusted my point of impact to my point of aim. then moved out to 40yds with my turkey loads.

Will the density of the pattern be consistent enough at 40 yds to move my red dot again?
For instance if I shoot the same shells, choke and gun will the pattern have more pellets consitently in the same area? It seem like with the differences even with the same loads, Hevi Shot #6, the densest part of pattern could change.
If I shoot consistenely low left, I could see moving my sights, but the denses part of the pattern seem to change. The denses part may be high at 2 o clock and then be low left at 7 oclock.

[sugarray]

There is something wrong somewhere if you are not getting consistent results.  Need to clean well or your sights are moving.  Most likely though, you are pulling off or you don't have a steady rest and there is some movement.  You should have good shot to shot consistency, meaning, each shot should include your POA and be no more off than 1-3 inches, IMHO.  If not, then there is a problem somewhere.

Here my last 2 patterns after aligning my site

[reynolds243]

whats the difference if you are just using a single front bead? i mean you cant really adjust that right or left?

[sugarray]

Then you have to know how far to "kentucky" aim, or get a sight of some sort that is adjustable to move the POI to the POA.

[sugarray]

Yeah, they are tighter than I would like, but I got my choke dipped over the fall and I am not ready to get another one.  This was after adding the extra cushion like you talked about.  I am thinking of taking it out and this will open it up to about 250 average.