Two shot patterning, what would be your distances?

[ChesterCopperpot]

Went to see a buddy today who's owned a gun shop for going on 40yrs. We were discussing the ammo shortage and he said he doesn't imagine we'll see much of anything even this fall. Sure, some boxes will trickle in here and there, but as far as walking into a store and buying exactly what you want he said we might be looking at two years.

This got me to thinking, there are loads I'm wanting to pattern this year before season, but given that the shells I have may be all I can get for awhile I'm unlikely to pattern at my usual 20, 30, 40yds with the occasional shot at 10. I'm more likely to pattern at two distances to conserve ammo. So let's say you're wanting to pattern with two shells, what are the distances you're choosing and why? I'm leaning toward 20 and 40, but have entertained 15 and 35. Just curious what others thoughts are on pattern testing with two shots.


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[Gooserbat]

40 yards and use the 30% equation. It will get you close. 

[Tom007]

I did a little testing last spring and found that if you sight-in/pattern your turkey gun at 30 yards, your going to be covered 10-40 respectively. With some of our shells averaging over 6 bucks a piece, I wanted to find an economical/efficient way to sight in/pattern my turkey guns. I invested in the Site-Lite laser bore sighter which I use on all my rifles and shotguns. It has a real good set of ferrules, when I bore sight a red dot or scope on a turkey gun, I almost never even need to adjust them. It paid for itself the first season. I also record on target cards each scope and red dot in case the gun gets bumped, or I bang the scope in a fall. Works perfectly.  I have cut the amount of shells used down to a couple shells per gun max. Thanks, be safe, best of luck this spring....

[Tail Feathers]

Pattern with two shells?  Probablyu 25 and 40 yards.
Sight in with two?  Probably 15 and 40.

[ChesterCopperpot]

40 yards and use the 30% equation. It will get you close.

Unfamiliar with what you mean by the 30% equation? Thanks for the help.


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[ChesterCopperpot]

I did a little testing last spring and found that if you sight-in/pattern your turkey gun at 30 yards, your going to be covered 10-40 respectively. With some of our shells averaging over 6 bucks a piece, I wanted to find an economical/efficient way to sight in/pattern my turkey guns. I invested in the Site-Lite laser bore sighter which I use on all my rifles and shotguns. It has a real good set of ferrules, when I bore sight a red dot or scope on a turkey gun, I almost never even need to adjust them. It paid for itself the first season. I also record on target cards each scope and red dot in case the gun gets bumped, or I bang the scope in a fall. Works perfectly.  I have cut the amount of shells used down to a couple shells per gun max. Thanks, be safe, best of luck this spring....

When you decided that one at 30yds was sufficient is it because you noticed there wasn't much difference in how the pattern opened from 20 to 30 (i.e. a pattern too tight at 20 also winds up obviously too tight at 30)? That's the primary range I wind up worrying about, or rather my question always becomes at what distance the pattern tightens so much my likelihood of pulling starts to rise.


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[Gooserbat]

40 yards and use the 30% equation. It will get you close.

Unfamiliar with what you mean by the 30% equation? Thanks for the help.


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increase your 10" circle pattern 30% for every ten yards closer or decrease 30% for every ten yards farther than 40.   

For instance at 40 yarde my M2 shoots an average of 320/10"   At 50 I can expect around 224/10".  At 60 I can expect 156/10".  These numbers are based on a mathematical equation not hard counts but it will get you close enough to have a realistic expectation.

[Neill_Prater]

I did a little testing last spring and found that if you sight-in/pattern your turkey gun at 30 yards, your going to be covered 10-40 respectively. With some of our shells averaging over 6 bucks a piece, I wanted to find an economical/efficient way to sight in/pattern my turkey guns. I invested in the Site-Lite laser bore sighter which I use on all my rifles and shotguns. It has a real good set of ferrules, when I bore sight a red dot or scope on a turkey gun, I almost never even need to adjust them. It paid for itself the first season. I also record on target cards each scope and red dot in case the gun gets bumped, or I bang the scope in a fall. Works perfectly.  I have cut the amount of shells used down to a couple shells per gun max. Thanks, be safe, best of luck this spring....

With the price of shells, a boresighter makes sense. Quick question, do you sight in your scope/red dot at 30 yards when using the boresighter?

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[davisd9]

20 and 40

[ChesterCopperpot]

40 yards and use the 30% equation. It will get you close.

Unfamiliar with what you mean by the 30% equation? Thanks for the help.


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increase your 10" circle pattern 30% for every ten yards closer or decrease 30% for every ten yards farther than 40.   

For instance at 40 yarde my M2 shoots an average of 320/10"   At 50 I can expect around 224/10".  At 60 I can expect 156/10".  These numbers are based on a mathematical equation not hard counts but it will get you close enough to have a realistic expectation.

Thanks so much! Had not heard that before.


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[davisd9]

40 yards and use the 30% equation. It will get you close.

Unfamiliar with what you mean by the 30% equation? Thanks for the help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

increase your 10" circle pattern 30% for every ten yards closer or decrease 30% for every ten yards farther than 40.   

For instance at 40 yarde my M2 shoots an average of 320/10"   At 50 I can expect around 224/10".  At 60 I can expect 156/10".  These numbers are based on a mathematical equation not hard counts but it will get you close enough to have a realistic expectation.

Thanks so much! Had not heard that before.


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That's a TSS rule

[Tom007]

I did a little testing last spring and found that if you sight-in/pattern your turkey gun at 30 yards, your going to be covered 10-40 respectively. With some of our shells averaging over 6 bucks a piece, I wanted to find an economical/efficient way to sight in/pattern my turkey guns. I invested in the Site-Lite laser bore sighter which I use on all my rifles and shotguns. It has a real good set of ferrules, when I bore sight a red dot or scope on a turkey gun, I almost never even need to adjust them. It paid for itself the first season. I also record on target cards each scope and red dot in case the gun gets bumped, or I bang the scope in a fall. Works perfectly.  I have cut the amount of shells used down to a couple shells per gun max. Thanks, be safe, best of luck this spring....

When you decided that one at 30yds was sufficient is it because you noticed there wasn't much difference in how the pattern opened from 20 to 30 (i.e. a pattern too tight at 20 also winds up obviously too tight at 30)? That's the primary range I wind up worrying about, or rather my question always becomes at what distance the pattern tightens so much my likelihood of pulling starts to rise.


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I carry a range finder when I hunt. I log all the turkey info in my record book for turkeys from each harvest.  My average yardage of my shots is always hovering around 28 to 31 yards. I have found that if I have my desired pattern at 30, it works great at 40, (which is my max that I want to take) and is tight but good at 20. I use optics, so the 20 yard shots are not a problem. When I set up on a Tom, I range a few trees at 30 in the direction he's coming. Works good. 30 is my optimum, full consistent pattern. Works for me........thx, be safe

[Gooserbat]

40 yards and use the 30% equation. It will get you close.

Unfamiliar with what you mean by the 30% equation? Thanks for the help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

increase your 10" circle pattern 30% for every ten yards closer or decrease 30% for every ten yards farther than 40.   

For instance at 40 yarde my M2 shoots an average of 320/10"   At 50 I can expect around 224/10".  At 60 I can expect 156/10".  These numbers are based on a mathematical equation not hard counts but it will get you close enough to have a realistic expectation.

Thanks so much! Had not heard that before.


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That's a TSS rule

seems to work close enough with everything else. 

[Tom007]

I did a little testing last spring and found that if you sight-in/pattern your turkey gun at 30 yards, your going to be covered 10-40 respectively. With some of our shells averaging over 6 bucks a piece, I wanted to find an economical/efficient way to sight in/pattern my turkey guns. I invested in the Site-Lite laser bore sighter which I use on all my rifles and shotguns. It has a real good set of ferrules, when I bore sight a red dot or scope on a turkey gun, I almost never even need to adjust them. It paid for itself the first season. I also record on target cards each scope and red dot in case the gun gets bumped, or I bang the scope in a fall. Works perfectly.  I have cut the amount of shells used down to a couple shells per gun max. Thanks, be safe, best of luck this spring....

With the price of shells, a boresighter makes sense. Quick question, do you sight in your scope/red dot at 30 yards when using the boresighter?

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I start inside at about 15 yards. Then I confirm the poi of the laser and red dot or cross hair at thirty. It's amazing how accurate the Site Lite laser gets your poi. Definitely should have had this years ago, would have saved me $$ on shells.....

[Jrkimbrough]

20 and 40 would be my choice!


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