First patterning with my new 535

[Ridgerunner7]

Well it definitely patterns a bit high.  Using 3" heavy 6# 1 3/4oz
I had 200+ at 30 yards.  At 40 yards the patterned really opened up and only had 50-80.  I'm using the try Glo extreme gobbler stopper choke.  Any suggestions?  I'd like to feel confident out to 40 if possible.  How many pellets do you think you need to be effective at a given range to be considered effective.

Thanks for the help.  New to this type of shot gunning!

[pullit]

I like the IC chokes myself. They work good for me.
The old rule of thumb back when I was shooting lead was, 80-100 hit in a 10 in circle and you were good. I always wanted more but that was the logic at the time around my neck of the woods.

[Grunt-N-Gobble]

Man......Thats a big drop between 30 and 40 yards.

I 2nd the Indian Creek chokes also.  My dad runs one in his 835 @ .675 and it does pretty good.  With my hand loads using 1 3/4oz Hevi 6's he's getting 190 in the 10" @ 40yds.  With Factory Hevi 3-2-7's he got 209 in the 10".

I would think your gun would do better with a different choke or dia.  You didn't say what size your TuGlo was.

The sorta un-written rule is to maintain 100 hits @ xx distance in the 10" to have an effective killing pattern.

[oldcreekhunter]

even though im not a mossy fan i have to agree that less than 100 is cutting it. me personally i keep my shots at 30 or under even shooting 3.5in shells. its more about the calling and getting them close for me. but still less than 100 will kill but you leave yourself open for wounding an animal which no hunter would ever want

[Ridgerunner7]

Sorry, it's .665 choke diameter.  Would I be better off at going to 3.5"? Or maybe switching to 7s in 3"?  I'll check on the IC choke.

[whiskey]

My 535 has the factory turkey choke and is shooting Hevi #7's in 3.5 very well out past 40. If you can find and afford them, I would recommend trying them. My gun won't shoot lead #5's worth a flip. I had several boxes of Winchester Supreme 3" #5's and I wanted them to pattern well, but the gun and 3 chokes just didn't like them much. I had to break down and go with the Hevi Shot.

[allaboutshooting]

I can't speak to my new 535 because I haven't shot this one yet but the one I had before really liked the SSX and 3" Hevi-13 shells with 2 oz. of both #6 and #7 shot. It threw even & dense patterns out to 40 yards with both of those shells. The other choke that I saw great patterns with was the Hevi-13 Turkey choke. It also has excellent "internals".

I don't know if you've deep cleaned your bore but if not, I'd sure recommend that you give that a try. It can really help a lot with your patterning.

That gun can certainly be a 40 yard gun with just a little tweaking here and there.

Thanks,
Clark

P.S. You can read the article "Cleaning a Shotgun Barrel" that outlines the procedure for deep cleaning by clicking on the banner below this post.

[mcgruff1533]

Sorry, it's .665 choke diameter.  Would I be better off at going to 3.5"? Or maybe switching to 7s in 3"?  I'll check on the IC choke.

You never said how long your barrel is.     It's been my experience with a 20" barrel, that it really likes tighter chokes.    I'd start with a .660" choke from from Indian Creek or pehaps a .662" Hevi Shot choke.     Clark Bush sells the Hevi tube as well as a SSX .643" choke.   

Another thing is those 1.75 ounce Hevi shells are lacking a bit in the payload department.    Especially when you consider that 2.25 ounces is a typical payload for a 3.5" shell.    I've fired the 3.5"-1.75oz-#6 Hevi shells in my 535 before with less than stellar results.      I average around 130 pellets in 10" @40 yards with those shells.


Hevi 3.5-2.25-7 shells on the other hand average 280 at 40 yards with my Indian Creek .660" choke.

[chatterbox]

JH .660 and Hevi-13 3-2-6 is a good combo in that gun.

[Ridgerunner7]

Thanks for the help fellas.  Looks like I need to find some 3.5" 7s.  Noone around hear carries them.  I'll try the factory choke and see how it differs, but it's a bit bigger .670.  Next ill try IC chokes if I can find them.  Is the 3.5" necessary or can I get the. 3" to work well at longer ranges?

[Wingbone]

It sounds like you just need to go to a heavier load rather than changing shot size or shell length. I shoot the 3" 2 oz. MagBlend, and I get between 180-220 pellets in the 10 ring at 40 yards with 3 different guns(2 Remy's, 1 Mossy) and choke brands. The Hevi 2 oz. load in any shot size should get you where you want to be at 40 yards.

[vt35mag]

I would stick with the 3" shells, but get straight 6 or 7's in 2oz, or magblends.

[vt35mag]

You maybe doing it correctly, but make sure you are drawing your circle around the densest part of the pattern, and not around the point of aim.

[Ridgerunner7]

Thank you.  I'll report back after shooting tomorrow.  I can't find #7s anywhere but I did find the 2oz Magblend.

[noggin buster]

My 535 has the factory turkey choke and is shooting Hevi #7's in 3.5 very well out past 40. If you can find and afford them, I would recommend trying them. My gun won't shoot lead #5's worth a flip. I had several boxes of Winchester Supreme 3" #5's and I wanted them to pattern well, but the gun and 3 chokes just didn't like them much. I had to break down and go with the Hevi Shot.

The factory Mossy choke is LEAD ONLY careful shooting HTL using that choke