Why? I mean I get it, but why?

[Farmboy27]

I always check a new gun/load for Poi.  That being said, my uncle has hunted his whole life with an Ithaca 37 modified choke and 2 3/4 loads(whatever brand is cheapest when he needs shells). Don't thinks he's ever shot a shotgun shell at paper in his life and he kills his longbeard every year.  But the modified choke gives him a little room for error and I don't think he's ever pulled the trigger on one over 30 yards.  So he considers shooting a shell at paper to be a waste of time and money.

Not pulling the trigger at one over 30 yards being the key. I shot a old pump marked MOD. for a dozen years with 2 3/4" Remington Express Mag 6's, surprisingly it did fairly well on the paper and the birds, I did pattern it with different loads and shot sizes though , learned about that in 1978.

Yup.  getting them close makes up for a lot.  That is really what the game is about and what makes it fun!

[owlhoot]

I always check a new gun/load for Poi.  That being said, my uncle has hunted his whole life with an Ithaca 37 modified choke and 2 3/4 loads(whatever brand is cheapest when he needs shells). Don't thinks he's ever shot a shotgun shell at paper in his life and he kills his longbeard every year.  But the modified choke gives him a little room for error and I don't think he's ever pulled the trigger on one over 30 yards.  So he considers shooting a shell at paper to be a waste of time and money.

Not pulling the trigger at one over 30 yards being the key. I shot a old pump marked MOD. for a dozen years with 2 3/4" Remington Express Mag 6's, surprisingly it did fairly well on the paper and the birds, I did pattern it with different loads and shot sizes though , learned about that in 1978.

Yup.  getting them close makes up for a lot.  That is really what the game is about and what makes it fun!

What else would be fun is to sneak that gun out and pattern it, post it up here. Just dont get caught 

[lmbhngr]

My best friend is the same way. Been shooting the same combo since the early 90's. He hits a bird they don't twitch! Winchester supreme #5's. Factory choke. Nothing fancy

[K9Doc]

Why pattern?  I feel you owe it to the game
You are pursuing.  Patterning your gun for optimal
Pattern density at 40 yards or less is the
Ethical/Respectful thing to do.
Enough said.

[mwr]

I don't have to count how many pellets in a target to know if I have a good pattern. Once I get it sighted in, its good... That doesn't mean I won't check it every once in awhile on paper.  The price of these shells nowadays, shooting shells at paper is a waste of money!! IMO  But whatever floats your boat, more power too you!

[snapper1982]

Practice makes perfect. And I do believe that number of pellets in a 10 inch circle does matter when you're shooting at a target the size of a baseball at 40 yards. The more pellets the better the odds. That and a nice even pattern.

I keep reading about a target the size of a baseball. You are not shooting at a target thesize of a baseball. You are shooting at a target the size of a 20 ounce bottle cap sitting on a pencil. Pellets in the head and neck that do not cause trama to the brain and/or spine do not count. A turkey can get away with these hits and it happens more than people admit because they just say oh well I missed. This is the reason to pattern your gun. I hqve great guns but they are only great with the right ammo. I can put 200+ in a 10 with one load and 60 in a 10 with another load. Which one do you think has the better chance of not wounding a bird? 

[Dr Juice]

I pattern my turkey slaying machines to determine which is the most efficient load to use. I don't chase numbers but the evenness of the pattern on target. I've been doing this for 25-yrs and my addiction is getting worse. Good luck.

[OldSchool]

I'm glad that you hit on a good load without patterning, many times the results aren't so good. I think if the load you use hadn't been the turkey slayer It's proven to be, you'd see things differently. I've seen load and gun combinations that I wouldn't be comfortable hunting rabbits with, but with a little experimentation they became turkey killing machines.

Bob