20 yard pattern ?

[Franklin7x57]

I know the 10" forty yard shot count is the gold standard. My question is what does the 20 yard  target look like, not the shot count, but spread in inches. I can miss :z-guntootsmiley:and most of my misses are close with shotgun for all game not just turkeys.
I'm not sure I want a high count 40 yard target and a softball size pattern at 20 yard. Thoughts or pictures

[bbcoach]

Welcome to OG Franklin.  With todays guns, ammo and chokes we aren't shooting turkey patterns as we did 40 or 50 years ago.  Turkey guns have very tight patterns today.  Todays patterns, for the most part, will be the size of a baseball at 20, the size of a softball at 30 and the size of a volleyball at 40.  These patterns can get a little larger with a different choke or ammo but patterning is the only way to find out what your particular gun will do.  This site has TONS of patterning info.  I would suggest going to your particular gun manufacture and looking at the Patterning posts.  This site is a Great place to ask questions and learn from many that Love this Sport.  Welcome again. 

[Longshanks]

Best to shoot at 20yds and 40yds to pattern. Find the best patterns for your hunting style and shooting ability. Totally agree with some patterns being too tight at 20yds. My preference for hunting is a pattern that is about 10-12" at 20-25yds and 18"-20" at 40yds with very few gaps. I have shot some set ups that shoot the entire pattern in a 10" at 40 and they are not necessarily the best hunting patterns.

[BandedSpur]

Best to shoot at 20yds and 40yds to pattern. Find the best patterns for your hunting style and shooting ability. Totally agree with some patterns being too tight at 20yds. My preference for hunting is a pattern that is about 10-12" at 20-25yds and 18"-20" at 40yds with very few gaps. I have shot some set ups that shoot the entire pattern in a 10" at 40 and they are not necessarily the best hunting patterns.

Would like to hear more about the set-ups you describe in your last sentence. Not doubting your word, but I have shot a lot of TSS through a lot of chokes and rarely see more than 50% of the total pellets in the 10". It is tough enough to get all the pellets in the 20 - 85-90% is typical. But I agree with you that 100% in 10 would NOT be a good hunting pattern.

[wchadw]

Best to shoot at 20yds and 40yds to pattern. Find the best patterns for your hunting style and shooting ability. Totally agree with some patterns being too tight at 20yds. My preference for hunting is a pattern that is about 10-12" at 20-25yds and 18"-20" at 40yds with very few gaps. I have shot some set ups that shoot the entire pattern in a 10" at 40 and they are not necessarily the best hunting patterns.

You can always go with an o/u and setup a choke/load for close and different choke/load for longer. I was running tight chokes and TSS and missed a bird that was 5-7 yards. Patterned at 10 yards was like a slug


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[BandedSpur]

Best to shoot at 20yds and 40yds to pattern. Find the best patterns for your hunting style and shooting ability. Totally agree with some patterns being too tight at 20yds. My preference for hunting is a pattern that is about 10-12" at 20-25yds and 18"-20" at 40yds with very few gaps. I have shot some set ups that shoot the entire pattern in a 10" at 40 and they are not necessarily the best hunting patterns.

You can always go with an o/u and setup a choke/load for close and different choke/load for longer. I was running tight chokes and TSS and missed a bird that was 5-7 yards. Patterned at 10 yards was like a slug

That's exactly what I decided which is why I shoot a Beretta O/U. One barrel set up to do 110/10 @ 40 and the other averages 347/10".


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[Franklin7x57]

Thanks, for the replies. If I was younger I would play around with a over and under or a double barrel. I think that would be best answer.
I think I'll play around with different loads and try to get a forgiving pattern at 20 but still a killing pattern at 40. I think it's easier to kill one at 40 yards than to kill one that sneaks from the side or behind you.

[Tom007]

Welcome to the forum. Good luck........

[captpete]

 

I have a 870 Special Purpose magnum with a 26" barrel. I tried the 3" Longbeard 5's with several chokes(.655, .660, .665) and everything was extremely tight in the 15-20 yard range....to tight for my liking. I tried a Carlson .670 non-ported and it opened up my pattern. It went from baseball/softball size to about volley ball size at 20 yards. At 40 yards it is starting to get a little sparse, but will still kill.

[N2TRKYS]

Best to shoot at 20yds and 40yds to pattern. Find the best patterns for your hunting style and shooting ability. Totally agree with some patterns being too tight at 20yds. My preference for hunting is a pattern that is about 10-12" at 20-25yds and 18"-20" at 40yds with very few gaps. I have shot some set ups that shoot the entire pattern in a 10" at 40 and they are not necessarily the best hunting patterns.

Would like to hear more about the set-ups you describe in your last sentence. Not doubting your word, but I have shot a lot of TSS through a lot of chokes and rarely see more than 50% of the total pellets in the 10". It is tough enough to get all the pellets in the 20 - 85-90% is typical. But I agree with you that 100% in 10 would NOT be a good hunting pattern.

I wish I could get all my pattern in a 10" circle at 40 yards.  That sounds awesome.  Unfortunately, the best I've been able to do is about 60% of the payload into the 10".

[wchadw]

Best to shoot at 20yds and 40yds to pattern. Find the best patterns for your hunting style and shooting ability. Totally agree with some patterns being too tight at 20yds. My preference for hunting is a pattern that is about 10-12" at 20-25yds and 18"-20" at 40yds with very few gaps. I have shot some set ups that shoot the entire pattern in a 10" at 40 and they are not necessarily the best hunting patterns.

You can always go with an o/u and setup a choke/load for close and different choke/load for longer. I was running tight chokes and TSS and missed a bird that was 5-7 yards. Patterned at 10 yards was like a slug

That's exactly what I decided which is why I shoot a Beretta O/U. One barrel set up to do 110/10 @ 40 and the other averages 347/10".


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Yep. I went with a yildiz youth 20. One barrel I shoot a .585 with lead 7 pheasant load. Other is .562 tss 9s


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[Longshanks]

Best to shoot at 20yds and 40yds to pattern. Find the best patterns for your hunting style and shooting ability. Totally agree with some patterns being too tight at 20yds. My preference for hunting is a pattern that is about 10-12" at 20-25yds and 18"-20" at 40yds with very few gaps. I have shot some set ups that shoot the entire pattern in a 10" at 40 and they are not necessarily the best hunting patterns.

Would like to hear more about the set-ups you describe in your last sentence. Not doubting your word, but I have shot a lot of TSS through a lot of chokes and rarely see more than 50% of the total pellets in the 10". It is tough enough to get all the pellets in the 20 - 85-90% is typical. But I agree with you that 100% in 10 would NOT be a good hunting pattern.

Go look in the Remington patterns at some of the Win LB patterns that I turned. Shot 233 in a 9" circle at 40yds. Win LB 3" 5's/ Kicks .655
Also hunt with an Xtrema 2/ Hevi 13 that shoots 330's in a 10 @ 40. Bulk of that pattern if not all is in a 10" @ 30. Set up that I use, but turkeys inside 25-30 have to pick my shot carefully. Easy to miss.

[Tom007]

Are you using 3 inch, or 3 1/2 inch? Those are pretty good counts....

[Tom007]

Sorry, just saw your Remington patterns were 3 inch. Thanks, sorry I missed it.....

[g8rvet]

I don't really understand the too tight concern.  If you are shooting a well sighted in shotgun, a softball size pattern should be fine.  But that is all based on knowing exactly where your gun shoots at each distance. 

Here is my 20 at 40 yards: