Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

DIY Pattern Plate for Shotguns

  • 02-05-2008 8:40pm
    #1
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,948 ✭✭✭


    I decided to take my own advice and check the fit of my own gun. I'm always harping on to others about the importance of gun fit.

    Anyway a trip to the pattern plate was required until I realised I don't have a pattern plate! I didn't fancy driving miles to my nearest shooting grounds, setting up the plate and getting covered in white paint.

    So, I got myself a roll of cheap paper here - http://www.discountpackaging.ie/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=728&Category_ID=127 borrowed some of the wife's clothes pegs and set off to my local grey crow pen. This is made from a steel frame covered in wire mesh and is located in a nice quite area. It's empty at the minute so it made an ideal place to set up my plate. I tore off about 1 metre of the paper and pegged it up to the side of the pen. With a black marker I drew a clay in the middle with a cross through it. I stepped back about 20 yards and with the tightest chokes in the gun, let rip with two shots. Now you must keep the gun moving when testing a shotgun. It's not like a rifle where you are stationary and aim it. You start above your mark and point the gun. Then slowly move it down to about 2 feet under the mark. Then slowly bring the gun up and shoot when you meet the mark. Repeat for the top barrell without taking the gun down from your shoulder.

    On checking my first two shots I found I was high and slightly to the right. This meant my comb was too high and there was too much cast. I adjusted the comb back in to reduce the cast and tried again. Bang in the centre but still too high. I dropped the comb by about 2mm and tried again. Perfect!:)

    I had about 75% of the shot above the mark which is ok for a Trap gun. if it was a sporter, about 60% above and 40% below would be right. The beauty of using the roll of paper was I could put up a new target each time in a couple of seconds and the resulting pattern was simple to read. I've abbreviated the firing part here because I didn't want to keep repeating myself. I actually went through about 20 cartridges and 5 or 6 sheets of paper.

    Anyway, the moral of the story is.......get your gun fitting right.


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 49 Tom Donnavan


    tried it once with bits of cardboard at various distances just to see the different spreads but shotgun was dead steady. will try it again swinging shotgun up, thanks for the advice.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,612 ✭✭✭jwshooter


    I decided to take my own advice and check the fit of my own gun. I'm always harping on to others about the importance of gun fit.

    Anyway a trip to the pattern plate was required until I realised I don't have a pattern plate! I didn't fancy driving miles to my nearest shooting grounds, setting up the plate and getting covered in white paint.

    So, I got myself a roll of cheap paper here - http://www.discountpackaging.ie/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=728&Category_ID=127 borrowed some of the wife's clothes pegs and set off to my local grey crow pen. This is made from a steel frame covered in wire mesh and is located in a nice quite area. It's empty at the minute so it made an ideal place to set up my plate. I tore off about 1 metre of the paper and pegged it up to the side of the pen. With a black marker I drew a clay in the middle with a cross through it. I stepped back about 20 yards and with the tightest chokes in the gun, let rip with two shots. Now you must keep the gun moving when testing a shotgun. It's not like a rifle where you are stationary and aim it. You start above your mark and point the gun. Then slowly move it down to about 2 feet under the mark. Then slowly bring the gun up and shoot when you meet the mark. Repeat for the top barrell without taking the gun down from your shoulder.

    On checking my first two shots I found I was high and slightly to the right. This meant my comb was too high and there was too much cast. I adjusted the comb back in to reduce the cast and tried again. Bang in the centre but still too high. I dropped the comb by about 2mm and tried again. Perfect!:)

    I had about 75% of the shot above the mark which is ok for a Trap gun. if it was a sporter, about 60% above and 40% below would be right. The beauty of using the roll of paper was I could put up a new target each time in a couple of seconds and the resulting pattern was simple to read. I've abbreviated the firing part here because I didn't want to keep repeating myself. I actually went through about 20 cartridges and 5 or 6 sheets of paper.

    Anyway, the moral of the story is.......get your gun fitting right.

    just go shoot some clays with full and full or as tight a choke you have you will learn more .


  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,948 ✭✭✭pullandbang


    jwshooter wrote: »
    just go shoot some clays with full and full or as tight a choke you have you will learn more .

    What exactly will you learn from that?

    If you miss the clays what have you learnt?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,612 ✭✭✭jwshooter


    What exactly will you learn from that?

    If you miss the clays what have you learnt?

    if i miss a clay in a competion there is a reason for it , you have 10 seconds to work it out .with a full choke at 30 yards a direct hit will give ya a nice ball of dust a few inch s off target a miss or you will cut the targets edge off that will tell you where your off .you will learn from your misses ,the best target to shoot a new gun on is a straight teal or going away like DTL .shooting at a static target will do very little for you as be expecting recoil,holding the gun tighter and you will not shoot in the same place twice . when i practice i use a full and extra full choke .when i miss and its to often with so tigth a choke but when you find the clay your in the centre


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,461 ✭✭✭foxshooter243


    JW what happens when you miss the clay entirely, how do you correct when you dont know what you did wrong in the first place?

    to shoot seriously a gun must fit its user and the pattern plate is instrumental in achieving this...


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,612 ✭✭✭jwshooter


    JW what happens when you miss the clay entirely, how do you correct when you dont know what you did wrong in the first place?

    to shoot seriously a gun must fit its user and the pattern plate is instrumental in achieving this...
    simple reload and call pull again this time fire some there else . i do a fair bit of dry mounting at home also mount your gun in front of a mirror it will tell you if your mounting is not consistent or your off the line of the stock . one main problem with shooting static targets is the tendancy to lift your head to see hit .i am not saying shooting plates is no good just dont get hung up on it .if you mount your gun say a half inch lower on your shoulder you will miss over the top


  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,948 ✭✭✭pullandbang


    You can spend all day banging away at targets and you may or may not discover where you're missing them. There's a host of reasons for the misses and the most important one is gun fit. The only correct way to check your fit is the pattern plate. There are no outside factors influencing where you shot hits a plate. With clays you have wind and background etc to contend with. With the plate you know straight away whether your gun is shooting high, low, left or right or a combination of any two. Once your gun is set up right for you, you can then bang away and if you miss, you know it's something you've done wrong.

    As foxshooter says, it's just an extra tool but it's a very important one.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,612 ✭✭✭jwshooter


    I decided to take my own advice and check the fit of my own gun. I'm always harping on to others about the importance of gun fit.

    Anyway a trip to the pattern plate was required until I realised I don't have a pattern plate! I didn't fancy driving miles to my nearest shooting grounds, setting up the plate and getting covered in white paint.

    So, I got myself a roll of cheap paper here - http://www.discountpackaging.ie/product1.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=728&Category_ID=127 borrowed some of the wife's clothes pegs and set off to my local grey crow pen. This is made from a steel frame covered in wire mesh and is located in a nice quite area. It's empty at the minute so it made an ideal place to set up my plate. I tore off about 1 metre of the paper and pegged it up to the side of the pen. With a black marker I drew a clay in the middle with a cross through it. I stepped back about 20 yards and with the tightest chokes in the gun, let rip with two shots. Now you must keep the gun moving when testing a shotgun. It's not like a rifle where you are stationary and aim it. You start above your mark and point the gun. Then slowly move it down to about 2 feet under the mark. Then slowly bring the gun up and shoot when you meet the mark. Repeat for the top barrell without taking the gun down from your shoulder.

    On checking my first two shots I found I was high and slightly to the right. This meant my comb was too high and there was too much cast. I adjusted the comb back in to reduce the cast and tried again. Bang in the centre but still too high. I dropped the comb by about 2mm and tried again. Perfect!:)

    I had about 75% of the shot above the mark which is ok for a Trap gun. if it was a sporter, about 60% above and 40% below would be right. The beauty of using the roll of paper was I could put up a new target each time in a couple of seconds and the resulting pattern was simple to read. I've abbreviated the firing part here because I didn't want to keep repeating myself. I actually went through about 20 cartridges and 5 or 6 sheets of paper.

    Anyway, the moral of the story is.......get your gun fitting right.

    any coach worth there salt would get the student to mount the empty gun and look down the rib to see the alignment from the eye to the barrel , this can also be done in a mirror ,its the quickest way to see is a gun fits .to get a novice shooter to fire at a pattern plate has no benfit to them .and for the more experienced shooter it has little or no benfit ,as they should know the set up of the gun from the second they pick it up .the pattern plate is a rough guide only .


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,461 ✭✭✭foxshooter243


    jwshooter wrote: »
    any coach worth there salt would get the student to mount the empty gun and look down the rib to see the alignment from the eye to the barrel , this can also be done in a mirror ,its the quickest way to see is a gun fits .to get a novice shooter to fire at a pattern plate has no benfit to them .and for the more experienced shooter it has little or no benfit ,as they should know the set up of the gun from the second they pick it up .the pattern plate is a rough guide only .

    I disagree entirely with your train of thought on this JW,a shotgun should be correctly fitted to its user, apart from having a gun made for you, its quite possible to obtain a good fit by taking the gun to a shooting school
    where the correct measurements can be taken by the instructor watching you shoot with an adjustable try-gun.too much bend in the stock results in the gun pointing low, whilst a high point of aim is caused by too little bend,the amount by which the gun points to right or left of the aiming mark is determined by the cast off,which is a displacement of the butt sideways so that it is not quite in line with the barrels.This is done to compensate for the fact that the shooters shoulder,supporting the butt,
    is displaced to the side of his eyes.
    if the whole stock is too short it will not bed properly into your shoulder
    and the recoil shall cause you some pain,too long and it will catch on your clothes as you mount the gun and may cause some difficulty in reaching the triggers..a pattern plate will correctly identify when the gun fits the user properly and on that solid foundation he then should be coached on proper stance, mounting and different techniques for different clay shooting disciplines..this shooters learning curve will be much steeper than
    the guy who buys a gun and looks at his gun fit in a mirror and thinks its ok because its the second shooter who has only obtained a "rough guide"


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,612 ✭✭✭jwshooter


    I disagree entirely with your train of thought on this JW,a shotgun should be correctly fitted to its user, apart from having a gun made for you, its quite possible to obtain a good fit by taking the gun to a shooting school
    where the correct measurements can be taken by the instructor watching you shoot with an adjustable try-gun.too much bend in the stock results in the gun pointing low, whilst a high point of aim is caused by too little bend,the amount by which the gun points to right or left of the aiming mark is determined by the cast off,which is a displacement of the butt sideways so that it is not quite in line with the barrels.This is done to compensate for the fact that the shooters shoulder,supporting the butt,
    is displaced to the side of his eyes.
    if the whole stock is too short it will not bed properly into your shoulder
    and the recoil shall cause you some pain,too long and it will catch on your clothes as you mount the gun and may cause some difficulty in reaching the triggers..a pattern plate will correctly identify when the gun fits the user properly and on that solid foundation he then should be coached on proper stance, mounting and different techniques for different clay shooting disciplines..this shooters learning curve will be much steeper than
    the guy who buys a gun and looks at his gun fit in a mirror and thinks its ok because its the second shooter who has only obtained a "rough guide"

    you disagree about what, a question or two for you if i may what is bend ,do you mean the drop on the stock there is two points of drop on a stock one at the comb and one at the heel the heel is less important as you rest your cheek the comb,trigger pull in very important ,its the distance from the centure of the butt ,thats the end of the stock by the way to the trigger.too long and your forced away from the gun there should close to two inchs from your nose to the grip on the stock any more your not sitting right and you will have to slide your head forward any less a smack in the nose.i dont know of any shooting schools with a try gun . i shot on a squad a few weeks ago with a lad he had some badges on his shooting vest saying level one coach and level two .i think he was a class c or B shooter noting wrong with that but he had not a clue ,his stance his pick up point and over all shooting skill left a lot to be disired .two days coaching by the icpsa or nargc does not make a race horse out of a jackass ,the hole thing about shooting is take your tips from some one that has been there not some one that thinks they should be .like i have sed the pattern plate is only a guide .you can not beat a good coach ,but there too few and far between.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,461 ✭✭✭foxshooter243


    were going to have to agree to disagree on this one JW, but proper gun fit
    obtained by the use of a pattern plate alongside proper coaching is the best foundation upon which to build your skills upon in my book.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,612 ✭✭✭jwshooter


    were going to have to agree to disagree on this one JW, but proper gun fit
    obtained by the use of a pattern plate alongside proper coaching is the best foundation upon which to build your skills upon in my book.

    no problem foxie , but its worth looking into more .hear is a made up story .i walk into my local gun shop looking for a game gun it a july afternoon i pick a nice o/u its fits well and the deal is done ,now its late nov shooting a few duck along the slaney i can hit noting ? same story but its late nov looking for a new clay for next season i pick out a nice gun it fits well now its a july afternoon shooting a few clays but i am shooting crap why ..both guns fitted well at the time i bought them .more than any other i think this is the root alot of shooting problems ,people put on weight and loose it wear extra gear in cold times and less in hot .i shot the gold cup today in the morning you would want a rain coat ,by ten o clock a T shirt would do you ,thats a 3 to 5 mill of coat gone .it would have to make a differ


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 134 ✭✭Kareir


    jwshooter wrote: »
    any coach worth there salt would get the student to mount the empty gun and look down the rib to see the alignment from the eye to the barrel , this can also be done in a mirror ,its the quickest way to see is a gun fits .to get a novice shooter to fire at a pattern plate has no benfit to them .and for the more experienced shooter it has little or no benfit ,as they should know the set up of the gun from the second they pick it up .the pattern plate is a rough guide only .

    Friendly Tip: Make sure the gun is unloaded before you try this, and make sure the coach knows you're gonna do it :p

    _Kar.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,461 ✭✭✭foxshooter243


    jwshooter wrote: »
    no problem foxie , but its worth looking into more .hear is a made up story .i walk into my local gun shop looking for a game gun it a july afternoon i pick a nice o/u its fits well and the deal is done ,now its late nov shooting a few duck along the slaney i can hit noting ? same story but its late nov looking for a new clay for next season i pick out a nice gun it fits well now its a july afternoon shooting a few clays but i am shooting crap why ..both guns fitted well at the time i bought them .more than any other i think this is the root alot of shooting problems ,people put on weight and loose it wear extra gear in cold times and less in hot .i shot the gold cup today in the morning you would want a rain coat ,by ten o clock a T shirt would do you ,thats a 3 to 5 mill of coat gone .it would have to make a differ


    thats a good point JW -most people would never consider what they will be wearing when shooting-when they put a gun to their shoulder in a gunshop .


  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,948 ✭✭✭pullandbang


    I'm glad to see this thread has sparked such debate.:)
    jwshooter wrote: »
    any coach worth there salt would get the student to mount the empty gun and look down the rib to see the alignment from the eye to the barrel , this can also be done in a mirror ,its the quickest way to see is a gun fits .to get a novice shooter to fire at a pattern plate has no benfit to them .and for the more experienced shooter it has little or no benfit ,as they should know the set up of the gun from the second they pick it up .the pattern plate is a rough guide only .

    I'd agree with a lot of what you say above. Any coach or gunshop owner would check the physical fit of the gun. The pattern plate is the final check of gun fit. As you look down the barrels at someone's eye there is a picture you expect to see as a coach. You can do whatever adjustments needed to get the pupils eye aligned correctly, but the final test is the pattern plate. It's there that the fine tuning is done.

    I wouldn't agree with you saying the plate has no benefit to a novice or little or no benefit to an experienced shooter. In fact the opposite is the case when it comes to an experienced shot. People change physically over time. They put on weight, lose weight, develop back problems etc etc. All of these things can have an adverse effect on your shooting. People change guns and a new gun is not nesscessarily going to shoot in exactly the same place as the old one even if the stock dimensions are the same. The ONLY way to find out accurately where it's shooting is to take it to the pattern plate.

    Still, it's horses for courses. If you think that firing at clays is the way to make sure your gun fits, then so be it.
    I'd recommend anyone else to try the pattern plate. It's cheaper, quicker and more accurate.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 59 ✭✭trapmando


    Interesting debate alright! Just to add my tuppance.... The pattern plate is a very useful tool indeed. U go to Perazzi or Beretta factories to get a gun built for you and everything is checked on a pattern plate many times to see it's shooting where ure looking before u get it onto the range.

    I disagree with having a moving gun when firing at the pattern plate. I can see where u got this idea from, there is a very famous video/dvd on DTL shooting made many years ago that suggests this ( i think it was Phil Coley's made in the 80's I'd say) Bet this is where u got this from? But all the top shots will tell u to rifle shoot the shotgun at the plate. Check out Harlem Campbells trap dvd. he shoots about 300 shells at the plate each year (but then he does have one of those high rib k80's that u can adjust all over the place.) But the point is, lean on something so that ure perfect sight picture, is perfectly lined up to the target, to see where exactly the gun shoots. Makes sense when u think about it. U want to see exactly where the gun shoots and the best way to do that is stationary!

    A tight choke can be very useful for telling you where u are if u read what parts of the clay are breaking, but if ure missing constantly and cant find where ure at, the pattern plate is ure only man! Gives u a good perception of the size of the shot pattern too.


  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,948 ✭✭✭pullandbang


    trapmando wrote: »
    I disagree with having a moving gun when firing at the pattern plate. I can see where u got this idea from, there is a very famous video/dvd on DTL shooting made many years ago that suggests this ( i think it was Phil Coley's made in the 80's I'd say) Bet this is where u got this from?

    Can't say I heard of the video but that wasn't where I got it from.
    As part of the coaching course I did, the instructors from the CPSA told us how to do it - bring the gun up from the bottom of the plate and fire when you reach the target.
    I would have thought that leaning on something solid and rifling would be a better job, but appearently not. Their logic is that in real situations, the shotgun is moving, unlike the rifle which would be stationary.
    trapmando wrote: »
    Check out Harlem Campbells trap dvd. he shoots about 300 shells at the plate each year (but then he does have one of those high rib k80's that u can adjust all over the place.)

    Incidentally, I watched a guy on the plate a couple of weeks ago with his new multi adjustable K80. He was fully convinced he was shooting flat (this chap is very experiencd) but the results from the plate astonished him - he was a mile high! It was back to the allen keys and adjust everything that could be adjusted!
    trapmando wrote: »
    A tight choke can be very useful for telling you where u are if u read what parts of the clay are breaking, but if ure missing constantly and cant find where ure at, the pattern plate is ure only man! Gives u a good perception of the size of the shot pattern too.

    Couldn't agree more! The plate is an excellent tool and I'd recommend everyone use it on a regular basis. In summer you tend to shoot with less clothing than in winter which is bound to affect your point of aim so it's no harm to keep an eye on your own aim.


  • Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭hrcbob


    This may seem a silly question but as a beginner im wondering if there is any way to work around a gun.?. i dont have the pockets to afford an adjustable gun and while i feel like my gun fits well (comes up nice and always finds my eye with the rib on the barrel and the bead) Im sure its not perfect... would it be a silly idea to use the plate to find out where im shooting and then change how i shoot to make the gun work as opposed to changing the gun??


  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,948 ✭✭✭pullandbang


    hrcbob wrote: »
    This may seem a silly question but as a beginner im wondering if there is any way to work around a gun.?. i dont have the pockets to afford an adjustable gun and while i feel like my gun fits well (comes up nice and always finds my eye with the rib on the barrel and the bead) Im sure its not perfect... would it be a silly idea to use the plate to find out where im shooting and then change how i shoot to make the gun work as opposed to changing the gun??

    Wow! This is a blast from the past :)

    If you find the gun fitting you reasonably well at the minute, then try a plate and see if you're shooting where you're looking. If you're a mile off, then you'll have to get some adjustment to the gun. However, if you find you're only slightly off, then yes, you can make some slight adjustments to your shooting to correct it. Most of the adjustments will be a slight tweaking in your gun mount, shoulder position and head position. You can also get cheap comb fitments to allow you tweak it slightly - google Beartooth Comb Raisers.


  • Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭hrcbob


    Wow! This is a blast from the past :)

    If you find the gun fitting you reasonably well at the minute, then try a plate and see if you're shooting where you're looking. If you're a mile off, then you'll have to get some adjustment to the gun. However, if you find you're only slightly off, then yes, you can make some slight adjustments to your shooting to correct it. Most of the adjustments will be a slight tweaking in your gun mount, shoulder position and head position. You can also get cheap comb fitments to allow you tweak it slightly - google Beartooth Comb Raisers.

    Cheeers for that.. Ill give it a go as soon as i get a reasonably fine eve.. Oh and What counts as a mile off?? Plus i have fixed chokes of 1/4 and 1/2 so would it be a better test at closer range so as not to be looking at too much spread??


  • Advertisement
  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,948 ✭✭✭pullandbang


    hrcbob wrote: »
    Cheeers for that.. Ill give it a go as soon as i get a reasonably fine eve.. Oh and What counts as a mile off?? Plus i have fixed chokes of 1/4 and 1/2 so would it be a better test at closer range so as not to be looking at too much spread??

    Try it and see. Ideally you're looking for a tight pattern to be able to read it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭bayliner


    great thread!!!... i use a gun that a lot of people reckon is too long!! i think its fine though am well open to being shown how wrong i am assuming its from a good coach and not the lads in the bog:D:D,

    i wouldnt mind getting ALL OF YOU in the same shooting ground and get the best bits from each :D:D:D.......

    i think i will try this pattern plate some fine evening or day too, see how it works out,cant do any harm,


  • Registered Users Posts: 235 ✭✭raymo19


    Hi all,
    Digweed shot in mill hill a couple of months back he was using somebodys elses Perazzi. He missed 2 targets on the first peg and that was it he shot 93/100. He told some of that lads later that the first two targets he dropped was he didnt know where the gun is shooting. Bottom line is if the gun is a comfortable/reasonable fit and your eye is reasonably aligned to the rib, focus on the target while shooting and your brain wont be long working out zero. So many people(Inc Meself) spend too much time shooting at plates and messing around with stocks not realising that the real source of their shooting problem is (1.) not focusing on the target & (2.) poor gun mount/technique. Shoot low skeet going away with a full choke and if you smoke it your gun fits well enough let your brain and eyes do the rest.

    Regards


  • Registered Users Posts: 235 ✭✭raymo19


    Oh I forgot bayliner, just pull your left hand backwards a couple of inches on the forend and this might cure your stock being too long.


  • Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭bayliner


    raymo19 wrote: »
    Oh I forgot bayliner, just pull your left hand backwards a couple of inches on the forend and this might cure your stock being too long.

    thanks for the advice raymo, but i am lefthanded ha ha so right hand :D, besides, i myself am completely comfortable with the gun, its others who seem to think it "LOOKS" like its too long for me.... i think they may just be not used to seein a 32" barrel:),most of the other guys on my club/team are 28".... i love the gun and certainly wouldnt blame missed targets on it, my biggest problem would be concentration or lack of it at times:)... or trying too hard ie: aiming!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 235 ✭✭raymo19


    hi bayliner,
    If your gun is rediculously long just try a shorter but pad. Get that out of your head and focus on the target and shoot. Its that simple. Its only when you are totally comfortable with your gun will the targets start breaking. Different barrell lenghts and all that crap was dreamt up by the manufacturers to sell guns. Nothing can work faster and more accurately than the ball of white mass inside your head if one lets it.
    Pattern plates are called pattern plates for that very singular reason. One no pair of 1/2 chokes, a reasonably fitting gun and "focus on the target". It really is that simple.

    raymo


  • Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭bayliner


    i agree yes, as i said i dont think the gun is too long i am fine with it.its a few others opinions not mine,and its not something i give too much thought to:)

    i am a firm believer in what you say about the mental thing, if ya get your head right its half the battle won!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭hrcbob


    Try it and see. Ideally you're looking for a tight pattern to be able to read it.

    Tried shooting a few this morning.. I had it in my head before i tried it for some reason that i was shooting slightly right but instead its actually slightly left.. and about 70% of shot over centre. About 75 % of that shot over centre is to the left.. not a million miles out???? Oh but only at 15 yards as 20 was unreadable.. By my thinkin then i need to get my eye slightly more right as i look down the barrel??


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,464 ✭✭✭Double Barrel


    Must have missed this the first time around in 2008 Pull&Bang. As you say "A blast from the Past". :D

    Extra reading. ;)
    A couple of well written articles on the essentials of shotgun patterning - by Peter Blakeley and Dr Matt Draisma.

    http://www.peteblakeley.com/pdf/pattern.pdf

    http://www.ssaa.org.au/stories/shotguns-essential-shotgun-patterning.html


  • Advertisement
Advertisement