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Thread: Shotgun Patterns

  1. #1
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    Default Shotgun Patterns

    I went to the range today to pattern the Versamax with 2 different shells that I got a case of each on the cheap. I ran Hevi-metal 3.5" #2's and Federal 3.5" #4's through the factory Modified choke, and Carlson's Mid-range and Long Range chokes at 20 and 40 yards. I used 38"x48" paper and a bucket roughly 25" to circle the best part of the pattern. These pictures are terrible, but here is my dilemma. The #2's predictably shot better at 20 yards with the factory Modified choke and a tighter pattern at 40 with the Long Range choke. If you can tell in these pics though, with the modified choke the entire paper was covered evenly with pellets even though the circle had half as many pellets as the Long Range choke. So which is more desirable at 40 yards for ducks-- Either a clean hit or miss, or slightly bigger spread giving more room for error?

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    Last edited by scoutlover; 11-14-2017 at 10:26 PM.

  2. #2
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    Are you just dead set at shooting your ducks at 40 yards out

  3. #3
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    In MY opinion and what I like and or shoot....
    Modified choke with 1 1/8 oz of shot...preferably 2s
    I want the tightest pattern at 40 I can get
    Shooting a tighter choke will make you a better shot
    Like hitting a ball with a bat or a tennis racket....dont have to be as precise with the racket but you loose your pellet count on target from 30 out....tighter choke makes shooting cripples easier also....just my .02

    As highstrung says....you shooting decoying birds you can kill them with a .410 and #6 steel.....
    Last edited by HEAD; 11-14-2017 at 09:09 PM.
    When in doubt, shoot him again!

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  4. #4
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    Wow.

  5. #5
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    I don't usually mind the open pattern as long as there isn't any big voids in the pattern.
    Which the second pic has.
    Maybe try and go just one restriction tighter on 2nd pic and see if it gets rid of the big voids but still has a little Room for error.
    Majority of my shooting is pass shooting in River swamp so I like the more open pattern.
    Shooting over decoys I agree with having the tight pattern to make for a better shot also.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by HEAD View Post
    In MY opinion and what I like and or shoot....
    Modified choke with 1 1/8 oz of shot...preferably 2s
    I want the tightest pattern at 40 I can get
    Shooting a tighter choke will make you a better shot
    Like hitting a ball with a bat or a tennis racket....dont have to be as precise with the racket but you loose your pellet count on target from 30 out....tighter choke makes shooting cripples easier also....just my .02

    As highstrung says....you shooting decoying birds you can kill them with a .410 and #6 steel.....
    Thanks for your opinion. That's how I've choked the gun in years past, but I'm wanting to spread the pattern out a bit. The property we hunt now is 90% wood ducks pass shooting at 30 to 40 yards, 5% big ducks and 5% geese. With the lay of the land, the wood ducks are all over us with no warning. We also hunt the Outer Banks in the last weeks of the season when the birds are blind shy so again most of the shots are 30 to 40 yards. I've typically shot #3's with a full choke and had decent luck prior to getting the woodie swamp. Now I'm having to make some changes.

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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by porkchop 13 View Post
    I don't usually mind the open pattern as long as there isn't any big voids in the pattern.
    Which the second pic has.
    Maybe try and go just one restriction tighter on 2nd pic and see if it gets rid of the big voids but still has a little Room for error.
    Majority of my shooting is pass shooting in River swamp so I like the more open pattern.
    Shooting over decoys I agree with having the tight pattern to make for a better shot also.
    What are you considering a big void? That 2nd picture is terrible but I can't get it any better at night. It's really better than it looks. It's a Hevi-metal shell with the layered shot so all you are really seeing is the larger steel shot. The smaller pellets are not really getting picked up on camera. The biggest gap with no pellets is maybe a 3" circle.

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    Last edited by scoutlover; 11-14-2017 at 09:27 PM.

  8. #8
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    I prefer high density patterns....I don't own a gun that has a 3.5" chamber, but I've been shooting 4-6's 1-1/4oz shot out of an extra full choke for the better part of ten years. I can't tell you the last time I shot a duck further than 25-30 yds. I lose very few crippled birds per year.


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  9. #9
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    I'll also add, 90% of my shots will be with the number 4's with the modified which patterned great at 20 and 40. I'm trying to decide if I need to swap chokes when I switch shells after the morning wood duck flight while we're waiting on big ducks and geese.

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  10. #10
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    Don't give yourself the option to swap tbis or that....if something happens and you don't hit/kill whatever you immediately throw the blame to that variable....pick a shell and choke combo and stay with it the whole season....
    When in doubt, shoot him again!

    Work like it's all up to me, but pray, like it's all up to him!

  11. #11
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    My gracious

  12. #12
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    I was talking about the 3in voids in pattern.
    You can kill ducks with both loads. I like a consistent pattern with no voids if possible.
    Since you are trying to use loads that you picked up you may can't get it to pattern better with that gun/ammo/choke combo.
    I keep trying ammo/choke till I get what I want it to be.
    I have 3 guns that absolute love #2 Kent's fast steel. Not best ammo but pattern and duck killing has went hand in hand so I stick with them.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by porkchop 13 View Post
    I was talking about the 3in voids in pattern.
    You can kill ducks with both loads. I like a consistent pattern with no voids if possible.
    Since you are trying to use loads that you picked up you may can't get it to pattern better with that gun/ammo/choke combo.
    I keep trying ammo/choke till I get what I want it to be.
    I have 3 guns that absolute love #2 Kent's fast steel. Not best ammo but pattern and duck killing has went hand in hand so I stick with them.
    Thanks. I plan on sticking with these shells as I got each case for dirt cheap. At 40 yards with the 2's, the modified was the worst in terms of pellets in the circle, but it was the most even across the entire pattern. The other chokes got much tighter at that range but if you missed by a little, it will be all or nothing and I was curious as to which most people would choose.

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  14. #14
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    Stick with mod and practice until your arm falls off.

  15. #15
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    I agree with Gander stick with mod, and kill the fool out of ducks.
    When I mentioned may want to try a choke tube with slightly tighter restriction you may get your hands on another mod choke and odds are is isn't going to measure exactly same.
    (Another words all chokes have a tolerance range and if it falls in that range it is considered mod)
    You can have 2 mod choke and one be at bottom of tolerance range and one at top and be significant difference in pattern.
    Good luck and look forward to seeing dead duck pics

  16. #16
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    just put in a modified choke and go shoot some ducks
    "JUST BECAUSE I AM NOT A GOOD SPELLER DOESN'T MEAN MY JEAN POLL IS GONNA BE BAD."
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  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gander View Post
    Stick with mod and practice until your arm falls off.
    or stick with what choke is in the gun and save the shells for things that have feathers. shoot them and go get them and eat them.

    pro tip

    i have never understood this patterning thing you people do. seems a waste of shells and a lot of confusion. I remember the days of just a few chokes to choose from. now, you have ones with fancy names and such. yall could overthink things that I cant even imagine.
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  18. #18
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    Don't know how we ever killed ducks back in the day! 870 Wingmaster, plain barrel, fixed modified choke, 2 3/4 Lead #5s! Good Times!

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by ziggy View Post
    just put in a modified choke and go shoot some ducks
    ziggy, my man!
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  20. #20
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    PM fish for patterning advice
    Seeing these soulless vanilla ice lookin Yankees on a bassboat is worse than watching a woman get her implants taken out. It's just wrong. Get back in your Lund and go back to infisherman.

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