Any of you shotgunners out there find it hard to get a large target to pattern your shot gun? I am creating a 36" x 36" paper with a 30" circle in the middle and a 3" bulls eye. Tried it out last weekend and they worked great.
daddyeaux
Shotgun Pattern Targets
i used to 'pattern' my shotguns on the doors of new cars going down the railroad tracks.......... now they have big wide protective steel rails on the side that doesn't show the pattern very well
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bummer..........
bummer..........
'Tis the Season
Just use some of last year's x-mas wrapping paper. Roll it out, draw your circles and clip it to a fence or string it between some stakes. Gives you multiple targets on one roll so you can test different loads\chokes, etc.
Or you can download one from here: http://www.dto.com/shooting/downloads
Here's a few more sites w/ good free downloadable targets:
http://www.dewclawarchery.com/printable_targets-a/136.htm
http://www.6mmbr.com/targets.html
Just use some of last year's x-mas wrapping paper. Roll it out, draw your circles and clip it to a fence or string it between some stakes. Gives you multiple targets on one roll so you can test different loads\chokes, etc.
Or you can download one from here: http://www.dto.com/shooting/downloads
Here's a few more sites w/ good free downloadable targets:
http://www.dewclawarchery.com/printable_targets-a/136.htm
http://www.6mmbr.com/targets.html
We used to use a 4 x 4 sheet of plywood covered in butcher paper with a circle in the middle, worked well for us.
TH
TH
Lots of cute answers to a very valid question. Yes there is a market for what you are doing. When I worked for Remington I lived in Reno, and did a LOT of shotgun patterning- different loads, different chokes, etc. The results were very amazing and eye opening.
I had to resort to some of the aforementioned methods. Not very efficient. If someone offered a portable stand, and patterning paper of that size. I WOULD BUY IT in a heartbeat.
I would guess that 90% of all shotgun shooters have never patterned their gun/load. They shoot and shoot and shoot for decades, often times with very mediocre results, but they won't take the 10 minutes it takes to pattern their gun. Guarantee what you might find out could change your shotgunning for the rest of your life.
I had to resort to some of the aforementioned methods. Not very efficient. If someone offered a portable stand, and patterning paper of that size. I WOULD BUY IT in a heartbeat.
I would guess that 90% of all shotgun shooters have never patterned their gun/load. They shoot and shoot and shoot for decades, often times with very mediocre results, but they won't take the 10 minutes it takes to pattern their gun. Guarantee what you might find out could change your shotgunning for the rest of your life.
I use the roll of brown paper from Home Depot but have bought some of these from time to time.
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Winchester-Pattern-Target-30-Duck/productinfo/WPTD/
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Winchester-Pattern-Target-30-Duck/productinfo/WPTD/
Patterning your gun on a stationary target only makes sense if what you plan on shooting will also be stationary. Most people use shotguns to shoot moving targets, ie birds. Shot patterns are three dimensional, so patterns should be considered as such. Go to http://www.wadwizard.comfor some interesting takes on shot patterns. This is the choke i use, and highly recommend it.
Jammer you might want to pm me. I also built the frame to hold the paper target. Tried it out last weekend and it worked great. Here is a pic of the target. I talked to printers today trying to find one that can print on paper as large as 36x36. Not many can. If anyone is interested in getting some of these pm me. If you are going to pattern it, at least do it right.
Attachments
Ok guys, here is a pick of the frame and the frame with the target on it.
After patterning last week end I tightened up from IC to LM and made two long shots today in the wind.
3 of us took limits of gadwall, pintail drakes and wigeons this morning..
After patterning last week end I tightened up from IC to LM and made two long shots today in the wind.
3 of us took limits of gadwall, pintail drakes and wigeons this morning..
Attachments
Almost a must if useing in a Turkey Shoot, the gun I won many turkeys with would group a wad about 4" over n 5" up from center....WW
I had built a stand some years back that had a roll of butcher paper on it: just pull it up and clip it off and you had a new sheet of paper. A steel shroud around the roll protected it from getting "prematurely punched"...
Meanwhile, as far as the circle: I'd rather not have it on there: I generally just do a magic marker dot for point of aim, you can easily judge offset from that, then do your 30" circle after the fact to analyze the actual pattern. Printing the circle beforehand will skew the data some if there is some offset: I'd rather know I have a full choke that shoots six inches left, than thinking the same choke is a modified on center because that's what the in-the-circle pellet count says. Printing a single 1" dot in the center of the paper, then circling the pattern after the fact will tell you more about what you're dealing with than doing it beforehand.
Meanwhile, as far as the circle: I'd rather not have it on there: I generally just do a magic marker dot for point of aim, you can easily judge offset from that, then do your 30" circle after the fact to analyze the actual pattern. Printing the circle beforehand will skew the data some if there is some offset: I'd rather know I have a full choke that shoots six inches left, than thinking the same choke is a modified on center because that's what the in-the-circle pellet count says. Printing a single 1" dot in the center of the paper, then circling the pattern after the fact will tell you more about what you're dealing with than doing it beforehand.
The dot in the center of the paper can be made to any size. But at 40 yards you are going to be hard pressed to see a 1" dot. And the front sight is going to cover it completely. At 40 yards it was big enough to see clearly. I don't see that it would make any difference whether the circle is on the paper before or after you shoot the target. You still are shooting at the dot in the middle whether there is a circle or not and being on the paper before is not going to affect the outcome of the pattern. It is merely a convenience of not having to draw anything.
I have thought of putting the paper in a tube at the bottom and rolling it out for ease if I can find a printer that can print the circles on a roll of paper.
I get this 36" paper in 300' rolls.
This is still in the early development stages but is going to happen.
I have thought of putting the paper in a tube at the bottom and rolling it out for ease if I can find a printer that can print the circles on a roll of paper.
I get this 36" paper in 300' rolls.
This is still in the early development stages but is going to happen.
lol.....yea Charlie, I guess you can get as technical as you want. And in the end it all boils down to "Don't stop your Swing".
I used to shoot 5 stand when I lived in Washington state. The retired guys that ran the gun club had a permanent stand like the one someone posted. However, it had a sheet of plywood on it and it was painted white. They had a bucket of some black substance(grease like) that you would roll on with a paint roller(thin layer), then you go back to the bench and shoot. Your pattern was easily visible, and you would simply roll it quickly and do it again. If you have a good coat on it, you just use the roller to spread it evenly again.
In my younger years it was not uncommon for me to load and shoot half a case or more a week on a single stage Pacific press. I had gotten a Western Field 12ga shotgun for Christmas when I turned 12 and it only took pop about a month to get me that press verses buying shells.
During this time I studied up on patterning and went through several loads, wads, and such until I had things where I wanted them. Being a Western Field, there wasn't much I could do about adjusting the gun itself, but the loads, WOW that was some interesting stuff.
A year or two back a good friend of mine got himself a nice high dollar 12 gauge to get into duck hunting. I told him now what you need to do is go out and pick up several brands of shells, in different configurations and pattern them to see what does the best. He gave me that deer in the head light look as if I had just fallen off the turnip wagon. Well just to prove my point he went along with me and I set up a paper at 40yds and had him fire away with it. He was dismayed at how this high dollar shotgun would hardly hit the paper. It took a LOT of explaining to get him to realize that not only was it the load, but the fit of the gun as well that was screwing him up. Since it was one of the nicer guns, it had spacers and such which not only allowed adjustment of the LOP but also the angle of the fit of the buttpad. We played with it and got it down to hitting within the circle but he was still unsatisfied with the results. Finally after calling the manufacturer he was made aware that the European shotguns were made to shoot with the bead directly under the target, after which he started to blow the center out of the circles every time.
Like was mentioned, most folks around these parts simple buy a nice looking shotgun and head ot the woods. Most are never aware of the intricate adjustments which can be made to greatly impove the way they handle as well as shoot. Just like an expansive target rifle however, even the cheapest shotgun can do a LOT better when properly tuned to the loads and shooter.
As for the circle and dot thing, if you don't want to see the circle simply use a pencil to draw it, and you will not see it from 40yds. Use the stick on for centers. Just get a string, and tie a loop in both ends that measure out to 30" before you head to the range. Use a nail to hold it centered and the pencil to draw your circles.
During this time I studied up on patterning and went through several loads, wads, and such until I had things where I wanted them. Being a Western Field, there wasn't much I could do about adjusting the gun itself, but the loads, WOW that was some interesting stuff.
A year or two back a good friend of mine got himself a nice high dollar 12 gauge to get into duck hunting. I told him now what you need to do is go out and pick up several brands of shells, in different configurations and pattern them to see what does the best. He gave me that deer in the head light look as if I had just fallen off the turnip wagon. Well just to prove my point he went along with me and I set up a paper at 40yds and had him fire away with it. He was dismayed at how this high dollar shotgun would hardly hit the paper. It took a LOT of explaining to get him to realize that not only was it the load, but the fit of the gun as well that was screwing him up. Since it was one of the nicer guns, it had spacers and such which not only allowed adjustment of the LOP but also the angle of the fit of the buttpad. We played with it and got it down to hitting within the circle but he was still unsatisfied with the results. Finally after calling the manufacturer he was made aware that the European shotguns were made to shoot with the bead directly under the target, after which he started to blow the center out of the circles every time.
Like was mentioned, most folks around these parts simple buy a nice looking shotgun and head ot the woods. Most are never aware of the intricate adjustments which can be made to greatly impove the way they handle as well as shoot. Just like an expansive target rifle however, even the cheapest shotgun can do a LOT better when properly tuned to the loads and shooter.
As for the circle and dot thing, if you don't want to see the circle simply use a pencil to draw it, and you will not see it from 40yds. Use the stick on for centers. Just get a string, and tie a loop in both ends that measure out to 30" before you head to the range. Use a nail to hold it centered and the pencil to draw your circles.
Why is this made out to be so hard to do, the guy had an idea, circle or no circle what the hay man. Dwilliams I remember you now, I had posted of a 500 dbl firing, you came with the same BS >>AFTER<< you read up on what I posted, remember correcting me on its not dbl firing its called 'bump firing', along with the guy with the pistol lacked "gun guy credentials" or "this gun comes with speciality issues". I had just responded on thoughts on a 500 with my experiance and you came out with all the same type of BS....WW
I agree with you Jammer. The idea is see how many pellets you are putting in the circle at 40 yards. According to the theory, a proper choke will put 50% of the pellets in the 30" circle at 40 yards. After all you are aiming at the center of the circle.
Now I have a printer on board that will print the targets for $2 a piece. If anyone is interested pm me.
Now I have a printer on board that will print the targets for $2 a piece. If anyone is interested pm me.
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