Shotshell Load, Chokes, and Pellet Count Debates

    Do 1 oz. or 7/8 oz. 12 gauge shot loads break targets as efficiently as 1 1/8 oz. 12 gauge loads?  This argument abounds at sporting clays courses across the country.  To break targets, we must consider the shooting range, target size, payload, pellet size, and so forth.  Many shooters have switched to the 1 oz. or 7/8 oz. load because of economics and less recoil.  However, they have increased the load's velocity by adding more powder because they want to get their pattern to the target more quickly and increase the hitting force.  A 1290 1 oz. load will actually have more recoil than a 1145 fps. 1 1/8 ounce load as I researched on the Internet.  Further research also states that hot loads can deform pellet shape and cause more fliers in the pattern.  (European shooters use special hardened pellets to stop deformation.) Research stated that the faster a pellet starts out, the faster it slows down. ( I couldn't find more evidence to prove this.) Do shooters miss targets more because of their loads or their techniques?

    The key to all patterns is the delivered pellet count.  All things being equal, when you use fewer pellets you have smaller patterns.  According to these articles, giving a pellet more energy does not make up for a smaller pattern.  When you reduce your shot amount by 10%, you will reduce your pattern size by the same amount if you keep the pattern density the same. (Same choke tube?)  A two to three inch decrease in pattern size can cause the loss of a bird in competition.  Does losing one to two birds per round make up for saving money using less lead?  I'm "breaking more targets needy and greedy."

Research noted this:

Full Choke (65%) pellet counts in a 30 inch circle at 40 yards with #7 1/2 oz. shot

• 3/4 oz. (219.7 pellets): about 143 pellets
• 7/8 oz. (295.75 pellets); about 192 pellets
• 1 oz. (338 pellets): about 220 pellets
• 1 1/8 oz. (380.25 pellets): about 247 pellets
• 1 1/4 oz. (422.5 pellets); about 275 pellets

    Now, changing to a modified choke or improved cylinder choke decreases the pellet count still condensed at the target even more.  (More spread out.) Logical, but I think you get the idea.  Do shooters change their choke tubes when they use hot loads to compensate?  An old fellow shooter said " I want to have the most pellets to the target to have the best chance of breaking the target." Now I see why a champion shooter here in Ohio shoots full chokes in both barrels of his O/U shotgun in tournaments. 

    So, good shooters have chosen to load their shells, whether 1 1/8 oz., 1 oz., or 7/8 oz.,  so they shoot at the same delivered speed. This allows learning the proper lead on targets from load to load.  (Smart!)  I never realized that a 410 and a 12 gauge load rated at 1200 fps. will have the same speed at the target.  (Not the speed, the number of pellets delivered makes the difference.) I have used all three of the aforementioned loads on the same course using the same choke tubes (so I wouldn't get confused more) depending on the targets distance and presentation (like changing choke tubes) and had decent results, but not great results.

    As I ramble on, shooting at close targets does make smaller loads more realistic, but affects your consistency in recoil feel expectation and can lead to flinching.  Besides, it's fun to "smoke" them and impress your friends.  Ha!  Let's face it, great shooters don't miss targets because of their cartridge load; it's their mechanics.

    Finally, what conclusions did I glean from all this research?

1. Using 1 1/8 ounce loads (in a 12 gauge) is better in almost all situations on a sporting clays course.  If recoil is a problem, use a semi-auto.
2. Settle on a load speed and use it on all presentations to develop consistency and confidence in  necessary leading.
3. Learn to shoot tighter chokes, even on close presentations.  I disagree that light loads should be used for practicing.
4. Pattern your shotgun at 40 yards using a 30 inch circle to check your choke tubes and gun alignment.
5. To be a serious shooter, shoot the same gun as much as possible.  All guns are different.
6. You will never convince some shooters that a lighter load is not better!  Check out the trap shooting sites.
7. All this may be hogwash. So much of shooting is confidence and practice.

    I know I rambled on, but I hope you enjoyed and questioned some of my findings.

Remember: We shoot sporting clays to break targets, and we want to have the best chance possible.

Sporting Clays Techniques: Ridiculous or Not?

    After shooting sporting clays for a round or two, I go home and reach for my "after-thoughts notebook" in my man-cave and write down the techniques that worked, or in most cases, didn't work.  Being a retired teacher and football coach, I think every experience when shooting sporting clays is important.  Most of us have idiosyncrasies we follow when shooting that we feel make us unique and more successful than the next guy, unless he beats us.  Following, in no particular order, are some of my noted after-thoughts you may be interested in reading.

    1.  Pay attention before your turn to shoot at a station, don't stand back and talk.

    2.  Stand as close to the station as possible to see what the path of the targets will be when you shoot.

    3.  Bring the gun up to your cheek when shooting, not your cheek down to the gun.  Move the height of your head as little as possible.

    4.  Stand up straight, point your lead foot to where you plan to break the target, putting more weight on the ball of that foot.

     5.  Don't listen to advice about where to break the target, decide that on your own.  Using someone else's breaking point can make you stop the gun and shoot behind/above/under the target or flinch.

     6.  Don't raise your gun shoulder arm parallel to the ground.  Try it.  Your wrist is in an uncomfortable position and the palm and thumb of your hand doesn't have a full grip on the stock.

     7.  Wind your eyes and head  to where the target is launched, not your whole body.

     8.  Point the muzzle of your gun at the approximate height where the target will be, no more than 1/3 of the distance from where you plan to break the target.  The less movement of the barrel the better.

     9.  Think A, B, then C when shooting in a station. 
               A.  Mount the gun 1/3 of the way back (I repeat for emphasis) from where you plan to shoot the target and lower the gun slightly, move your eyes and head to see target, and call pull.
               B.  See the target and bring the gun back to your cheek as the targets hits the 1/3 distance and get the muzzle of the gun just ahead, under, or above the target depending on the presentation.  Always keep your eyes on the target.
               C.  Pull the trigger at the determined break point. Try to focus on the leading edge of the bird.

     10.  Don't worry about the amount of target lead too much at first. You might take your eyes off the target while calculating the lead and stop the gun, aiming and not pointing.  Many successful shooters cannot tell you how much they led the target, they just learn to use instinct.  You can work on lead once you've mastered A, B, and C.

     11.  I read  an Internet  tip on not stopping your gun when shooting moving targets:  Pretend you have to hit a chip from the target you've just broken.  Follow it briefly with the gun still mounted and then use B and C above on the second target if it is a true pair.

     12.  Depend on your own shooting ability, not the choice of gun, choke tubes, pellet size, shot speed, or color of shells. (But, we do need excuses for our misses, true?)


Final after-thoughts from my notebook: 
(Some of these thoughts are definitely idiosyncrasies of mine, but they seem to work)
     If you are having a an unusually long shooting slump:

• Don't' change choke tubes at each station.  I've had the most luck with a mod and a full choke in my particular O/U gun.  (Even close targets, believe it or not.)
• Use the same ammo load at each station.
• Don't pick up your gun before your turn.
• Don't handle the ammo in your pouch/bag/pocket before you shoot.
• Use the same gun and gun setup for weeks if necessary until your scores improve by at least 5.
• Don't look at your score on the score sheet during the shooting round.
• After missing shots you should have made, make sure your gun is unloaded and spin all the way around to the right in the shooting booth before your next series of shots.  Ha!  Better then throwing the spent shells or kicking the station post.

Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.

           -  Anonymous

    

Sporting Clays Successful Shooting Practices (Or Not?)

    Shooting sporting clays successfully seems to be an easy task.  However, the opposite is true.  Novices arrive at a clays course with a shotgun (usually a pump or semiautomatic) and a pocketful of ammunition, hopefully not high power field loads.  The first timers shoot 50 to 100 rounds and have a great time.  As the novices mature when shooting additional rounds, they become more competitive and more aware of other participants and try to copy observed techniques and equipment, just as they would in any other sport.  Advice and online articles are abundant about what they should do to become a "successful" shooter.  My problem is this:  How many of these "successful" practices actually make a significant difference?  Ten years of participating in the sporting clays events have led me to question several practices "good" shooters follow.

• Many shooters change their choke tubes several times as they proceed through the course.
• Manufactured expensive shells break more targets than cheap brand-named store purchased ones.
• Longer barrel guns smash more targets than shorter barrel guns.
• The more expensive shotguns last longer and break more targets than cheaper shotguns.
• Self reloaded ammunition is more effective than purchased ammunition.
• O/U shotguns break more targets than semiautomatics or side by side shotguns.  This observation could be in any order according to the preference of the shooter.
• It is better to use low recoil loads when practicing.
• Cheek pads and butt stock pads are very effective when used to "soup up" a sporting clays shotgun.
• Extended choke tubes break more targets than factory flush chokes.
• Some shooters have different pockets for reloaded shells with combinations of shot size, powder amounts, shell make, primer make, and even wad type depending on the target presentations.
• 12 gauge shotguns break the most targets the most often.
• Shooting glasses. (Enough said)

    These observations are a lot to think about when we shoot to have "fun".  Each one probably has some merit in becoming more successful at sporting clays courses.  Are these practices just personal theories?  What do you think or are there other practices you've noticed that bother you?
    Your assignment: What two or three practices you follow when shooting sporting clays work best for you?
    Have fun, keep shooting, and keep your eyes open.

"That rifle on the wall of the laborer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy.  It is our job to see that it stays there."
-George Orwell-
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Should We Reload Our Own Shotgun Shells (Or Not)

    Reloading shotgun shells sounds like a good idea, but is it really?  This idea has been discussed at length on the Internet in forums, blogs, magazine excerpts, and other shooting sites.  In this blog I will attempt to organize some of the advantages and
disadvantages of the shotgun shell reloading process. I, myself, have wavered back and forth between buying new shells and reloading old ones.

Advantages:

1.  Cost is probably the major factor when reloading.  Several gauges of shells are not manufactured at as high a volume as the more popular 20 gauge and 12 gauge shells.  New 16 gauge, 28 gauge, and 410 gauge ammos are very expensive and hard to find. 
2.  The loads can be tailored to meet the preferences of the shooter depending on the use of the shell for a certain sport or hunting situation.
3.  Successful reloading creates personal satisfaction.  We all love the bragging rights.
4.  Reloading is a great hobby and helps pass the time.

5.  Some shooters say the reloads are more consistent in speed and other performance factors as compared to the chain store "cheapies".
6.  Safe experimentation can be done to stimulate and continue the interest in new shooting combinations.  Boredom can lead to less participation and frustration.  I can't wait to get to the course to try a new load.  Golfers buy new clubs.  We buy new shotguns or use new reloads.

Disadvantages:

1.  The initial cost of a reloading machine, powder, primers, reloadable hulls, wads, and shot is prohibitive.
2.  Learning how to properly reload shot shells is a time consuming, difficult process for many shooters.
3.  Reloading is a process that has potentially dangerous procedures, materials, and outcomes.
4.  Reloading is probably not cost effective for low volume shooters or newbies.
5.  Not much money is saved reloading 12 and 20 gauge shells because of their easy cheap availability.
6.  In recent years, reloading supplies have been harder to find and the component's prices have increased dramatically.
7.  Reloading requires both time and a proper location in our homes.
8.  Many shooters do not like to save their spent hulls while shooting at a clays site.
9.  Some shooters find it difficult to develop confidence in their reloads, especially if they have periodic bloopers.

    I hope this blog has helped you decide whether you wish to reload or not and has not confused you further.  I realize the decision is a personal one depending on many factors that change from person to person.  I took the plunge to reload long ago and reload mainly for fun, to accomplish a challenging process, and to continue experimentation.  Us old science teachers like to experiment.

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.    -Yogi Berra-

Poor Man's Sporting Clays Shooting Tips

    Everyone reaches a stage in their sporting clays shooting where they seemingly “hit a wall” when they are trying to improve their “break the birds” scores.  Everyone seems to have their own pet technique or advice to help the shooters in this improvement process.  Here are some suggestions I have heard discussed:

1.     Buy a better gun that has been fitted specifically to the shooter.

2.     Buy special shot shell loads fashioned to break more targets. Match the shot size and load according to the target presentation.

3.     Buy this choke tube or that choke tube to use according to the target presentation at each station.

4.     Buy specials stocks, back-bored barrels, stock pads, stock extensions with recoil springs, barrel weights for balancing, special glowing barrel sights, refined triggers, or have the gun bent in any desired direction.

5.     Buy shooting glasses with interchangeable colored lenses to meet environmental conditions.

6.     Buy shoulder recoil pads or shoulder slings for consistent gun mounting.

7.     Buy low recoil shot shells for practice.

8.     Hire an instructor to point out the shooter’s weaknesses when all else fails.

    Notice that every item on this list requires that the shooter spend more money to improve their shooting skills.  I admit that we are competitive in nature and we want the best equipment we can afford.  However, what are the majorities of shooters, who are poor, budget-minded people, supposed to do to improve their scores?  I think there are some easy, cheap ways to improve scores.

1.     Use the same gun, the same shot shell load, the same choke tubes, and the same glasses at each shooting session, whether during practice or serious competition. Quit playing with all your guns if you seriously want to improve your scores.  If you have to shoot a smaller load or a smaller gauge gun to withstand the recoil, do it consistently.

2.     Shoot instinctively.  Have you ever seen a bird that is thrown differently than expected be broken to the surprise of the shooter?  The shooter then misses the following targets when he knows exactly where the target is to go?  Many good shooters keep both eyes open and point the gun, not aim it.  Aiming slows following the target.

3.     Decide to swing through a speeding target and pull the trigger after you have a lead on its path whether the target is rising, falling, or going side to side.  Some shooters spend so much time calculating lead that they stop the swing of the gun and shoot behind or over the target.

4.     Remember, I’m a retired teacher.  Take notes on the techniques that work best for you and go over them each time you shoot.  Score improvement will come with repetition and consistency.

5.     Don’t copy other shooter’s techniques and change yours all the time because they are not you.  Sorry, some shooters are just naturally more adept at breaking targets.  Again, develop consistent techniques that you can master with practice.

6.     Learn to concentrate on the path of the thrown targets at each station before you get into the station to shoot.  Did you ever hear someone say: “I just can’t seem to see the targets today”?
 

7.     Develop confidence that you can break the target.  Having a positive mental attitude is an overused term, but it works! Get mad if you miss a target, but get over it quickly and move on.  Post mortems never help you improve as a shooter.  Look forward to shooting at each session don’t be intimidated by other shooters.

8.     These encouraging words keep jumping to my mind: repetition, consistency, and confidence along with practice, practice, practice.   Repress inconsistency, frustration, fear, embarrassment, and an “oh well” attitude.

    I hope just one of these items can help you become a better, happier shooter.  Money cannot and will not create success in a sport that seems so simple to master.  My best memories of shooting sporting clays is beating someone who has spent more money on their gun and other equipment than I have on my truck.  A friend of mine always says “be good, don’t just look good.”

"Do what you can where you are with what you have."

~ Theodore Roosevelt

 

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. "

~ Lou Holtz

 

A Winter Day Sporting Clays Experience

    I have a friend that says riding in a boat across a lake in the summer "just doesn't get any better than this!"  I would like to amend this statement to include shooting sporting clays in the winter.  This past Saturday we shot two rounds at a local sporting clays site and had a great time.  The sun was bright, 4-5 inches of snow was on the ground, and the temperature hovered around twenty-five degrees.  Sure it was not really that cold, but the air was clean, the targets were easier to see, and we weren't sitting around the house bored to tears.  There is nothing like the crisp bang of a good shotgun, the smell of burned gunpowder,  the crunch of snow under your feet, and the companionship of good friends to warm your heart as well as soothe your mind.  Every station was a photograph ready to be taken and remembered for another day.  We as Americans have the unique opportunity to enjoy a sport other countries only dream about.

   Why, you say, would anyone in his right mind want to be outside when the weather is so bad?  I say because we can.  Before I retired, I spent many days at my job looking out the window planning to do things I couldn't while being employed; my bucket list I guess.  Now, I am emptying that bucket with a vengeance.  I have reached an age where I had better enjoy life while I'm capable.

    So, what can a shooter do to prepare for a winter sporting clays event?

• Wear layers of additional clothing, more than you should need. It is much easier to remove some clothing than it is to walk back to your vehicle for more or be uncomfortable the whole round.  A face covering hat/scarf is essential on the particularly cold windy days.
• Wear water-proof, warm footwear and always bring an extra pair of socks and gloves.
• Include disposable hand warmers in your shooting bag along with some coffee or hot chocolate.
• Many shooters say to shoot size 7 1/2 sized shot to more effectively break those cold, heavy birds.
• Make sure your powder is not too cold sensitive to cause annoying "bloops".
• Shoot in groups of 4-5 so you won't have to stand around so long waiting your turn to shoot.
• Bring out a gun you don't shoot that often and experiment, have fun.
• Choose a site that has a warm, refreshment equipped club house to rest between rounds.
• Find a friend that has a golf cart with a windshield to carry all the extra equipment.  Ha!

    Obviously, you will probably not shoot as well as usual because you may have to shoot with gloves on and the additional padding on your shoulder makes it difficult to mount the gun properly and feel comfortable.  However, you are getting out, enjoying God's creation, getting some exercise, (minus the golf cart), and satisfying that innate need to destroy something completely without being judged for doing so.  I have noticed that I shoot a lot better when the warm weather rolls around than I did the previous summer.  We all seek to improve our scores (although some aren't willing to admit it) and the more we shoot the better we will achieve this goal.

    Do you have any ideas of additional preparation items I have omitted in the list above?  Give winter shooting a try if you are the adventuresome type and you can join the list of us who are probably just crazy!

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face."    Victor Hugo

   

Shooting Legacy

    I grew up in a great time in America.  I worked as a flusher and brush stomper for rabbits and birds when I was too young to carry a gun.  My father, cousins, uncles, and friends gathered at our farm the first day of hunting season and at Thanksgiving.  Mom and Dad didn't allow me to skip school on the season's game opening, but I made up for it during Thanksgiving vacation.  Most of the shooters had bagged their limits by the noon Thanksgiving meal, but after a huge meal at a huge table complete with heated political discussions, we yawned and went out again.  Many times, I had frozen pants, muddy feet, and cold fingers and toes.  But try to keep me away from hunting for those darting rabbits, thunderous quail explosions, and cackling pheasant flushes.  Oh how I wished to be older!  By the time I was old enough to carry a gun, everyone was too old, had moved away, or died. 

    Why do I mention this?  Somehow, our society has lost this togetherness, the oneness of family pride, and the sharing.  Have you ever spent Thanksgiving  or Christmas by yourself?  Everyone seems to have their own agenda.  Families are so spread out and parents work so much that traveling during holidays is very limited. 
    Another problem we face is the feminization of men.  Real men don't kill defenseless animals, carry guns, compete with other men in activities like sporting clays or be the leader in family activities.  Hum?  Oops,  that sounds like sexism to me.  Did you ever notice that progressives seek to control us by name calling and innuendos and ram their beliefs down our throats?  You should wear certain clothes, eat low-fat, low carbohydrate, low calorie food, and not hunt and own or carry a gun. By doing this, progressives attack our opinions and create guilt and doubt in our beliefs.  What was once right is wrong, and what was wrong is now right! The breakdown of the American family has accelerated and is preventing us from passing down family beliefs and traditions. 

    Today, my seventeen year old grandson shot his first buck on the opening day of youth season, an eight pointer here in northwest Ohio where big deer are scarce.  I am so proud of him!  Both of his grandpas have tried to pass down the legacy of gun safety and the shooting sports.  Next week we plans to go pheasant hunting.  Where are most people's grandsons at today?
  

     Folks, people are trying to take all this away from us! We must resist.  Stand up for your rights and don't be afraid to stick to your guns!

"To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason