I'd like to find real life shotgun patterning estimate

[Kagetsu]

Higgins on Magnum PI easily showed the 00 pattern using full choke "literally blows ones bloody head off". I can't find a place that will let me shoot 00 buck. I've been trying YouTube but they always seem to do something wrong. I want to estimate the terminal range for IC to deliver a 6" kill group. The cartriges I'm carrying are the Win MilSpec, Rem magnum and the ones I'm likely to rely on in the open, Federal Vitalshok. I've seen people showing bird shot hitting as solid mass at distance that mine pepper a 12 inch target completely, My guess is their using a full choke and just not saying.

 

[fabsroman]

http://www.fieldandstream.com/artic...n-analyzer-reveals-ugly-truths-about-shotguns

http://www.choketube.com/patterning-shotgun.php

https://www.hunter-ed.com/montana/studyGuide/Shotgun-Choke-and-Shot-Pattern/201027_700048225

Ultimately, every gun is going to pattern somewhat differently. You really should go and pattern your gun if you are really worried about the terminal range, whatever "terminal range" might mean in this instance.

 

[lazarus]

You are in Washington county...can't you go to the Green Ridge State Forrest range? Far as I know shot is fine from a shotgun there. It is bring your own stand and your own targets (paper only).

You need to pattern. Each type of buckshot will pattern different as will each choke type and gun. Federal flytecontrol (or heifer they spell it) is the tightest from everything I have seen. Half the group size or less of most 00. In general something like an IC is probably going to make a 6" pattern at maybe 15 yards. Might get 20yds.

 

[Kagetsu]

if you are really worried about the terminal range, whatever "terminal range" might mean in this instance.

I'm thinking "terminal" as the likely kill shot that most of the 9 pellets hit in the central area of the chest or head and ignoring 100 yard target hits of 1 or 2 pellets, granted .32 caliber but maybe half the grain weight of a stablized slug and likely shaped like a lima bean from powder compresion that probably slows it considerably, manages to pierce a paper target. [/lot of varibles]

Green Ridge is a bit of a haul into serious boonies. I'm on the look out for some scrap wood for targets and time to put them together. Nuttnfancy does it. I'd like to have some. With all of the cardboard recycling I can't really find 15 pcs of 2x3, minimum for targets.

One shot per target, thinking 5 yrds, 25 yrds, 50 yrds mnimum. A lot of targets.

I'm pretty sure the one guy on Youtube ran the vital shock out beyond 50 yrds all pellets hitting center of a 12 gel block. Not my go to for a riot where engagement at distance could mean firing through a crowd because cowards like shooting from the back.

[/no spell check?]

 

[mopar92]

Just a tip, instead of wasting time and ammo firing one shot per target, line em up in a straight line at different distances. If you use paper targets it shouldn't affect the performance of the pellets at all.

 

[lazarus]

You can reuse. Especially with 00, not many holes. Bring masking tape with you and cover the holes after each shot. Or get a long roll of packing paper and staple that over a 2x4 frame.

 

[alucard0822]

Best bet to pattern is a roll of butcher paper and a red stickers to aim at, till then, you have no idea what the pattern actually will be. It varies by load and barrel regardless of choke, and chokes rarely have a nice linear pattern(example 1" per yard spread with modified, .75" with full) with large shot. In my experience the tightest groups with buckshot are from a modified choke, figure they bounce against each other and deform to spread the pattern with any choke tighter than that, and in many cases there isn't much of a difference between IC or C and M.

I've patterned a couple of the loads you are looking at out of my 18" Cyl bore 870, Win mil loads pattern terrible, they use a wad instead of a cup, anywhere from 12-24" at 50feet with usually a couple random fliers far from the center of the pattern, very inconsistent. 3" magnums are similarly terrible, patterns tend to be about the same 12-24", but with 15 pellets, and recoil is brutal, really tough to make followup shots with any speed. Rem express buckshot is much better, usually about 12", Federal with a flite control wad is by far the most consistent and tightest, typically a nice round 6" pattern. Federal's PD132 is the gold standard, 9 plated 00 pellets at 1150FPS, much less blast and recoil than Rem or Win(both run about 1350FPS), but still more than enough power to penetrate sufficiently, and patterns extremely well, you can fire than as fast as you can pump. They feel about the same as 1oz clay target loads, good both because they are light, and because practicing with birdshot is cheaper without the problem of becoming accustomed to a practice load that doesn't feel similar to your defensive load.