Shot size?

[JD]

I notice that when dove hunting I have trouble dropping them, but when duck hunting, I have no trouble knocking them to the pond.  I am just wondering if I am shooting the right shot or if the choke needs to be changed in my gun?

[DaveO]

That depends,, what size shot are you using and what choke are you using?

If you are a choke changer one thing to keep in mind is the chances of you putting in the choke the same way twice are not so good.

I would pattern your gun with the choke and the same shell you plan on using to see where your gun is shooting for starters.

Just remember when you do this you relay should use the same shell and the same shot every time you hunt.

another thing MOST guns,,,,,NOT ALL,,,,, pattern better with a 7 1/2 shot than with 8 shot.

good luck and let us know how your pattern session turns out.
                          DaveO

[JohnWester]

does anyone have a nice new polebarn up so I can come and test my pattern? 

[DaveO]

Funny you should say that,,,,
when I lived on the farm I maid my own trap house and it was maid out of pole barn tin,,,, well when I was out in the pasture the friend that was shooting with me that day,,,,well the first day I had my pat trap going infact,,,
 He wanted to shoot a P. gun so he picked up my gun and missed the sky and hit my trap house.

So from that day on I got to see my pattern every day I practiced,,,,

Too funny

[Benny]

Leech Angler, if your having issues with Doves try using a modified choke and go to 6 shot 2-3/4 inch high bass or the duck and phesant rounds.

This will give you a good size pellet to range out there, and the mod choke will spred the pattern a little.

I almost never use any thing smaller than 6 shot for game birds, I don't like to see the birds tore to pieces from so many pellets from the 7-1/2 and 8 shot.

Magnum rounds might be over kill.

If your hitting the waterfowl don't change any thing.


And as Dave said, get out and do some patern testing to see exctly what your shot is doing at the ranges you think the birds are at when you shoot at them.

Usualy 40 yards is a good rule but closer if your getting the birds at tree top level or lower.

Benny

[GRIZ]

The dove is a very small bird and a fragile one also. I would be inclined to think maybe that dove are actually flying through the shot string, depending on what distances your shots are at..

 When you look at a shot pattern it might look real nice and blame yourself for for a missed shot.  might not think you were quite on. That might not be the case.

 I wished I could find the photos to post . Anyhow at 10 ft. ur pattern is already 3 ft. long and at 40 yds it was over 20 ft. Now to me that looked like a small bird could easily fly through. That is why I like to use smaller shot, like 7 1/2 on smaller game. Granted you don't have the greater energy at distances but I think ur shot string is fuller making for less "misses".

[Benny]

Griz,what choke are you using that will give you a 20foot pattern at 40yards?

When I pattern my trap loads at 40 yards my largest diamiter pattern never gets  large than a 40 inch circle using #8 with a full trap choke.

But it is true that a person can shoot "around" a bird, that is why you should pattern your guns with the loads you want to use.

I tried some spreader wads one time, man there were so many holes in the pattern that I could place three clays in the 40 in circle with plenty of room around them.

The dove is simular to the teal, they look like they are going 100 mph but probably are going 20 mph.
They give the illusion of speedy birds because they are smaller in size than say a crow or a large mallard.

One good way to see where your shot string is hitting while you shoot is to shoot trap in a heavey rain.
You can actualy see your shot charge going through the water drops.

But your going to get soaked and will have to oil the gun well after.

Benny

[GRIZ]

Benny I wasn't refering to the diameter of the pattern. When I was talking shot string I was talking about the length of it. I wished I could find them photos as it would explain it better.

Here goes imagine taking ur pattern and stretching it out 20 ft like 3d. When I seen the photo at forty yds it amazed me that I could hit anything at all.

[jigglestick]

lets see if this works

[attachment deleted by admin]

[GRIZ]

Yea thats what I was talking about. I just seen a high speed pic of one instead but thats the idea I had.

[Benny]

AAHH,I see where you at.Well I can't comment on that subject as I never have done any research into the "stretch" of shot charge.

I would guess the forces of gravity on the litest Bebe's would cause them to slow faster.

As they don't have the mass to keep the speed going.

But if you look at it from this point of view, and if your slightly head of the bird, wouldn't;t the trailing Bebe's then hit the mark?

If there is a string of shot going out there, then the faster pellets would have gone past the flight line of the bird but the trailing pellets would get the bird.

Although I do find it hard to believe there would be such a distance in the shot string, even over a 40 yard distance.

Maybe if you had some very low velocity shot, but the new modern shot is traveling at 1000fps at 20 yards down range and leaves the barrel at around 1500 fps.

I would guess you might have a 20 inch long shot string but 20 feet seems to long.

I will have to dig into this one now that you got my curiosity up.

Benny

[GRIZ]

You are right on the idea that the trailing shot would have an opportunity to hit the bird. Being totally honest the sketch that jiggle showed I like better than the photo that I seen. That showed only 10 ft. long string where as the one I seen claimed 20 ft. It would just make sense to me that the more it's stretched out the less full Ur pattern would be thus allowing a better chance for a small bird to fly through

[JD]

Thanks for the info guys, I think I need to look into changing my choke. I think the dove are flying through my pattern, I may also try a smaller shot.