How to pattern test?

[motty]

Motty, thanks for the reply! How do you find using the terror then when you are trying to shoot duck during a goose flight? Teal are hard enough at the best of times without a really tight pattern. Or do you just take them further out?

I must admit, i do miss a few with the terrors, but i just try and shoot the same as normal. Last season i got a few mallard after good goose flights, not even bothering about swapping shells. Teal can be very tricky,

[anser2]

My stock in trade duck steel shells are 3 inch mammoth in 3s. I have found they kill well with few runners to just over 40 yards but 50 yards are just a little too far for the pellets for clean kills unless head shot for mallard , though wounding is less of a problem with smaller ducks. Through 1/2 choke the pattern is very good and its worth remembering that the reverse is true for steel compared to lead. In such a steel load the peretration gives out before the pattern , with lead the pattern gives out before penertration.

 

If I am mainly expecting mallard and I think they are going to be on the edge of range i step up to Remmington Sportsman no 2 and use a very tight steel choke .700. Using this combination I fine the mallard are cleanly killed or missed. I have yet to have a runner out of the 50 odd mallard I have shot with this load over the past few years. Of course there may be a few birds body shot , but flew on , but none showed any sign of being hit. Keep your range below 50 yards and the Remmies work well , but beware most of the close birds will be missed . I reserve this load for flightlines where I expect every bird to be at the limit of range. There is one flight line I shoot where the duck flight over a pine wood with trees about 35 yards high. The duck are usualy another 10 yards above the trees so this load comes into its own for them.

 

There was a time when I hated steel for geese, but again using a full .700 steel choke with BB or better still BBB I have found steel will do the job well on pink feet up to 50 yards. Beyond that the penertration gives out before pattern again. I know a lot of people like no1 or no 3 on geese and they do work well up to 40 yards , but beyond that I find BB or BBB works better for me with the full choke.

Edited July 20, 2014 by anser2

[wildfowler.250]

I must admit, i do miss a few with the terrors, but i just try and shoot the same as normal. Last season i got a few mallard after good goose flights, not even bothering about swapping shells. Teal can be very tricky,

Thank you!

My stock in trade duck steel shells are 3 inch mammoth in 3s. I have found they kill well with few runners to just over 40 yards but 50 yards are just a little too far for the pellets for clean kills unless head shot for mallard , though wounding is less of a problem with smaller ducks. Through 1/2 choke the pattern is very good and its worth remembering that the reverse is true for steel compared to lead. In such a steel load the peretration gives out before the pattern , with lead the pattern gives out before penertration.

 

If I am mainly expecting mallard and I think they are going to be on the edge of range i step up to Remmington Sportsman no 2 and use a very tight steel choke .700. Using this combination I fine the mallard are cleanly killed or missed. I have yet to have a runner out of the 50 odd mallard I have shot with this load over the past few years. Of course there may be a few birds body shot , but flew on , but none showed any sign of being hit. Keep your range below 50 yards and the Remmies work well , but beware most of the close birds will be missed . I reserve this load for flightlines where I expect every bird to be at the limit of range. There is one flight line I shoot where the duck flight over a pine wood with trees about 35 yards high. The duck are usualy another 10 yards above the trees so this load comes into its own for them.

 

There was a time when I hated steel for geese, but again using a full .700 steel choke with BB or better still BBB I have found steel will do the job well on pink feet up to 50 yards. Beyond that the penertration gives out before pattern again. I know a lot of people like no1 or no 3 on geese and they do work well up to 40 yards , but beyond that I find BB or BBB works better for me with the full choke.

Interesting read, thank you!