sitsinhedges Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 What palaver? It seems there are a number of people interested. Understanding the results can help with your shooting. No doubt a bit of gun fit will come into play. Well maybe some folk are billy no mates or have too much time on their hands. Personally if I have any issue with POI or pattern density I just take a big bit of card or two out to my nearest permission or local club and fire the gun at them without fuss. I don't see the point of driving to the other side of the county or further to pay for the privilege of doing just that. It's bad enough having to take proof loads all the way to Birmingham, but there's no way around that. I'd rather be out there shooting. That's what palaver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfarmer Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 If anyone wants to arrange a day on the pattern plate I have a couple of basic ones set up at the ground. I have a steel plate - well actually a couple of diesel tanks and a couple of wooden pallets for testing steel shot. The only cost would be the paper for the pallets and you bring your own emulsion and brush for the steel plate - or I could supply at minimal cost. The results can be fascinating. My advice would be to get the biggest selection of your most popular load to compare - but they must be the same load and shot size for a direct comparison. Its no good comparing 7.5's with 9's or 24g with 28g when working out which one performs best in your gun. This rather more objective way of choosing a cartridge would appear to be more reliable than just seeing what your mate uses or going with what you happened to be using when you had a good day, which was probably down to a good nights sleep! You might well be pleasantly surprised to find some of the less expensive cartridges actually perform better in your gun than some of the more expensive ones. Once you have found the brand that suits your gun the best then it is worth patterning different shot sizes with different chokes. Now I assume that everyone knows that for close up targets you can use small shot and wide open chokes but not everyone knows at what distance you should be changing to larger shot size and the affect that has on pattern density and the amount of choke required to compensate for this. Again seeing the pattern and the required density for edge on targets and face on targets can be quite eye opening. A different aspect of using the pattern plate is to see where your gun actually shoots. It can also show up faults such as poor mount and trigger snatch. I know these can be spotted by a competent instructor but I know of several people who have actually missed the plate - much to their surprise!!! I know you can all do this for yourselves with a piece of cardboard where you have permission and it is safe to shoot, but doing it within a group can be quite revealing with the collective experiences. Of course - while you are here you might like to have a round of clays - I'm afraid they aren't quite free but exceptionally good value!! It would make a great day out. John South Worcester Shooting Ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 If anyone wants to arrange a day on the pattern plate I have a couple of basic ones set up at the ground. I have a steel plate - well actually a couple of diesel tanks and a couple of wooden pallets for testing steel shot. The only cost would be the paper for the pallets and you bring your own emulsion and brush for the steel plate - or I could supply at minimal cost. The results can be fascinating. My advice would be to get the biggest selection of your most popular load to compare - but they must be the same load and shot size for a direct comparison. Its no good comparing 7.5's with 9's or 24g with 28g when working out which one performs best in your gun. This rather more objective way of choosing a cartridge would appear to be more reliable than just seeing what your mate uses or going with what you happened to be using when you had a good day, which was probably down to a good nights sleep! You might well be pleasantly surprised to find some of the less expensive cartridges actually perform better in your gun than some of the more expensive ones. Once you have found the brand that suits your gun the best then it is worth patterning different shot sizes with different chokes. Now I assume that everyone knows that for close up targets you can use small shot and wide open chokes but not everyone knows at what distance you should be changing to larger shot size and the affect that has on pattern density and the amount of choke required to compensate for this. Again seeing the pattern and the required density for edge on targets and face on targets can be quite eye opening. A different aspect of using the pattern plate is to see where your gun actually shoots. It can also show up faults such as poor mount and trigger snatch. I know these can be spotted by a competent instructor but I know of several people who have actually missed the plate - much to their surprise!!! I know you can all do this for yourselves with a piece of cardboard where you have permission and it is safe to shoot, but doing it within a group can be quite revealing with the collective experiences. Of course - while you are here you might like to have a round of clays - I'm afraid they aren't quite free but exceptionally good value!! It would make a great day out. John South Worcester Shooting Ground Good reply and a great offer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevo Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 Well maybe some folk are billy no mates or have too much time on their hands. Personally if I have any issue with POI or pattern density I just take a big bit of card or two out to my nearest permission or local club and fire the gun at them without fuss. I don't see the point of driving to the other side of the county or further to pay for the privilege of doing just that. It's bad enough having to take proof loads all the way to Birmingham, but there's no way around that. I'd rather be out there shooting. That's what palaver. so are you going ? haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 so are you going ? haha Well I'm certainly weighing up my options I was being a bit flippant really wasn't I? Good luck to those who get something out of this day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 (edited) We intended to do a bit of a pattern experiment this last Summer in one of the fields at the farm but every one gets so little time and I never got it set up. The only thing that we set up was zeroing and range testing one of the son in laws guns, a 22rf auto. I set it up at about 20 paces and got the scope zeroed and then he shot it freehand out to about 150 paces with a little fine tuning. We tried several different brands of rounds. He is a good shot and the rabbits have had a bit of a beating. We had a bit of time zeroing my 223 and a couple of really decent friends clay shoots where everyone brings a couple of boxes of clays, several guns of different cals and a couple of slabs of cartridges. There is no pull, no scoring and several guns might be shooting at the same time because we use several traps at the same time so there are a lot of clays in the air at the same time like a mass flush. we just keep shooting all afternoon into the evening with a bit of a break for a BBQ and a drink until either the barrels are too hot, we run out of clays or cartridges. if we run out of clays someone always finds an old can or something and just shoots the thing to bits. even with this entertainment it is very difficult to round up all of the son in laws so that they can all turn out on the day. The wife has come up with the idea of all of us to go shooting a round on Boxing day but even that is difficult. no one has the time to live. It is for this reason that I would never get to come to a do a thing like this. If I have the time I would rather get out on my own ground with the spaniel and actually shoot for real. I don't personally feel the need to meet up with other shooters and see what they are doing because I've got friends that are always asking me about going out shooting and lamping and mostly it just doesn't happen. I do like looking for and shooting abroad if it is possible. Sorry chaps I'd just set up a chunk of cardboard out in a field but I've never felt the need to pattern and I wouldn't want the boys to shoot better than they do now or else I'd have to go and get lessons of something to keep up with them. Edited December 6, 2015 by fortune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenlivet Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Hi all Thanks for the interest you have all shown in this post, can I ask those of you still keen to register your interest on the basc website, go to home page click on "events and courses" then "training courses. you will see "cant find a course in you area?" click on that and fill in boxes and select a course "shotgun patterning workshop". this will show the interest out there for the day thanks again PW Flycoy Done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycoy Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Thankyou I must have got the sequence right then. Flycoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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