It is impossible to tell for sure from the pic, but I don't think that the patterns shown are only 6" high. It appears to me that the entire upper fringe of the patterns may be completely off the paper. There is precious little pattern, besides fringe, below the point of aim. I would not be surprised, seeing more patterns shot on a larger plate or paper, if it were not shooting 80/20 high, at least 70/30.
Regardless, understanding that the shot drop will help things at long range does not help the situation at close range, where most birds are killed. The only way to properly shoot those patterns at close range is to "float" the bird above the bead, in space. From watching shooters try to do that for years, and trying to do it years ago on wild quail, I can tell you it is a recipe for poor shooting, and a lot of wounded birds. Since the vast majority of shots are taken at 30 yards or less, the better course is to have a gun that shoots no more that 60/40 high, or even flat (50/50), at those distances. My guns shoot flat to 60/40 high and I do not concern myself with shot drop on long shots. If I am "playing" with some really long stuff, 70-80 yards, like the #8 bird on a "Make A Break", I may hold over a tad. That is much easier to do than having to consistently float a bird on close shots. Dedicated trap guns and pigeon guns are a whole 'nuther animal, and are set up to shoot purposely high. Neither should influence how a game gun is set up.
Then, there is the shooter error of lifting the head off the stock slightly. This may be the most common shooter error with a shotgun ......that, and shooting behind. No one should set up a shotgun to accommodate errors, but if a gun is shooting as high as this one is, and the head lifts slightly, you've got a big "0" on the scorecard, or a missed bird, because your load will go even higher.
JMO, based on my experiences.
SRH
Could not agree more, Stan. Well stated.
JR
