doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com patterning distances

I'm left handed so a part of every acquisition is patterning mostly to see how I need to bend the stock. But I also need to know if the barrels shoot together, as I have owned a few Spanish guns that didn't.

I initially pattern at 20 yds with 7-1/2 shot and shoot each barrel multiple times at the same target to show a dense pattern center. Then I'll shoot at 25, 30 and 35 yards with No 5 shot. If the barrels don't converge the gun goes back.

I use trig to determine how much the stock needs to be bent to get a center pattern. I also bend stocks, mostly up, as I like about 80% of the pattern above the bead. I float the bird, mostly pheasant, above the bead. My brother says I shoot at their feet! I'm 5-8" and stocky but the dimensions that work for me are 1-3/16 X 2-1/4 X 14-13/16 with 7/16" cast on at the heel, toe out about 3/16" past that. My stocks look weird but that's what it takes for me.

Tonight, I had aspirations of patterning my KSW 2x12b. However, the pattern plate was a bit dry and there was no grease to add to it. I did make it work for a few shots to confirm that it regulated reasonably (a major relief factor). I shot a few more from the right barrel at only 16 yds and each pattern looked pretty similar to this one. These were aimed shots, not mount and pull.



The hole in the plate is the size of a clay pigeon for reference. As a grouse gun, it seems pretty tight (7/8 oz of #8). What do you guys think? What is a reasonable pattern size at distance X for a grouse gun. 30" at 25 yds is what I"m thinking, and this will probably be quite a bit tighter with too many fliers.


I'll pattern it some more with a couple of loads, but I think I need to open them a fair bit. Measuring the right side I got 0.022-0.024" and the left was tighter at 0.032" give or take a bit.

Yes that is tight.

I don’t know if you reload, but you may find that bumping up the speed 100 ft./s opens the pattern considerably.

If the speed you are working with is already pleasing, in terms of recoil and speed, then you could look at reloading with the spreader post.

After that you could consider choke Work.

Understand once material is removed, you can’t put it back.

It is a 2" 12 gauge, so reloading is almost required. After months of experimentation, I know I can't go faster. And I'm using fiber wads which I don't think can be made onto spreaders. Standard wad space is not available in such a short hull. So metal removal is all that is left.

7/8oz. is a common 2 3/4" shot charge, and I'm not so sure the pattern would be tighter at twenty-five, than at sixteen yards.

There might be options, drop the shot weight to 3/4oz, trim wad or shot cup petals, get some "shorties", Aguila has a 5/8oz. 1 3/4in shell. Why not use the gun, and send it out after the season, or don't send it out and let it be what it is. It's not a duck gun, let it make patterns with lighter loads, unless you got it to fill the freezer. I'd caution against using steel in it, don't forget the bismuth or maybe ITX.

It's a grouse gun, though I'd love to try it on teal. Just don't have bismuth handy. It will never see steel on my watch.

I am not using plastic wads, only fiber. I'm trying to avoid plastic for this gun, if possible.

not something that i have ever tried, but i have seen numerous references to homemade spreader devices....two rectangles cut from thin rigid plastic - with dimensions dictated by available space (inner diameter of hull & height between undershot wad and osc). center cut each one to half the height, and slip them together to create an X, that will separate the shot charge into four equal parts - such a set-up has been cussed/discussed many times over the years as a possible spreader.

perhaps, look at using a thinner fiber wad(s) column - softer wad columns promote tighter patterns...so, logically harder wad columns should promote more open ones...

have also seen folks advocate using 1 or 2 thin disks (possibly some of the ultra thin overshot cards) interspersed amidst the shot charge....to separate the shot into 2 or 3 "compartments".

best regards,
tom

BPI X-stream spreader
Probably tighter than optimal for grouse in close cover, although probably about right for plains grouse, especially with a flushing dog. The X-stream spreader might be worth a try. It is sized for use in a shot cup for 12 gauge, or without a cup in 16 or 20 gauge. Use in 12 gauge without a cup would probably work ok though. It displaces 1/8 ounce of shot. If stack height proved too high, roll crimping would gain some room if you aren't already doing that. I use it with 7/8 ounce of #8 shot in the .028 right barrel of my 12 gauge LC Smith.

Only my opinion. 16 yds you're not going to get much more open patterns with any choke, device, majic etc. At about 25 yds. things start happening. Tighter choke takes effect at 30+ yds. Make sure it shoots where you point and shoot the damn thing! Spreaders effect tighter chokes much more dramatically than open chokes, not much change with Cyl. or IC.
Chief

I shoot trap at 16yds with an extra full choked Beretta (0.685) If I used spreaders I wonder how much difference that would make on my hit percentage. For grouse in the woods I like a 30" barrel, choked modified or less, sometimes full in the left and mod to open in the right. I don't miss too many unless I'm slow off the starting line. Just not sure what spreaders would achieve in my case.