[Jorg]

I picked up a 18" IC barrel for my 870 (12g) and decided to go pattern it. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate (evening winds) and I ran out of light and patience. I managed to get a few shots during the few moments of calm. I didn't get through everything I wanted to pattern, but I thought I'd share a few quick pictures. These were all at 15 yards. 00 Buck, 2 3/4" unless otherwise noted.

My apologies for the quality of the pictures, it was first time trying the new camera and the lighting in the basement wasn't the best. I'll get better pictures after I try it again. Thus it being a pattern preview. When i get more time, I'll fire the other loads I have and try to get some different distances too. I wish I would have gotten to the 1 Buck, but that was load 10 and I only made it to 7 before having to call it quits.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59868
Hornady TAP, 7" spread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59869
Federal Premium Tactical with flight control wad, 9 pellet. (I believe the missing pellets went through the wad o' doom hole.)
5" spread including wad hole.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59870
Federal Premium Tactical with flight control wad, 8 pellet. 5.5" spread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59871
Rio Royal. 15" spread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59872
I did a second shot with the Rio Royal, in case the first one was a fluke. 13" spread.

[Jorg]

Continued...

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59873
Federal Power-Shok, 4 Buck, 13" spread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59874
Federal Vital-Shok, copper plated, 10" spread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59875
Federal Power-Shok, 3", 13" spread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=59876
Bonus shot of wildfire just above where I was shooting.

[Fred Fuller]

Modern loads using gee-whiz components can produce some awesome buckshot patterns. It is interesting to compare them to loads using older styles of loading and oldfashioned components. If you don't have some S&B (Sellier and Bellot) 00 in your test queue, see if you can find some before your next outing. It usually works pretty well in the 'scattergun' department too.

Good work, keep it up. And try it at 25 yards too. That way you get to see more of what a given load will do. And, that's usually about the range limit for buckshot. It'll go farther than 25 yards but with a lot of guns and loads patterns open up so much as to be less effective at that range.

Stay safe,

lpl/nc

[Dave McCracken]

Keep up the good work.

I like the tightness of those Fedtac loads. They would be my picks for this shotgun.

[Jorg]

Lee, I'll definately try to find some S&B loads. I was somewhat limited by what I could find at the local shops and things I had laying around the closet. My initial plan was to do 15 yards (longest shot in the house) and then the 25. I even made up the targets for it (if you look close, you can see on the TAP load I grabbed the first target from the 25 yard stack).

If I am going to pattern the RIO at 25 yards, I'll need a bigger box. :)

Dave, I like the way they look too. They are also one of the cheaper ones to obtain locally ($25 for 50). By the way, in your patterning post, you mentioned paper with light blue lines on it. I found some posterboard in the craft section of Wal-Mart which fit this description, but it was $1.50 a sheet. Too much for me to pattern 10 different offerings at 2 ranges each.

I'll post further results if anyone is interested.

[Gunsnrovers]

Nice. A lot of shooters really have no idea how their shotguns pattern with different loads at different distances. Definitely worth the time and a few bucks to find out.

I've had very good luck with 8 pellet Hornady TAP, but I need to try out the newer Federal stuff.

[sm]

Jorg,

Excellent post and thank you so much for sharing!

It is interesting how 3" loadings do not always perform as well as 2 3/4" loadings.
*grin*.

Not all loads with kewl names do well upon patterning; Rio for instance might require a billboard at 25 yards *snicker*.

I would be curious to see how the plain vanilla Federal 2 3/4" nine pellet 00 buckshot load does out of this barrel.
This offering, along with the Win, and Rem equivalent, are what many folks "snag" at the local stores to test.

Just a gut feeling, the Fed nine pellet load and Federal 1 oz Forster slug would like this barrel. *grin*


If you could for educational purposes take one load and fire at a stationary target, then take the same load, attach target to a clothes-line (similar set up) with a cord attached and from safety, have someone pull that load really fast, and shoot at the same distance.

Moving targets change things, and most folks never pattern at a moving target.

Thank you again-

Steve

[Dave McCracken]

I doubt the graphing paper mentioned would help much with buck,Jorg. Seems like you've got a handle on things now.

LIke sm, try some classic style buck loads and see what happens.

[Jorg]

sm, you're not nearly as hip as I thought if you think "Rio Royal" is a "kewl name." However, it does have the clear hull, so that is pretty kewl :)

As far as classic style loads, here's the full list that I took out. They aren't in any particular order, this is just the order I marked the boxes to correspond with the target.

#1 Hornady TAP 00 BUCK
#2 Federal Premium Tactical 9 pellet 00 LE132 00
#3 Federal Premium Tactical 8 pellet 00 LE133 00
#4 Rio Royal "buck special" 9 pellet 00
#5 Federal Power-Shok 27 pellet 4 buck
#6 Federal Premium Vital-Shok 9 pellet 00
#7 Federal Power-Shok 15 pellet 00 3"
---- called after this one due to weather/darkness ---
#8 Federal Premium Vital-Shok 15 pellet 00 3"
#9 Remington Managed-Recoil 8 pellet 00
#10 Remington 1 Buck (lost the box years ago, probably the regular pellet count for that load)

A few others followed me home tonight and I'll include them in the next test.

Remington Premier 12 pellet 00
Remington 8 pellet 000
Remington 9 pellet 00
Remington 12 pellet 00
Winchester Supreme 9 pellet 00

And something that is just silly that I couldn't pass up:
Winchester Supreme Double X Magnum 41 pellet 4 buck 3"

No luck with the S&B or the normal Federal 00. I'll see what I can come up with. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Slugs will be the next project. :)

[sm]

mumble-grumble...I'm not hip...mumble-grumble
I did not say it was hip, nor do I think the name is hip, just with acronyms being the "in thing" I figure some are thinking "Real Intense Offering" or "Recoil Increased Offering", maybe even Radical Inter-Galacitc Orbiting , and some think one can "nuke 'em" from orbit.
Heck if I know! :D

The plain vanilla Rem and Win 9 pellet 00 load might surprise some.
Hence the reason If you found the Federal equivalent nine pellet 00 load for a comparison.

The Supreme version of this load, is ...not sure what to say. Seems the last time I shot it, it was a different from the earlier lot of the same loading.

If one were take the time and cut apart these loadings and see what all the components are, it is educational.

Oh Dang! Almost forgot, the plain vanilla #1 buck that everyone suggests for a HD load is a good one to check.

I looked/look at this from the perspective of what J.Q. Public can get locally to test a variety of loadings, and can get locally.
Has to do with the kind of folks I do things with a lot, especially new folks.
2 3/4" is all I really cared about, as I was / am prone to suggest 2 3/4" only chambers, especially for folks needing a "good buy" on a quality gun.

Quite a few folks I have done things with , with these "great buys" on 2 3/4" chambers, and using what they could get locally, from gas stations, bait shops, local hardware, and the like...
When the "other folks" with more expensive shotguns, are shooting fancier loads, even 3" loads and the Pattern Board is being used...

Some folks are real happy and feel comfy with the guns and loads, prices paid for the guns, loads bought local...
Some get real friggin' ticked as to why the gun and loads did not do much better, and sometimes worse.

:D

Not that I would ever be tacky about something like this you understand? ;)

[zinj]

This reminds me, I need to test the cheap Nobel "Law Enforcement" buckshot I snagged for cheap from Sportsman's Guide. 12 gauge 2.75in 12 pellet 1290 FPS, 00 Buck. Clear hull and plastic shotcup, no buffering or plating. No high hopes for it, but at $4 for a 10 pack it should make good practice fodder.

[Jorg]

I think I'm going to need more paper.

I got lost at lunch and ended up picking up:
S&B 1 Buck
S&B 00 Buck
Winchester Ranger 00 Buck
Winchester Super X 00 Buck
Brenneke 00 Buck
Wolf 00 Buck

No luck finding Federal Classic in 2 3/4" I found it in 3", but I don't feel terribly motivated to play with more 3" shells since they seem to be less suited than 2 3/4" for this purpose.

I did see some of the Aguila mini-shells. While I was curious about how they would pattern, I have no desire to modify a shotgun to feed them in the event they actually work well. I might try them for the novelty's sake.

The Wolf ammo looks strikingly like the Rio. They are both imported from Spain. They both have the same headstamp with alternating 12s and stars. They both have the same high brass on the same slightly ribbed clear hull containing the same arrangement of 9 unplated 00 pellets sitting on top of the same design white wad and under the same clear plastic overshot wad. I fear it will pattern as well.

[sm]

I got lost at lunch and ended up picking up:

I am shocked ! :eek:
You are the first person I have ever heard of this happening to.

Never happened to me crossed fingers :D

Sounds like some neat loads to check out.

Paper: Run down to the local Newpaper and often they will give you for free the paper that is not "quality" to do the paper with.

Bring a truck, this stuff is heavy in bulk. :)

Do not yell at me if have no place to store this, I have already been yelled at over this ...numerous times.
;)

[Jorg]

For those curious, this is postponed indefinately. Shooting has been declared verboten in the county I live in until the fire danger passes and I don't have access to a developed range that will allow me to do this sort of thing. :(