Range of a shotgun

#8 lead shot will not penetrate sheetrock @55 yards. assuming the user isn't using handicapped loads or some heavy field loading. I'd speculate that a 250 foot length would be plenty for this activity. I just can't figure out how shooting a shotgun with a respirator would work

Could be wrong, but I don't think there is a free standing structure built that would be large enough for an indoor shotgun range.

Clay range? What about the thin roof being penetrated?

I can't shoot squirrels of my patio pond with a .410 #9 as neighbors are about a 1000 feet in that direction.That's why I am looking for a .22mag 'Garden gun"
BTW you could shoot indoor Mo-Skeeto or whatever indoors with the RF skeet/trap set ups!

A few months ago I dragged my brand new Beretta 391 to the rifle range to see if it would actually go bang when I pulled the trigger. I fired 50 rounds of #8, 3dr heavy target load at the plywood backstop on the 50yd range. The #8 shot barely left an indention in the plywood at 50yds. The range owner had just put up new plywood and I was afraid I was really doing a lot of damage. I was amazed when I went down and saw that you really had to look closely to even see where the shot had hit the wood and bounced off. There was no damage to the plywood at all.

The bad news was that I found a problem with my brand new shotgun that required sending it to Beretta for repair. The good news is that it has worked perfectly ever since it came back.

see my thread from a while ago:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=205542

Hi All-

People get "peppered" all the time while hunting without major bodily injury, so I think the idea of an indoor clay range is absolutely feasible without doing damage to the facility.

~ Blue Jays ~

I can't shoot squirrels of my patio pond with a .410 #9 as neighbors are about a 1000 feet in that direction.That's why I am looking for a .22mag 'Garden gun"

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You'd be better off shooting the #9. The typical shotfall zone of a clay target club is 300 yards so your shot would be spent before it went 1000 feet. According to Shotshells and Ballisticsby John Taylor, #9 shot will penetrate the skin only up to 103 yards.

The .22 mag however will go a lot further and depending on the bullet construction you potentially run a much higher risk of ricochet.

Rembrandt... great charts!

Seancass, how does one figure "effective range?" That would really be good to know, as I get more "neighbors" out here.

to PJR, a note

From PJR The .22 mag however will go a lot further and depending on the bullet construction you potentially run a much higher risk of ricochet.

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Hey there, uummm, i think Gordon mentioned a garden gun... thats a .22 Mag with a smooth bore that shoots the Winchester or CCI .22 mag shotshells, not the .22 mag bullets. you are right htough, .22 mag would be way too much, penetration and sound, for local squirrel control. thanks -Eric

Blue Jays said:

so I think the idea of an indoor clay range is absolutely feasible without doing damage to the facility.

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I agree, though I think you'd have to limit it so non-lead shot which is going to drive your costs up a lot.

That much lead exposed would be tough to ventilate properly.

Hey there, uummm, i think Gordon mentioned a garden gun... thats a .22 Mag with a smooth bore that shoots the Winchester or CCI .22 mag shotshells, not the .22 mag bullets. you are right htough, .22 mag would be way too much, penetration and sound, for local squirrel control. thanks -Eric

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Reading the original post again that indeed may have been what he meant. But with 300 yards plus on either side I'd still just go with the .410. There is no safety enhancement by using a .22 WMR shotshell but a serious reduction in shot payload.

As a teen I pulled pits at a sporting clays range and sometimes the shooter shot right over your head.At 50 yards you can feel the shot landing on you but it dont even hurt. This was with 7 1/2 shot.





one shot one kill

Something about that chart kinda puzzles me, it says a 30/06 will travel farther than a 270, they are the same other than a 270 has a smaller bullet which makes me believe it will travel farther.

mastinson: the lighter .270 bullet will tend to shed its velocity faster than the heavier 30-06 bullet.

Rembrandt said:

Could be wrong, but I don't think there is a free standing structure built that would be large enough for an indoor shotgun range.

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The OC-ALC at Tinker Air Force Base could easily manage that. Around 5,000 feet long. That's a full-size KC-135 in the photo there.