how far it fly

[Seancass]

how far does bird shot fly? i am asking this in relation to shooting clays and not hitting surrounding structures.

im shooting remington #8 shot with 1290 fps.

 

[Jim Watson]

According to

Journee's Formula ... The empirical formula used to calculate safe distances for shotgun pellets. It says that the maximum range in yards for a round pellet is 2200 times its diameter in inches.

and

Shot diameter in hundredths is 17 minus the shot size number

so

(.17-.08)x2200 = 198 yards

Best allow a little more, there is another version that comes out to 700 feet/233 yards for 7 1/2 shot.

 

[BozemanMT]

Jim Watson has the specifics down pat.
Generally developing a range, you account for a 900 foot (300 yards) shotfall safe area. (which way more than covers it)

 

[Seancass]

very good to know. thanks a lot for the responses.

 

[ready4shtf]

Buckshot and slugs?

I know my local range has less than 300 yards behind the skeet section. I saw a dude shooting 00 buck and slugs in the air at clays "just for the fun of it" out of his HD shotgun. Do those loads go farther. I wonder if someones house got rained on.....

 

[Jim Watson]

Buck and slug go MUCH farther, the formula does not apply to buck diameters and slugs are, well, bullets. I saw one reference to a maximum range of 800 yards for a conventional rifled slug, nearly half a mile. Rained on doesn't begin to cover it. A sabot slug would doubtless carry farther.

 

[mete]

SAAMI has all the info .My goose load of steel, BB ,3", is about 300 yds. ..At a range it's easy , just ask and they will tell you what the range is designed for .Typically for clays it's # 7 1/2 [no high velocity loads].