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How many of us just hope that the pattern is working as we assume? Wow today I shot a ton of different shells at many distances from 20 to 50 yards. What stunning differences between the combinations of shells, shot, and choke. If you have never done this it's an amazing bit of education. I had to do this in South Africa when I was in the academy to learn what to expect from various guns and loads.
Today I recreated this little field exam and used my new Citori with the Carlsons chokes and the factory chokes. I now have found which choke and shell I'll be using, and have also seen why some of the shells were not nearly as effective.
With the Carlson IC choke and federal high base #7's I have a pattern at 30 yards that not even a newly hatched humming bird could escape. The density of that pattern is nearly 100% from the looks of it. Within a 40" circle I'm sure all the pellets are inside. within a 30" circle probably 80% and withing the 6" circle that I used as an aimpoint, there were 22 pellet holes.
The same load and choke at 35 yards had almost no change, at 40 yards it was more open but I still had 11 pellets into that 6" circle. When I switched to the modified Carlson choke, I was getting similiar patterns to 50 yards. Still with 8-10 pellets into the 6" circle. and a nearly full cloud of death in a 40" circle.
On the other hand, some of the other shells using 6 shot were way to open and would put 2-3 pellets in that 6" circle at 40 yards. I found that different brands of shells shoot far different in the mod Carlson choke of my Citori and the mod Hastings choke of my Ithaca.
I am so much more confident with the chokes in the Citori and the federal loads which work so well. The best load was the #7 high base for the Citori, and the best was a Remington #6 shot from the Ithaca. It is simply amazing just how much different shells from different manufactures work in different brands of guns, and their chokes.
You gotta do this to learn your gun!
Today I recreated this little field exam and used my new Citori with the Carlsons chokes and the factory chokes. I now have found which choke and shell I'll be using, and have also seen why some of the shells were not nearly as effective.
With the Carlson IC choke and federal high base #7's I have a pattern at 30 yards that not even a newly hatched humming bird could escape. The density of that pattern is nearly 100% from the looks of it. Within a 40" circle I'm sure all the pellets are inside. within a 30" circle probably 80% and withing the 6" circle that I used as an aimpoint, there were 22 pellet holes.
The same load and choke at 35 yards had almost no change, at 40 yards it was more open but I still had 11 pellets into that 6" circle. When I switched to the modified Carlson choke, I was getting similiar patterns to 50 yards. Still with 8-10 pellets into the 6" circle. and a nearly full cloud of death in a 40" circle.
On the other hand, some of the other shells using 6 shot were way to open and would put 2-3 pellets in that 6" circle at 40 yards. I found that different brands of shells shoot far different in the mod Carlson choke of my Citori and the mod Hastings choke of my Ithaca.
I am so much more confident with the chokes in the Citori and the federal loads which work so well. The best load was the #7 high base for the Citori, and the best was a Remington #6 shot from the Ithaca. It is simply amazing just how much different shells from different manufactures work in different brands of guns, and their chokes.
You gotta do this to learn your gun!