Re: OT: Just Peppered


"nylon rob" <rjand@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1140055232.522621.55390@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Would YOU go hunting knowing you had a high probability (i.e., "common")
of
getting a near full load of bird shot at close range?

I didn't think so. Neither would anybody else. That's why it isn't
"common".


And tell us Dave, how you have this knowledge? Or more specifically,
tell us how many times you've been hunting small game birds with
buckshot? Ever hunted anything? Be honest now ...

I've never hunted anything with buckshot, particularly not small game birds.
#2 1/2 is the biggest I ever used for high flying ducks and that didn't work
all that well as there aren't enough pellets. More usually #4 for ducks and
#6 or #7 for pheasant. I've only hunted a few dozen times. But that seems
to be more than you have. ;>)

Here are some interesting pictures:

http://www.firearmsid.com/A_distshotpatt.htm

On patterns:
http://www.huntingmag.com/guns_loads/why_pattern/

Using a 12 Ga, improved cylinder, I seem to recall the pattern with #6
birdshot was about 30" diameter at roughly 30 yards. But it has been a
while. And it is very dependent on the gun and the load. Therefore it is
hard to find advertised statistics.

An article in the 1990 Gun Digest, "The Ring Around Your Pattern" by Don
Zutz, says that a #71/2 quail load will have a useful pattern about 30 inch
in diameter with a higher density core about 20 inch diameter at 20 to 25
yards. In other words, small pellets spread faster, as you might expect.
You don't want it too much tighter than that diameter at the range you want
to hunt or you will either miss the bird or blow the *** out of it if you
do hit it. Zutz shows representative quail outlines overlaid on the
patterns to make the point.

The pattern drawn by the sheriff on the accident report was a little over a
foot in diameter (on poor old Henry). That would be way too tight a
pattern to be useful (if even possible) at 30 meters. So you do the math.
He was probably closer to 15 meters (that's about 50 feet).

Dave Hajicek


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