By: Paul Giambrone, III

Most of us are entering our off-season or at least slowing down a bit on our shooting around this time each year.  Some of us are getting new equipment and are looking forward to see how the equipment works for next season!  Even those of you who are still shooting throughout the winter, this is a great time to take a trip to the pattern board and see how everything is looking.  HOWEVER, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION!  A friend of mine, Tom Hebert, said it best “more problems are generally created at the pattern board than solved.”  The reason being is that shooters want to get way too technical about what they see.  I have heard stories where the shooter will count each BB hole and see if the pattern is “perfect.”  I have news for you; shotgun patterns are generally far from perfect, remember it is a spread going out there!  We are NOT shooting rifles and pistols where 1-2” means a world of difference…  Do not get bogged down in the very minor details of shooting high or low, left or right at this point.  We are looking for a few things at the pattern board, and it is not perfection.

What do I look for in a pattern?  First off, you do not want to fire just 1 shell in the paper and start looking (I suggest 2-3 shots per gauge per barrel).  Also, you want to be sure to shoot bottom/top barrel only before checking the other.  Sometimes you will see the barrels shooting in different locations so we want to isolate each one.  BANG BANG BANG!  Let’s go take a look at the paper…  First thing I want to be sure of is that I am not shooting left or right of center, but am pretty much in the center.  Meaning, whatever target I am shooting at on the pattern board, I want roughly 50% of the pattern on the left of the target and 50% on the right side of the target.  Now, if you look at your pattern and it is shooting 1-2” left of center, you can slightly adjust the comb and push it in the opposite direction (to the right) maybe 1/16” to get those 1-2” back to center.  In my opinion, unless you are not down the center of the barrel (beads are in line with each other), I would not worry about 1-2” left or right of center.  While on this subject, I do like to see a fairly dense pattern in the center to make sure that when I hit the target that I am able to pull some smoke with it (this feeds my confidence).  For shooters who are more interested in just getting broken targets and not smoking them, I would suggest a more open, evenly distributed pattern to cover the maximum amount of area.

Some potential problems that you may see at this stage of the pattern board is that the gun is shooting way left or way right (more than 1-2”).  First things first, make sure the gun is fitting you properly.  There are several instructors that know how to set the gun up for you as well as great gun fitters across the nation.  Todd Nelson of Country Gentlemen is one of the best in the business and he does travel around.  If he is in your area or if you travel to him, it is well worth the money.  At my clinics, this is one of the first things we cover is your form, gun mount, and your gun fit.  I cannot stress having good form, a good gun mount, and an excellent gun fit enough.  It is a very essential part of being able to shoot to the best of your ability.  Back to the pattern, let’s assume the gun is fitting you properly and the gun is still shooting left or right of center.  It could be a bad choke.  Test the other barrel and make sure that it is centered.  If it is centered, we are now looking at the possibility of a bad choke.  Simple solution; change chokes and see if it straightens up.  If it does, contact your choke manufacturer and save your pattern paper to prove the choke is not cut properly.  If it is not the choke, check your loads.  You may need to try a different load as some loads with certain chokes will not cooperate together.  Keep this in mind that any time you change ammo or a choke, to always go back to the pattern board and test the combination and make sure everything gets along.

Ok, so we have determined that the first thing we are looking for is a pattern that is centered left and right.  The diameter of the pattern is the next thing that I look at.  I want to be sure that I am not spreading my pattern too thin where a target can get through.  I want to make sure that the pattern is dense enough to where a target cannot get through.   On the contrary, I do not want a pattern that is so tight to where I am really handicapping myself.  My patterning is done at 20 yards with a target about 6” below the center of a 30”X30” sheet of paper.  On a side note, I shoot the same ammo and the same chokes for singles and doubles to minimize confusion and worrying if I have the correct chokes in.  All of my gauges produce a 24” pattern at this range.  The 20 gauge has a fairly evenly distributed pattern with the outside couple inches spread a little thin, but it will still break a target.  The 28 gauge, the outside 2-3” is thin, but the inside 18” is pretty solid.  The .410, the inside 14” is very solid, with the outside 5” around being thin, but will still break a target.  Keep in mind, this is what works for me!  I have found a gun, choke and ammo combo that produces what I like to see and what gives me the most confidence!  You should do the same and find a gun, choke and ammo combination that gives you the same confidence and then stick with it!

So by now, you should know to have your pattern centered left and right with a choke and ammo combination that give you a pattern diameter that you are happy with and have confidence in.  Last part of the pattern to examine is the distribution above and below the target, a very hot topic.  A good starting place to have your pattern would be 60% of the pattern above the target and 40% at or below the target.  Keep in mind, this is a good STARTING PLACE.  What you really need to do is do some shooting to see if the gun is shooting where you are looking!  This is where the majority of problems are created because shooters think they “need” a 50/50 pattern or a 60/40 pattern when that is not where their eyes are looking!  Would you rather have a great pattern on paper or a shotgun shooting where you are actually looking??  Personally, I want a gun to shoot where I am looking even if its higher or lower than the “standard.”  Therefore, shoot some straight away targets like Low 7 and some incomers on stations 1, 2, 6, & 7 and you should be right in the middle of these targets.  If you are consistently breaking bottoms, I would advise raising the comb 1/16”-1/8” to help out.  This will not make a significant difference on paper, but will help the gun shoot where your brain is looking.  Now if you are shooting over the targets, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to lower the comb.  In my travels, a lot of the time, a shooter has their eyes and head too low on the comb causing them to shoot too close to the flight line.  Most times, they will shoot over the top of the target because they are too low on the comb.  Each shooter has their own case, so there is no one size fits all solution, but this article should give you some tools to help you when going to the pattern board and getting your shotgun to shoot where you are looking.

If you have any questions or comments, please email me directly at info@gsclinics.com and visit breakmoretargets.com for more information!  Please check the website for upcoming tournaments and clinics in your area and keep in mind that GSC is now in the DFW area!  GSC will be available to teach in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all year-round!  Please call for lesson availability today!

Tip of the month:      Before worrying about what the pattern board says, be sure that your form, gun mount, and gun fit are properly assessed.  Once everything checks out, then start testing which gun, choke and ammo combo produces the best results for your pattern left to right and for diameter.  Remember, there is no perfect pattern for percentage above and below.  It is a case by case situation because everyone’s eyes are different.  We want the gun shooting where we are looking, even if it means you have to shoot an 80/20 distribution!  If you are in the middle of targets, what difference does it make?