Shotgunning Misinformation Continues

From our September/October 2025 Issue

I've been writing for and reading publications that cover shotgunning topics for 55 years. I would like to think that in that time the writing that has appeared in those publications has made major steps in terms of the accuracy and correctness of the shotgunning information it provides. Alas, I can’t say that it has improved much. Following are shotgunning topics still awash with misinformation. And most of that misinformation is the same old, same old that’s been rehashed for decades.

Patterns vs. POI

It still amazes me that many of those who write about shotgunning—especially clay target shooting—still have not grasped the difference between shooting shotshell loads through chokes to measure pattern performance and doing the same thing to determine where a gun and its choke system shoots directionally. It’s very simple. Pattern-testing involves shooting a given load and choke at a given distance to measure—by counting pellet marks—the density and distribution of the pellet spread projected by those two variables. We do not do this to determine where the shotgun shoots. A different exercise called point-of-impact (POI) testing determines this. And to do POI-testing we shoot from a benchrest at a marked aim point at the relevant distance of 30 yards (for most clay target shooting and bird hunting purposes) by firing multiple rounds (five to 10) at the aim point. We then eyeball the mass of pellet strikes to determine if the gun and its chokes are shooting high, low, left or right from the aim point. Despite this clear difference in purpose and technique, there are still numerous individuals—many of whom are good clay target shooters who decide to write about shotgun shooting—calling POI-testing pattern-testing. Gad!

Correct Pattern-Testing

Of the two distinctly separate exercises above, correct pattern-testing takes by far the most time and effort. And it’s probably the reason why in today’s hurry-up, give-me-the-answer-quick world that very few shotgunners take the time to pattern-test. And of the few who do, when they are questioned about their pattern-testing methodology, it’s frequently apparent that they have done it incorrectly. So following are details regarding correct pattern-testing as practiced by the professional shotgunning industry.

• The only correct distance at which to pattern-test is the maximum distance at which the target—clay or gamebird—is expected to be struck. In other words, it does no good to pattern-test at a distance like 18 or 20 yards and then extrapolate or guess what the pattern will be on pheasant or duck shot at 45 yards. In this case, the correct distance at which to pattern-test would be 45 yards and nothing closer.
• The correct method is to fire a single shot of the chosen load and choke at either a sheet of paper or steel plate that’s been painted white with a mixture of zinc oxide and 40-weight oil that’s about 40" x 40", to contain the pattern diameter and provide margin of error in pointing. Then after the round is fired, the shooter walks to the plate and draws a 30" circle around the densest portion of the pellet strikes. Next, all the pellet strikes that fall within or touch the line of the 30" circle are counted. They are never just eyeballed. One then repeats this for at least two more shots using a fresh sheet of paper or repainting the steel plate each time.

One never relies on only one shot. One-shot pattern-testing tells nothing, because due to all the variability of patterns (there are never two patterns the same), we do not know if that one round represents the highest, the lowest or a something-in-between pattern count. So at least three shots are fired to provide an average to try to include the variability among patterns for the particular load and choke.

Given this, one can see that pre-drawn pattern circles are folly, because they do not account for aim error and thus yield false pattern counts. The same is true for pre-drawn images of flying ducks and such. The only pre-drawn image that is correct is that of a turkey head and neck (if it is anatomically correct in size), and it works only because turkeys are stationary, not moving, targets.

‘Chokes Do It All’

Thinking that “chokes do it all” is the mistaken belief that one doesn’t need to pattern-test because the expensive whiz-bang choke tubes or fixed chokes that came with a popular or famous gun or were purchased aftermarket will take care of the problem. The belief is: Expensive chokes will automatically pattern any load type—lead, steel, tungsten composite, bimuth—and any shot size great at any distance the shotgunner thinks a given choke constriction is appropriate for shooting at the particular clay target game or bird shooting activity he or she fancies. Nothing in shotgunning could be further from the truth. There is absolutely no way to predict how a given choke—fixed or screw-in—will pattern any given shot type and any size of that shot type at any distance. The only way to find out is to take the time and effort to pattern-test correctly the chosen choke devices and the chosen loads and shot sizes. End of story. Period.

The ‘Indian Maxim’ Misconception

Ever heard this one: Shotgun-shooting-and-bagging success is “60% the Indian, 30% the bow and 10% the arrow”? Variations of this keep getting bandied about. It insinuates that bagging success with a shotgun is mainly attributable to the person pulling the trigger; then the gun itself; and then, least important, the shotshell load and shot size. Once again, nothing could be further from the truth. The most important element in bagging a bird on the wing is the lethality of the shotshell load selected for the size of the bird and the shooting distance. That’s what strikes the bird, and that’s what does the killing.

Believers in the oversimplified “Indian maxim” are, in my experience, usually those who exhibit the least knowledge about their ammunition choices, tend to go for the cheapest or latest gimmicky loads, and have an almost hero-worshipping attitude toward their gun selections. They also tend to think of themselves as genetically great shooters who don’t need to practice. You will never find this kind of thinking among serious rifle shooters. The most-sophisticated rifle shooters are the long-range competition shooters who have recognized that their ammunition holds the lion’s share of importance in equipment choice and that shooting practice is paramount. This is also why almost all of these shooters handload their ammunition.

Shotstrings

Another oft-repeated piece of misinformation is that tighter chokes produce longer shotstrings. Dead wrong. The tighter the choke, the smaller the diameter of the shotstring is and the shorter it is. The more-open the choke, the larger the diameter of the shotstring is and the longer it is. Space does not allow for an explanation here, but I’ll try to get to it in a future column.

To consult with Tom Roster or to order his new Advanced Lead & Bismuth Shot Handloading Manual, his new 2nd Edition HEVI-Shot & HW-13 Reloading Manual, or customer loading data, contact Tom Roster, 1190 Lynnewood Blvd., Klamath Falls, OR 97601; 541-884-2974, tomroster@charter.net.