Assumptions That Can Bite
The longer I’ve worked with and written for shotgunners (40-plus years now), the more I’ve come to realize that a large number of them...
Tom is an independent ballistics consultant and author specializing in the design and testing of shotshells. He is a court-recognized shotshell/ shotgun expert witness with patents on shotshell components, especially for nontoxic shot. Tom was formerly the Ballistics Research Director at the Oregon Institute of Technology and then served as a Ballistics Specialist for the Dept. of the Interior.
The longer I’ve worked with and written for shotgunners (40-plus years now), the more I’ve come to realize that a large number of them...
It’s time again for my annual sharing of letters with issues and answers of broad interest to SSM readers. Following is a sample of...
Provided the correct pellet type and size are used and minimum pattern counts can be produced at particular ranges, only modest shotshell velocities are needed to kill game and break targets.
Who needs traditional wads anyway?
Each year most shotshell manufacturers introduce new loads and/or changes to existing loads. Some years a few loads are introduced that prove to be...
Addressing two mistakes that shotgunners often make
Loading your own for the field
Handloading shotshells to improve performance
When it comes to shotshells, some of the areas of greatest confusion involve pressures, inertia and shotstringing.
Common-sense waterfowlers shoot modest-velocity loads, which have
just as much lethality and usually better patterns than high-velocity loads.
Simplifying load choices for various gamebirds
With ammunition companies loading mostly centerfire rifle and pistol ammo, shotgunners have been experiencing shell shortages.