Another Look,...At Choke

 This blog is a collection of my experiences and thoughts. From time to time I will express an opinion which many will not agree with. These opinions have formed as a result of spending lots of time afield and shooting. These thoughts and opinions are not meant to offend, nor to be judgmental,  but rather to promote more thought on the subject. If for whatever reason you feel my post is directed at you, it is not; I don't know you. This post is part 3 of several (don't know how many yet) on the subject of wingshooting which some will object to. Fair warning.

     In my last post we looked at choke in relation to range and effectiveness. Now I'd like to address choke from another aspect, and that is pattern size. Often I hear people, generally new hunters,  equate choke to the size of the pattern down range; an open choke shoots a larger pattern, a tighter choke thrown a smaller pattern. This is true, but only in the most basis sense. The reality is, it's not that simple.

     I think part of this results from people not understanding how a shotgun pattern is distributed. If a choke were to throw an evenly spaced pattern over the entire height and width of its pattern, then it would be true that the more open the choke the larger the pattern. A choke does not throw a uniformed pattern however, rather it has a compact core, with sporadic, widely spaced pellets further from the core. Remember, choke is a measured by the percentage of pellets inside a 30" circle at 40 yards. It is the inside the 30" circle part that matters the most. The core of a shot pattern is essentially the size of a road racing bicycle tire. I like to think of choke like the spokes on a bicycle wheel: closer to the hub, the spokes are closer to each other. The further from the hub, the more space between spokes. If the spokes extended outward past the tire the space between them would be even greater.

  

    Let's relate this to a shot pattern, in generalities of course. I believe the only portion of a pattern one should consider is the 30" core. I consider pellets outside the 30" circle, the spokes extended past the tire,  to be "lucky pellets", though depending on the choke and the range, some are luckier than others. 

     I have begun to look at choke, and decide which choke to shoot based on what I call a sliding scale of degradation. It works on the very basic principle that a given choke, throws a given pattern, at a given range, and after that range the pattern begins to degrade and become less efficient. Any choke will lose roughly 10% of it's core pattern every 5 yards it travels under 50 yards. I decide what is an acceptable amount of pattern degradation within the ranges I expect to shoot, and hope to put appropriately dense 30" circle where it belongs. 

     A few personal note as a follow up; My shooting is primarily done with a 20g O/U. I shoot lots of skeet, low gun only. I hunt primarily Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock, but occasionally driven Pheasant, Partridge, Woodcock, and ducks. Once in a while I hunt waterfowl. It is rare that I am not using a skeet and a Lt Modified choke, either hunting or shooting clays, but I/C and Mod have found their way in to my gun when conditions have warranted, and I'd even use Lt. Mod and Imp. Mod if I felt it were appropriate. 

The Science Redefined

     This blog is a collection of my experiences and thoughts. From time to time I will express an opinion which many will not agree with. These opinions have formed as a result of spending lots of time afield and shooting. These thoughts and opinions are not meant to offend, nor to be judgmental,  but rather to promote more thought on the subject. If for whatever reason you feel my post is directed at you, it is not; I don't know you. This post is part 2 of several (don't know how many yet) on the subject of wingshooting which some will object to. Fair warning.


     Choke selection, Part 1, Range
     Shotgun sports and wingshooting are unique in that they are both a science and an art. To perfect your art of shooting a shotgun, you need to understand the science that makes it possible. Unfortunately, over the years I have discovered that many bird hunters don't understand even the basics of the science. Some of the science is quite basic, and easy to understand, some of it not so much. None of it is terribly difficult to understand, though it may at time be hard to express. One such area often misunderstood is choke.

     Often discussions of choke begin with a question of which choke is needed to break/hit a particular target, often because the target is far. The conversation revolves around a series of choke/range theories. But is choke really where the conversation should start? My good friend John, with whom I shoot a lot of clays phrased it best when he said often the discussion starts at the wrong starting point, and I agree. The conversation should start with what we want to do; break/hit a particular target, and what is needed to do that. So what breaks/hits a target? Choke? No, pellets. What causes the clay to break, or the bird to be killed? Pellets carrying sufficient energy.  That's right. To break a clay or kill a bird you must hit it with pellets carrying enough down range energy.  That means you must pick the right ammo, with a pellet size capable of doing the job. As far as science goes, this is basic physics.

     So where does choke fit into this discussion?  First we need to understand what choke is, and what choke does and does not do. Choke is a measurement of a pattern density. It is defined by the percentage of pellets in a 30" circle at 40 yards. All choke is measured at 40 yards. Why is this important? Because it is an indication of what choke doesn't do, and that extend your range. Many people think choke extends your range.  Range is  determined by a combination of pellet size/density and the speed at which they are propelled. A clay can be broken and a bird killed using any choke provided the pellets are carrying sufficient energy. What choke does, is help you shoot at greater distances more effectively, by making your pattern more dense. By default your effective range is increased because your pattern stays intact, without blowing apart for a greater distance, but ultimately it is the energy in the pellets that achieves the end result.

     Choke, being a measurement of pattern density means one needs to decide what is an appropriate density for the game at hand. I have killed woodcock at over 50 yards, ducks over head at 50 yards, and driven pheasant over head at about 40 yards with  Skeet and I/C chokes. In every case the ammo I selected had pellets which carried appropriate energy at those ranges, and the choke provided enough density to put enough pellets in to the target. The woodcock, and duck may have been pushing the limit of the pattern density, but when considering a pheasant size target skeet and I/C chokes are appropriate for a 40 yard shot. Target size plays as important a role as distance. Many waterfowlers and pheasant hunters choose tighter chokes, because they are shooting longer distances, however all patterns deteriorate quickly past 40 yards, the larger size of the target having more mass gives the decreasing density of the pattern more opportunity to find it's target. By way of comparison,  in total generalities, a Skeet choke will have 50% of it's pattern in a 30" circle at 40 yards, while a Full choke will have 70%. However, push the Full choke out past 40 yards and the performance will drop off to 60% at 45 yards, and 50% at 50 yards. Shooting the same size pellets, a Skeet choke at 40 yards and a Full choke at 50 yards perform the same. Makes it easy to see how target size can make a difference.

     Ultimately, none of this may change anything about that way you approach longer targets, but I believe with a greater understanding of the science one can begin to play around with their artistic presentation.

   

   

   

Happy New Year

  

     A new year is upon us, and that means a new hunting season will be here before you know it. 2018 was a good season, and hopefully 2019 will be even better. While the new year may only be one day old, it is off to a good start. 

     A few years ago I adopted a new tradition, borrowed and adapted from a Japanese New Year tradition. In Japan it is tradition to wake early on New Years morning and watch the first sunrise of the new year. Something which seems to me a good way to greet the new year, and get it started. From this tradition I decided some years ago that I would wear a tie when shooting clays on New Years day (or the first shooting day of the year). I see it as a small gesture to get the new year started on a positive note. Today I took it up a notch. I shoot clays regularly at the Massapoag Sportsmens club. Like most clubs we operate on a volunteer basis. Today I volunteered to open skeet and trap, but in keeping with my tradition of getting the year started off right, I decided to make it a game tasting event as well a shooting. A few evenings of preparations, and an early arrival at the club to do some baking was all that was needed to kick off the 2019 clay shooting season with a bang.

     The menu was a collection of various game; wild boar chili, rabbit and pheasant game pie, pheasant tarragon sausage rolls, and woodcock pate, plus some mulled cider were my offerings. Others arrived with goods, and soon the table was overflowing with bacon wrapped scallops, elk burger stuffed mushrooms, finger sandwiches, and cornbread. By the time we close the ranges, there was very little leftovers to be dealt with. Everyone had a good feed, broke some clays, and started 2019 off in a very enjoyable way.  And thus, (hopefully) a new tradition is created.

     So,....Happy New Year.

Crippling Efficiency

     This blog is a collection of my experiences and thoughts. From time to time I will express an opinion which many will not agree with. These opinions have formed as a result of spending lots of time afield and shooting. These thoughts and opinions are not meant to offend, nor to be judgmental,  but rather to promote more thought on the subject. If for whatever reason you feel my post is directed at you, it is not; I don't know you. This post is part 1 of several (don't know how many yet) on the subject of wingshooting which some will object to. Fair warning.

     Hypocrisy is everywhere, but no where in fieldsports is it more prevalent than in the wingshooting community. Why is it that we expect the bowhunter and the rifle hunter to be proficient with their weapon, yet so many bird hunters (both uplands, and waterfowlers) get a pass on not practicing and only blowing the dust off their shogun once the season opens? Why is it big game hunters (who are expected to be proficient with their weapon) are chastised for shooting at running game, but bird hunters (who seldom practice) are chastised when they shoot birds sitting on the side of the road or a limb? Aren't we supposed to do all we can to assure we cleanly and quickly kill our prey? Why is this? There are many standard answers, and one I hear the most is the "sporting" answer. Shooting birds on a limb is just not sporting. True, but isn't it then more sporting to shoot at running big game? Or do we somehow value the life of big game more than the life of small game by insisting they are only killed when motionless? If you think I have the answers, I don't. If you think you will find them later in this post, you won't. There may not even be an answer to these questions, but I believe anyone who goes afield and takes a life should occasionally let these thoughts tumble around in their head.

     Because I like shooting birds on the wing I have taken steps to assure that I do all I can to minimize the suffering of any bird I shoot. I practice regularly, shooting skeet weekly, and sporting clays occasionally. I also spend a lot of time training my dogs and making sure they are proficient retrievers. I want any bird not killed in the air quickly retrieved so I can quickly end it's suffering. Do I think all bird hunters should follow my routine? No. But I do think they should have some type of a practice routine. One should consider, too, that our sport is constantly being scrutinized, and that every one of us is a representative of the sport. We have a responsibility to put it in the best light we can, and a bit of improved marksmanship will help do that.

     I did not always enjoy shooting clays. I enjoyed hunting, and shooting birds but I wasn't very good at it, so I began to practice. It was through this practice that I grew to love shooting clays.  Will every bird hunter learn to love clay shooting? I doubt it, but I will guarantee that with a bit of quality practice on a skeet field they will learn something, and improve their wingshooting.

     Practicing wingshooting should not be just going to skeet and shooting a few rounds. Bird hunting is much more dynamic, and how you practice is more important than getting in high volume shooting. Practice like you play. Some of the practice techniques I use can even be done at home.  The  things I have done to become a better wingshooter have been to add the dynamics of the hunt to my skeet shooting. I developed a smooth gun mount, and shoot skeet low gun, not premounted like a competitive skeet shooter. This is practicing like I play. One can develop, and work on building a smooth gun mount at home. With an empty gun, practice smoothly mounting and pointing at a spot on a wall. Don't rush the mount. Make it smooth and perfect every time, and before you know it you'll have a good gun mount. This alone will improve your shooting, but couple it with a few rounds of skeet, and you'll really be moving forward. Want to take it to the next level? There are a few other options that can make skeet more hunting like and dynamic, and for many of you, less boring. Sometimes I will shoot the round with a delayed call. That is, when I say pull, the trapper does not actually pull, but waits between 1-5 seconds before sending the clay. One can also go "trapper's choice" allowing the trapper to decide which clay to throw, the shooter needing to find it in the air and break it. Of course not everyone has access to a skeet field, but trap, sporting clays, and even hand thrown clays will all allow one to build their hand-eye-gun mount coordination.

     Another issue I have, which some will no doubt take exception to, is the use of the .410 for wingshooting. There are some very proficient shooters who wield a .410 with great efficiency. They are few and far between. Why do I feel this way? My experiences on the skeet field have show that even the best shooters have issues with the .410. I'm not talking scores. I'm talking about the quality of the breaks. Of course many of the .410 shooters suffer the loss of a few clays they'd have broken with any other gauge, but the number of clays they split or chip, rather than smash is what has caused me to draw my conclusion. Every split or chipped clay is a wounded bird that may not get retrieved. Unfortunately as it may be, we wing shooters do often put pellets in to birds without knowing it. Thinking it's a miss we often hunt on while a pricked bird, which has managed to fly 150 yards now suffers. Even as a 20 gauge shooter I have my fair share of live, broken winged birds retrieved to me, leaving me with no doubt that I've hit birds and not known it. That is something I'd like to minimize. The .410 no doubt increases the odds of that happening. Couple the inferiority of the .410 with the inconsistency of a hunter who doesn't practice, and...?

     So? What is the answer?  Well, I believe that every hunter, including bird hunters, has a responsibility to practice with their weapon. If you can't consistently break clays (where every flight line is know) you are not shooting as well as you could in the field (where every flight line is a mystery).  I know that practicing and shooting clays has improved my shooting. I also know that it can improve yours, too.  Do we all need to shoot lots clays every weekend? No. Quality is much more important than quantity. I believe anyone who buys a case of shotgun shells in August will learn enough about their shooting to buy another case before October.

   

     

...Of a Different Calibre

     Shooting sports has been a big part of my life for a long time, with shotgun sports such as skeet, sporting clays, and wingshooting, being my primary disciplines. Rifle shooting, on the other hand, is something I enjoy, but seldom get to do. I once shot rifle more frequently, but having switched to a new shooting club, it has fallen off. My previous club featured a 100 yard rifle range, my new club does not.  I have recently found a renewed interest in rifle shooting after getting some trigger time in England, and having a couple of new rifle experiences.

     Like many New Englanders I have a Remington model 760 .30-06 rifle topped with a peep sight. A classic north woods deer rifle. Along with my deer rifle I also own a .50 cal inline muzzleloader. Unlike many, I do not own a small caliber or rimfire. No .22LR. No 22-250. No .17 HMR.  Which is why my rifle shooting has taken a down turn. The club where I currently shoot has a 50 yard range with caliber restrictions. Pistols,  rifles shooting pistol caliber's, rimfire, and muzzleloaders are allowed, but bottle necked ammo is forbidden. So as of late the .50 cal has gotten warmed up, but the .30-06 has only seen the odd day shooting over friends property up north.  It's easy to see how this can add up to a diminished skill set, and my rifle shooting has suffered.

     Shooting both my rifle and my muzzleloader has introduced me to a whole new set of skills to be learned; shooting off sticks. My old shooting club had benches designed for rifle shooting. My new club does not, nor does my friends property, so I have had to learn how to shoot off of sticks.

.30-06, off sticks @ 65 yards. I pushed the first round to the right before settling in. There is still some straightening out to be done.

     I've been considering a rimfire rifle, for plinking and to be able to do more rifle shooting at the club, for some time, now. Of the rimfire caliber's the .17 HMR has been on my radar more than any other. The .17, while smaller than a .22, packs more of a punch and is an extremely efficient small game cartridge. While the cost of shooting a .17 for plinking may be a bit more expensive than a .22, I feel the efficiency of the round outweighs the cost. I don't mind spending a bit more on a round with better ballistics, and the ability to be accurately shot beyond 250 yards. 

New Calibre 

      Though I had been aware of the efficiency of the .17 HMR, I had never had an opportunity to shoot one until my most recent trip to England. It was then that I knew I absolutely needed to get myself a .17 HMR. The .17 is a pleasure to shoot, zipping a bullet out with almost zero recoil. Along with the .17 I got to shoot another lesser known caliber; the .204.  Here in the US .22, ..22-250, and .223 are the most widely used small calibers. I had never heard of a .204 caliber, and was keen to give it a go. Unlike the .17 the .204 had some recoil when you pulled the trigger; not enough to put anyone off, but just enough to let you know you're shooting a rifle. Not being familiar with small caliber rifles I am told shooting the .204 is very similar to shooting a .22-250. 

The .204, using a bipod, off a tailgate @ 75 yards. Each small square in 1 inch. I have a tendency to push rounds to the right.

New Optics

     The hunting laws in England differ considerably from those in the US. One such difference it the ability to illuminate small game, with artificial light, while hunting at night. Night hunting means various styles of night vision optics are common, and I was able to experience shooting with night vision optics for the first time. The .17 HMR was topped with a digital IR scope. This scope is somewhat trickier to use than a conventional scope, and requires familiarization. Being digital I found the image to be somewhat blurry until the rifle is held very still. The slightest motion would blur the image again, which would sharpen up once the rifle was steadied again. At night the mode could be changed from daylight to night, and the IR switched on allowing a clear view of the target in the dark. In fact, I think this type of scope my be easier to use in the dark, than in the daylight.

     The optics on the .204 were more conventional, but with a high powered light throwing a colored beam mounted along side of it. For the first time user I found this much easier to use. Unfortunately neither of these scopes have much use here in the US, as not many (any?) states allow illumination. 

Suppression

     In addition to new calibers, and new optics I was able to shoot a sound moderated rifle for the first time. Unlike the way Hollywood portrays "silencers" moderators/suppressors do not completely muffle the sound of the report. The report of the .17 HMR was such that wearing hearing protection is not necessary. The gun still let out a good crack, but at a lowered decibel level. The moderated .204 let out a bit more of a crack, and being that we were shooting off of the tailgate of a truck (with a cap) we wore hearing protection because the sound was reverberating back on us. Should we have been shooting off a bench or sticks in the open hearing protection would not have been needed. Again there was an audible crack, loud enough that heads around you would turn in your direction, but far from startling.

     So what is next? I am shopping for a .17 HMR. Being a rimfire I can shoot it at my club, which gets me more trigger time, and this winter I can (should the motivation strike me) use it shoot spot and stalk rabbits in the snow. 

   

Reminder, Wear Your safety Gear.

This is why we wear eye protection.

     I love to shoot, and spend a lot of time with a shotgun in my hands, whether its clays or game. Sometimes it is easy to become lackadaisical, and allow the mind to wander from the task at hand. No matter what your chosen sport is, it's important to keep our bearings, and stay safety oriented. So, were your eye protection, ear protection, safety harness, blaze orange, PFD, or whatever safety gear is prescribed. 

Keep it Clean, and a Couple New Endorsements

     Being a sportsman means being a steward of the environment. It's a responsibility I find myself taking more and more seriously every year. It is something everyone should think about, and act upon. Often it is the little things that make a difference. Sometimes when everyone makes a small change the impact can be enormous.

     One small change I made last year was the switch to shooting fibre wad shotshells. Most sportsmen carry their empty hulls out of the woods with them and dispose of them properly. It's and easy thing to do. I enjoy counting my empty hulls at the end of the day, and figuring out what my shooting average is. Sometimes I wish I hadn't, but,....  The whereabouts of a plastic wad after we have taken a shot is always a mystery, and I don't know anyone who searches out, and retrieves his wad. Unfortunately, no matter how you slice it, leaving a plastic wad in the uplands is littering. It is also something that doesn't need to be done. Fibre wad ammo may not be wide spread in the US, but it is available, and should the demand for it increase, the supply should also.

     I have been shooting Gamebore Regal. This is a shortened fibre wad hull. It has proven to be a quality shell, and if you are looking for a fibre wad shell, I highly recommend it. Should you decide to give this a try, remember that it is an import and pellet size in the UK is slightly different than here.  This season I shot #5s, which equate to a US #6. UK pellet sizes are generally one size smaller, so get a pellet one size larger than you'll need.

Gamebore Regal 20g fibre wad ammo

     Another change I made was shooting Bismuth in certain upland scenarios. The dog training club I belong to only allows non toxic shot, and I have never been a fan of steel. In the past I had good results using bismuth for waterfowling, so when Kent offered a new upland bismuth line I could not resist trying it out. I shot the 1oz 3" 20g #6s 1400fps load Kent offers. These proved more than adequate at knocking down pheasant, but now that I have secured a couple boxes of the 2 3/4" 1200fps #6s, the faster ammo will be dedicated to waterfowling, while the slower get used in the uplands. Unfortunately these are not offered with a fibre wad here in the US. However there is a fibre wad version available in the UK. In the meantime, my use of these is limited to the club, and a couple of coverts where I have on occasion jumped waterfowl while grouse hunting, until either the fibre wad version becomes available, or I find a fibre wad reloading recipe.

Kent's new Upland Bismuth

     I am certain this ammo will exceed anyone's performance expectations which is why I am pleased to announce that Kent and Gamebore get a coveted ASO endorsement.