





748 
FOREST AND STREAM. 

[Nov. 9, 1907. 


Three-Quarter Ounce Patterns 
at all Ranges. 
BEFORE proceeding with the matters to be dealt with in 
this article, it should be made clear from the start that 
the accompanying illustrations are not intended to sug- 
gest that a covey of partridges flies in the close order 
shown, nor that the reprehensible practice of browning 
the pack is inferentially recognized or recommended, The 
illustrations merely indicate six of the possible positions 
which a single bird might occupy when not exactly cen- 
tered in the spread of the shot, but still situated within 
the 30in. circle. Those who may have carefully exam- 
ined last week’s diagrams of pattern showing a single 
bird outline in the center of the target must have noticed 
Fig. 1. Improved cylinder 16-bore, 340z. of No. 6 
shot (203 pellets), giving 99 pellets, or 49 per cent., 
in the 30in. circle at -40yds. Pattern shown on target 
2ft. square at 20yds., with six possible positions of the 
bird (partridge) fired at. The 30in. circle is indicated 
at each corner of the diagram. 
that the central position is least favorable of all for con- 
sidering the general effect of a spread of shot, The sys- 
tem of enlargement, by which a single pattern is ex- 
panded, so as to show the dispersion at all ranges, neces- 
sarily exercises the least influence on the central group 
of pellets. In other words, every flight of shot may be 
said to contain a central axia line, in the neighborhood 
of which is a central group of pellets traveling in almost 
a straight line, and showing but a small relative disper- 
sion. ‘The bird which receives twenty of these centrally 
located pellets at 20yds, would be likely to be struck by 
at least half a dozen members of the same group at any 
extreme range. Supposing, 
for instance, that in the 
selected center of a pattern there was a group of three 
pellets practically touching at 20yds., and that this center 



Fig. 2, The same pattern at 25yds. 
was the one from which all the other pellets of the 
charge were gradually separating by lateral dispersion, 
then those three would still occupy the center of the 
40yd. group, and strike a bird deliberately drawn in the 
same position, The revised method of drawing six birds, 
none of them in the exact center of the target, thus in- 
troduces the double advantage of making each individual 
bird receive different pellets at each range, and of giving 
a series of results for each range, from which a fairly 
consistent average may be deduced. It is dangerous to 
claim that finality has been reached; but in the present 
connection it is difficult to see how any better method 
of analyzing the efficiency of shot charges and gun boring 
than the one here introduced could be devised. 
Last week’s conclusions may be briefly summarized, to 
the effect that a 15-16oz. charge, when fired from a 16- 

and the direction 
line of fire. 
elements 
ment of the gun. 
and the natural spread of the charge provides the requi- 
site means for compensation for err 
was illustrated in a prev 
made at the time to the closely filled center 
tern, which indicated that the ‘killing 
might well extend beyorid 20yds. 
tion, which is reproduced, in Fig. 1, under the new con- 
ditions, fully justifies the comments which were 
the 
that it must be regarded as showing in a favorable light 
the %0z, 
view of the new information which the 
vide, 
all receive shots, but the slight massing 
in the center of the target makes the 
killing the outside birds a little less 
general appearance of the pattern would indicate. 
number of pellets that should strike a bird to insure the 
clean killing properties which sportsmen so wisely favor, 
has never been properly determined. 
analysis of a pheasant’s 
ful contribution to the subject. 
area of the bird into sections, lettered from A to H. 
The head and neck he regarded as containing the most 
immediately vital organs; body shots depend very much 
on the force and position of the shot; 
garded as not impeding the flight of 
wing shots are effective according to whether or not they 
break a J 
various chance effects produced by the method of over- 


marized as leaving a 
but well-centered shots. 
well on paper, but its efficient area is too’ much con- 
densed in the center for the outlying portions of the 
charge 
duces an 
but an examination 
suggests that at least five pellets should strike a bird to 
insure one of them being favorably located. 
bore, and giving equivalent patterns to improved cyl- 
inder results in a 12-bore, may be accepted as showing 
ideal conditions. This recalls Dr.. Nias’s argument that 
the small bore must gradually increase in choke so as 
to establish substantial equality with a 12-bore gun, so far 
as the 80in. circle is concerned. The deficiency of pellets, 
resulting from the lessened quantity of shot in the 
charge, must not be manifest within the area covered by 
correctly aimed shots, but must operate only by dimin- 
ishing the total area of killing circle, thereby requiring 
the shootes to take a relatively more accurate aim. In 
modern times, when shooting schools offer every oppor- 
tunity to the sportsman to secure well-organized practice 
at every class of shot that is likely to present itself, the 
lessened charges present smaller difficulties than would 
have been the case when facilities for practice at artificial 
targets did not exist. There is, of course, a practical limit 
to the process of reducing the amount of shot in a sport- 
ing cartridge. The sixteenth of an ounce unit repre- 
sents in a 12-bore a much finer. graduation than in a 16- 
bore, and when 20 and 28 bores are reached, this frac- 
tional quantity has nearly the same proportional value 
in respect to the total charge as an eighth of an ounce 
in a 12-bore. Therefore in presenting to the reader the 
present installment of pattern reproductions, it should be 
pointed out that while %40z. is the smallest practical 16- 
bore charge, being also the medium 20-bore load, the 
results must be carefully scrutinized to see how near we 
have approached the limit of allowable reduction. A Woz. 
of shot fired from a choke-bore gun might produce most 
valuable results in the hands of a skillful shooter if the 
element of time could be annihilated, so that the charge 
would traverse the range in an infinitesimal period “of 
time. 
The interval from pulling the trigger to the arrival of 
the charge at the more distant ranges is likely to remain 
somewhere in the region of the tenth part of a second, 
and during this apparently short space of time a fast 
crossing bird, moving at 40 miles an hour, will traverse 
6ft. of space. However clever the shooter may be, to the 
natural difficulty of rapid and accurate alignment must 
be added the still harder task of giving a correct lead to 





































Fig. 3. 
The same pattern at 30yds. 
the bird, having due regard to its range, pace of flight, 
of its movement with relation to the 
Shooting skill consists in harmonizing these 
and reducing them to a subconscious align- 
Some margin is, of course, necessary, 

rs. 
The present diagrams repeat the %0z. pattern which 
ous issue, and reference was 
of the pat- 
power of the gun 
The pattern in ques- 

made, 
distribution being generally of so even a character 
charge in an improved barrel. In 
bird outlines pro- 
1 possesses a special interest. The six birds 
of the charge 
odds on cleanly 
certain than the 
The 
cylinder 
Fig. 
: __Mr. Tegetmeier’s 
outline provides the most use- 
He divided the whole 
leg shots he re- 
the bird} while 
bone. The reader must analyze for himself the 

ying shot patterns on bird outlines. Fig. 1 may be sum- 
good deal to chance at 20yds. for all 
The pattern, as a whole, looks 
Cae 
to produce 
good results. A single pellet pro- 
instant 
effect when it strikes the right place; 
of all the accompanying diagrams 

contributed by sportsmen interested in small-bore charges 
confirm the existence 
which may now be put into definite words and quantities, 
the gun be 
140 pellets of No. 6 shot at 40yds., 
an_equivalent proportion of any other size. 
S5yds. 
very little apparent falling off of results. 
the close central group has at 
occupy the full area of the 2ft. target. 
of the six shown seems to have any chance of getting |) 
away, though a 

Fig. 2 shows a material expansion of the pattern, wi 
out the increase of practical result, which would be 
ferred from the previous picture. Two birds are effi 
tively dealt with, but of those that remain too much b 
a rule depends upon the fortunate location of a sing 
pellet. The pattern, in fact, shows at this distance 
continuance of the close arrangement of the central pi 
tion of the charge and a sparseness in its outer margia 
which suggests that the 20in. circle, rather than the 30: 
circle (as indicated at the corners), surrounds the eff« 
tive area. 
Fig. 3, which depicts the 30yd. results, again suggesh 
that the chances of the shooter are good for all diverge 
cies of aim that fall within the 20in. circle, but that t 
corner birds, lying just within the margin of the 30if 
circle, receive on an average but three pellets, whic 


























































Fig. 4. The same pattern at 35yds. 

by the examination of the actual results shown, are in 
sufficient to insure finding a vital spot. At such a dis}, 
tance as 30yds. the amount of lead which must be give)}} 
to a bird introduces decided possibilities of error in th 
alignment, and as 30yds. is the distance at which gam 
guns should be most carefully examined to test the effi 
ciency of the pattern, it may be concluded from Fi 3 
that the general distribution is somewhat on the thin side 
and that a little more choke would produce advan}, 
tageous effects by bringing into use some of the out 
lying pellets, which are even more scattered than thos 
shown on*the margin of the target. Bearing in min 
that the pattern here illustrated refers to %40z. of No. 
shot, comprising 203 pellets, and that 99 of these pellets 
viz., practically 50 per cent. of the charge, lie within thi 
30in. circle at 40yds., it will be apparent that the result } 
are those of 2 rather open shooting true cylinder 12 
bore. The high praise which was accorded last week tc) 
the 15-16-ounce charge from an improved cylinder barre 
cannot be repeated in reference to the present conditions |}! 



















ol 






















Fig. 5. The same pattern at 40yds. 





In fact, the many valuable opinions which have been 









of a rough-and-ready working rule 





It is that, whatever the charge, and no matter whether } 
a 12,16 or 20 bore, the standard pattern results 
with the charge to be used should be in the region of fw 
in the 30in. circle, or bi 
ry 







Fig. 4, which shows the same pattern, expanded to the 
range, repeats the previous conditions with but 
This is because fli 
last been expanded toh 
One bird -only fh 














very little alteration of its position would #1 
