Reasonably well-explicated defensive shotgun "patterning"

[DaveC]

Well, these guys are using that "other pump-action shotgun" than our beloved 870, but don't let that deter you from watching this here "Thunder Ranch" video of how to practically and pragmatically "pattern" a shotgun for defensive use:

http://www.gundigest.com/gun-videos/vid ... =235831733

Stay safe!

[AF Shooter]

Good video, and something everybody should do with their home defense shotgun. You should always take your hone defense shotgun and do some patterning at distances you're likely to need to be familiar with. I am in the process of patterning my new 18" cylinder bore from 5 yards out to 25 yards.It is turning out to be quite different from the usual 18.5" Imp cylinder bore i'm used to. I think you should go out to 25 yards when patterning; you should be familiar with how your shotgun will spread (pattern) at distances you may encounter (depending on where you live). Yeah, they had the wrong brand of shotgun on there...

[Jamie]

To add some flexibility to your shotgun 'arsenal', when you go and find YOUR pattern, use your normal SD ammo. If it's 'standard' 00 buck, bring some with 'Flite Control', or similar, wads that hold the shot together longer. Where standard 00 buck might put all the pellets into a silhouette up to 20-25 yards, the Flite Control will have a much tighter group allowing you the same coverage out to 30-40 yards, something to think about.

[AF Shooter]

Yeah, i agree with that. Using different ammo such as Flight Control is a good idea. Im still debating exactly what ammo to go with for this new short 18" cylinder Bore barrel. I agree that even at ranges out to 35-40 yards are in the range you should pattern your shotguns, especially your "go to" home defense shotgun.