Nickel Plated F looks promsing

DAA

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I quite recently got started hand loading shot shells. Many thanks to Bob and Keith for their help and advice! Today I fired my own shotgun loads for the first time.

Did some pattern testing. Shot three loads, HS BB, lead T and nickel plated F, through three chokes each, Mod, Turkey Extra Full and Dead Coyote.

Using my 870 Express 12 gauge, at 40 yards. All 3" loads. Shooting standing up on my hind legs. Wind was blowing pretty good.

Circles are 10". Drawn around the densest part of the pattern after the shot. Figure I'll treat pattern density and getting it centered on point of aim as separate issues.

So, this little chart first. I think having the pellet count, velocity and penetration numbers handy help put everything into context. The data is from the KYP ballistics program.

The "3.7 Gel Yards" column is the distance KYP calculates each load to penetrate 3.7" into ballistic gel. The 3.7" is a number Bob came up with based on his experience, as the minimum needed for killing coyote. I'm just running with it
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Skipping right to the chase! The 1-3/4 oz. NP F shot with a Dead Coyote choke was the clear winner of the day.

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That's 27 pellets in the 10" circle. 45 pellets hit the 24"x24" backer. There are 49 pellets in the load. So, 55% of the pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards, that should rug out a coyote pretty good!

I know, one shot, hardly qualifies as data. Need to shoot four or five in a row, and see what the shot to shot variation is like. But, for a variety of reasons, that wasn't the plan today. One shot of each load and each choke was all I was good for this time.

Still, that F shot load is showing some real promise.

This was the best pattern with 1-1/2 oz. of Hevi-shot BB, with a Rem. Turkey Extra Full extended choke. I was disappointed in the pattern with this load and the Mod choke - will do a more thorough comparison in the future though. But with 32 out of 72 (44%) in the 10" circle it also looks like a coyote killer. I noticed this load does hit low, compared to the others too. A good thing to find out, as I will be trying these on coyote.

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And this was as good as I could do with 1-1/2 oz. of lead T shot, with the DC choke. With 18 of 51 pellets in the circle (35%) I think it's the least impressive of the three loads, but still a definitely serviceable coyote load.

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Next up will be killing a few coyotes with each
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- DAA
 
Good night a living! Now that is some serious killing loads.

Even though the Lead T looks open, it will hammer heck out of coyotes! I used a more open load in close in shooting as you need the spread.

Thanks for sharing! How's the shoulder?
 
When using my 870, I used to put the beade on the coyote and say to myself, "this is going to hurt him a lot worse than it hurts me", I definitely developed a flinch that transferred to my rifle shooting. I went to an 1100, end of that problem.

Beretta 390 and 391 turn that recoil into nothing much more than a push, and the recoil piston on the butt of the 391, "Kick Off System" is a the best thing since a mother's love! You can find these for $800 used in the case with all chokes, one of best shotguns ever made for a coyote hunter, color'd beade sights, and top of receiver fixed for a rail. I have never cleaned mine, never. Shot no telling how many crows with it, also. Foget a jam.

Dave, that was some unreal patterns! I have shot perhaps a thousand pattern loads if not more, so that is one heck of a compliment! Now, load up a life time supply, no need in patterning anymore unless you want to pattern at 50 and 60 yards. You are good to go, my friend!!!
 
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I hear ya on the shoulder, f buck worked great for me too. The 1 5/8 load was really tight at 30 and too open at 50 but the 1 7/8 load did great.


It might be a little tight at 30 for my taste so im planning on loading 1 or 2 T buck followed by 3 f. I think the T pattern at 50 is still dense enough to knock down a coyote, what do you experienced fellows say?




If you end up liking those fioccti hulls Dave let me know, I have 99 ill send ya.

 
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Coyote hunters should forget patterning at 30 yards, leads to false expectations.

If you have to pick two distances that are very realistic, pick 40 & 50 yards.
 
Why is that? At 30 wouldn't you want a load that isn't all your pellets in a little bitty wad for moving targets? That's kind of what I was going for but my shotgun skills are about 0.

 
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mbaysinger89, you are correct. In a lot of shotgun patterns, it is almost like comparing groups in a rifle.

Shoot your groups at 40 yards and 50 yards, 30 yards is just too close. The vast majority of coyotes that I have killed with a shot gun was killed with a Rem 1100 with a fixed full choke which patterned 100% in a 30" circle at 40 yards, this is std full choke loads, not real tight. Kills very well, however in hundreds of coyotes.

40 yards is a close shot, and you will shoot at quite a few between 40-60 yards, you need realistic expectations. If they are still twitching, hit'em again.

The load I shot is:

Rem hull-3"
35g of blue dot
BP gas seal
BP 12 wad
32 #4 Buck-1 1/2 oz
Buffer
1300 fps

Will be playing with more loads later on this year
 
I don't want to hijack your post Dave, but while everybody knowledgeable is here it's a good time to ask.

Do you find that smaller payload, higher velocity loads pattern better at distance (when choked correctly) due to the energy the pellets are carrying over the lower velocity, higher payload shells?
 
Hijack all you want! Thread drift often leads to the most interesting conversations. One board I frequent it's almost a rule that threads that don't lead to new topics are duds.

- DAA
 
Quote:Hurts! only time I ever wished I had a dead sled was when I was testing heavy shotgun loads. It's just brutal to shoot'em, one right after another.
 
Originally Posted By: mbaysinger89I don't want to hijack your post Dave, but while everybody knowledgeable is here it's a good time to ask.

Do you find that smaller payload, higher velocity loads pattern better at distance (when choked correctly) due to the energy the pellets are carrying over the lower velocity, higher payload shells?

As a general rule high velocity is tough on patterns. The NWTF Still Target competitions are most often won with loads that run about 1,100 fps. Hevi Shot uses that velocity for their fantastic patterning Hevi 13 turkey loads. That has been a load to compare all others to for years. Absolute best patterns seem to come from velocities less than 1,250 fps. Also, velocity with an ballistically inefficient shotgun pellet does less for it than you might think. Pellets shed initial velocity fairly quick. Within normal acceptable shotgun hunting distances I'd choose a better patterning load over a less consistent though faster load. Waterfowl steel shot loads are different than what us predator callers need. Velocity helps steel shot because steel shot sucks that bad and the usable effective range of steel shot is limited. Thus the waterfowl craze of unusually high velocity light payload shells. But these guys are more concerned with an evenly spread 30" pattern at 35 yards than a center dense core pattern at 45 - 50 yards. The goose hunter needs to drive a horribly inefficient steel pellet deep enough into a goose to break it down at 25 yards and needs all the velocity he can get to do the job at that range. There is a difference in purpose there.
 
I hate to be stupid but I am. So, I am going to ask a stupid question. How do you get the velocity on your shot shell loads? Do you use a chronograph or are you using the velocity with the loading data? Thanks
 
Originally Posted By: yotekiller47I hate to be stupid but I am. So, I am going to ask a stupid question. How do you get the velocity on your shot shell loads? Do you use a chronograph or are you using the velocity with the loading data? Thanks

I just go with the speed that the data shows.

With lead shot and the denser than lead tungsten alloy shot I like having more pellets with a little less speed, instead of more speed with less pellets.
 
How far away from the muzzle do you set a chronograph? I have considered it but am scared I will blast my chrono. Don't want to buy another one.
 
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