[Trap2]

I used to pattern my guns every time I tried something different. After hundreds and hundreds of patterns I can tell you this: It's a total waste of time! Trying to achieve the elusive "magic" pattern will drive the average shooter nuts. You will see more holes, hot cores, weak fringes, low pellet percentages, etc. than you ever wanted to know. Sometimes, after patterning a certain load, I would wonder how the target ever got hit with anything, yet I could shoot the same load on the line and run 100 straight in singles with it. Now, I only pattern for POI after making any adjustments to my gun. I agree with the above statements that the target will tell you everything you need to know about patterns......Just my experience...Dan Thome (Trap2)

 

[Trap2]

I was fortunate enough to attend one of the very last clinics the great Frank Little ever held in Redding, California. After about 3 hours of classroom, we all went out to the traps. The very first thing Frank did was have each of us check our gun for POI by shooting at a target box sitting on top of the traphouse from the 16yd. line. After determining the POI of my gun, I asked Frank if we were going to pattern our guns. He said he didn't believe in patterning a gun. He told me the only critical thing to do with any gun is to check the POI. His theory was if he patterned his gun, he was sure he would find enough wrong with the pattern to effect his confidence. As a result, he would not pattern his guns. Seems to have worked for him, didn't it? Dan Thome (Trap2)

 

[Trap2]

zzt....

I understand your reasoning, but, after doing all this patterning and getting all this confidence you are talking about, has it increased your averages or given you any more yards than you would have had if you didn't pattern? I think that, if you are honest with yourself, it hasn't made you a better shooter, just a more informed one in regards to your patterns. Do you have one load for cold weather, one for warm, one for wind, one for high altitude, one for sea level, one for calm days, etc? Maybe you know which load you have that patterns well for each of these conditions, but I would be willing to bet you use the same load for everything rather than try to figure out which of your loads will pattern better on any given day or condition. What has made you a better shooter is practice and getting to know where your gun shoots in relation to your POI to be able to consistantly break the target. This is a direct result of reading your breaks. I patterned more loads than I want to think about and it never did me any good, nor did it give me anymore targets. What HAS given me more targets is knowing where my gun shoots using my natural POI and using the ability to read my breaks to my benefit. That is why I think it's more important to know your POI than it is to know how many pellets you can put into a 30" circle at 42yds.......Just my opinion.....Dan Thome (Trap2)