Trends in shotgun pattern density, uniformity and pellet energy: Considerations and implications

Carl Stormanns

Abstract A number of commonly used and available 12 bore shotgun cartridges were fired at paper targets for the purpose of evaluating their lead shot pattern density and uniformity. These results are compared to published literature to establish which factors are most important in influencing the nature of the shot pattern and limiting its effective range. Other ballistic considerations, including pellet energy, are then reviewed to see if there are any recurring trends which might suggest the types of cartridges best suited to shooting a variety of South African game bird species. Introduction The performance of a shotgun may be defined by three important factors, namely pattern density, pattern uniformity and pellet energy. It is well documented that not all shotguns produce the same pattern with the same shot charge…

You're reading a preview of

On Target Africa (Digital) - 1 Issue, July/Aug 2022

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.