8" pattern at 20 yards

[zach_]

I was a the pistol range this week and I noticed a target a few stalls over getting a 8 inch around, 10 or so hole pattern, of what looked like 1/4" holes at 20 yards. He was shooting a pistol grip short barrel shotgun of some kind. He left before I had a chance to talk to him. The range has rules that allow only slugs from shotguns. An R.S.O. stopped him for a minute, and then allowed him to keep shooting. What round and shotgun would do this? I want one.

 

[Chief Brody]

You should look at Federal's Flite Control wad that comes in their more premium, "tactical" buckshot. 8 or 9 pellet 00B, this stuff is known for the tighter groupings than pretty much anything else. Fist-sized holes at 10 yards.

 

[zach_]

Thanks Brody. That ammo looks like what I must have seen, or something just like it. I read the ammo info on the Federal web page. I did not notice any mention of barrel length, choke....

 

[Chief Brody]

I use a 18" fixed IC-choke barrel, Remington 870P. I've shot those Federals side by side with Rio and Remington buckshot, no comparison.

 

[zach_]

Thanks again Brody. I will do some research and figure out what a fixed-ic choke is.

 

[Chief Brody]

Sorry - Improved Cylinder. There are screw-in chokes, which you can swap around in one barrel. And then there's a barrel that has one fixed choke, that cannot be changed. Improved Cylinder is arguably the best do-all choke. Good for buck/birdshot at short distances and it also works well for shooting slugs.

http://www.rem870.com/2012/05/06/shotgun-chokes-explained-cylinder-improved-cylinder-modified-full/

 

[zach_]

I am looking at the ads from Academy. They do not specify the choke type for the 870 or the 887. Is there a default type if none is specified?

 

[zach_]

Good info. I will kick this around for a while. I hope they will let me shoot the 00 buckshot at the pistol range I go to going forward, and what I saw the other day was not just a one time exception. The rifle ranges I shoot at only allow 21" + barrels on the shotgun ranges. No shotguns allowed on their pistol ranges. Thanks Again Brody.

 

[Chief Brody]

If there's no choke specified, I'd contact them and ask. Imp Cyl or Mod or probably the most common, though. Odd that they have barrel length restrictions at the range, never heard of that.

 

[Dreaming100Straight]

It is very common for clay ranges to require barrels to be at least 21" or so.

 

[Virginian]

And just about all Mossberg and Remington barrels over 21" these days have screw in chokes.

 

[zach_]

Along with my hopeful defensive shotgun purchase, I might get a shotgun that I can shoot at the rifle ranges that have shotgun areas. I guess I have to have a 21" barrel. So be it. I watched the shotgun shooters shooting clay pigeons several times. Looks like fun. It seems that their hit percentage runs from 0 percent to about 25 percent. Is that par?

 

[Dreaming100Straight]

I watched the shotgun shooters shooting clay pigeons several times. Looks like fun. It seems that their hit percentage runs from 0 percent to about 25 percent. Is that par?

No. It depends on the game, but for skeet or trap, something like 90% would be more like par.