spreader loads for sporting clays
- Thread starter bobn
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NoSecondBest
New member
You really need to take your gun and loads to a patterning board and try them out. All the calculations in the world are meaningless without actually seeing the true results. FWIW, I used to buy Fiocchi Spreader loads by the case full. After some time spent on a patterning board I quit buying them. Take your gun and chokes and spend some time finding out what they really do at various distances. I've seen guys practically get carpal tunnel syndrome cranking chokes in and out looking for the "perfect" pattern and not having a clue what they're actually doing. Same with using different loads. Basically: get to know your gun.
NoSecondBest
New member
A few years ago I followed our then state champion around the course at our state shoot. He was a master class shooter. I knew him pretty well since I shot at a club he managed at the time. He was shooting a Browning Broadway choked full and improved mod. Pretty tight chokes. He shot a 93x100 that day of a very tough course. He didn't use any spreader shells......? He did use some different shot sizes and different wt. shells. He's the one who got me going to the pattern board a couple of years earlier. Hey, the spreaders do work some, just don't really do what you expect them to do. What they have in them is a different wad that comes off sooner. Good luck.
A friend of mine is a sporting clays Hall of Famer. While his gun has choke tubes, he never changes them. M/M in both barrels, he uses 8.5s for everything (except rabbits) under 35 yards and 7.5s for rabbits and everything over 35 yards,
You might see how shells like that perform in your gun. Also, running really fast shells, as in 1300+ fps, tend to make the patterns open up a bit.
You might see how shells like that perform in your gun. Also, running really fast shells, as in 1300+ fps, tend to make the patterns open up a bit.
After years of shotgun shooting and after examining actual patterns on pattern boards, I have pretty much concluded that any bird that turned into a smokeball with a full choke would also have been turned into a smokeball with a modified choke and at least 95% of the birds a full choke missed would also have been missed if a modified or even a IC choke was used.
Sporting Clays is my weak link as an all-around shooter, but I have used a good bit of spreaders in 3Gun, and patterned them. For Mod and IM chokes, they have given me about a 25% larger pattern at 18 yards, for full, about 30% larger. Past about 25 yards, too many holes IMHO for sporting clays. I typically use them in 3Gun when there are close open static clays (5-15 yards) and some longer shots where I want a Mod or IM choke.
I am resisting changing chokes and only use Light Target loads for Sporting Clays. I want to get as good as I can without fiddling with loads and chokes, even though I understand how they can benefit. I heard two quotes from accomplished SC shooters this past week...
"If you can't hit everything with a skeet choke, you are doing it wrong." and "If you need anything besides Mod, your leads are wrong." Both make sense.
I am resisting changing chokes and only use Light Target loads for Sporting Clays. I want to get as good as I can without fiddling with loads and chokes, even though I understand how they can benefit. I heard two quotes from accomplished SC shooters this past week...
"If you can't hit everything with a skeet choke, you are doing it wrong." and "If you need anything besides Mod, your leads are wrong." Both make sense.
Skeet might work for charity powder puff targets, but not for real competition.
As a sporting clay and FITASC shooter, I would not take that advice to heart. Most folks would be best served by using chokes in three constrictions - one for close, one for most, and one for far, with the middle choke usually being used for 90%.
For ME, that means a SK, LM, and LF. Otherwise, a C in place of SK, a M in lieu of a LM, and either a IM or F instead of LF will cover anything. I try to use two different sizes of shot - 7.5s for rabbits and everything over 35-40 yards and 8s or (my favorite) 8.5s for everything under 35 yards.
FITASC, I am not taking anything as the gold standard at this time. It appears to me that there are a variety of styles of courses, and shooters and my goal is to get to the point where I can walk onto any course and shoot in the 80s. Going to take some knowledge, some practice and some patience.
I shot my first 15 station course and the 6 and 8 shot stations were harder for me to get down than a 10 target station. But I used IC and LT 7.5s for the whole thing. I use a lot of LM in 3Gun and actually do better on the SC course with my 3Gun shotgun than my SC shotgun.
I shot my first 15 station course and the 6 and 8 shot stations were harder for me to get down than a 10 target station. But I used IC and LT 7.5s for the whole thing. I use a lot of LM in 3Gun and actually do better on the SC course with my 3Gun shotgun than my SC shotgun.
A lesson might help; 3-gun stances are more like shooting an AR, whereas sporting stances are more of an offset stance. Registered shoots have targets with a higher degree of difficulty than the everyday stuff or charity shoots. Depending on where you are in CO, there are some great places to shoot.
In case you haven't seen this site, it lets you find all the clay target places:
http://www.claytargetsonline.com/colorado/
In case you haven't seen this site, it lets you find all the clay target places:
http://www.claytargetsonline.com/colorado/
I like FITASC's approach...one for close, one for most, etc...
Remember every sporting course is different...and every month or so, the better courses will change their setup on most stations. to mix it up. My local course has 4 or 5 traps for most every station of the 18 stations on the course...so one days targets are close...then they are further out ...or way different...in report or true pair combinations.
But for 90% of the courses I shoot ( in 12ga )...1 oz of 8's at around 1225 fps is just fine...with a Mod choke / but I also carry some 7 1/2's for rabbits. I still carry a Cyl, a Skeet, a Mod an Imp Mod and a Full...for each barrel...just in case they put one target way out there...or way in close.
Remember every sporting course is different...and every month or so, the better courses will change their setup on most stations. to mix it up. My local course has 4 or 5 traps for most every station of the 18 stations on the course...so one days targets are close...then they are further out ...or way different...in report or true pair combinations.
But for 90% of the courses I shoot ( in 12ga )...1 oz of 8's at around 1225 fps is just fine...with a Mod choke / but I also carry some 7 1/2's for rabbits. I still carry a Cyl, a Skeet, a Mod an Imp Mod and a Full...for each barrel...just in case they put one target way out there...or way in close.
drifting is good. more experiences added to the pot.
.....for an update the gun I use is a super x model one made in new haven trap grade gun. it has monte carlo stock and a choke marked trap full. the description is to clarify there are not removable chokes on this gun.
......regardless of the naysayers I hit more targets last sunday using the fiooci spreaders. (sporting clay course coyland in wisc) bobn
.....for an update the gun I use is a super x model one made in new haven trap grade gun. it has monte carlo stock and a choke marked trap full. the description is to clarify there are not removable chokes on this gun.
......regardless of the naysayers I hit more targets last sunday using the fiooci spreaders. (sporting clay course coyland in wisc) bobn
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Most shooters don't shoot Full choke for Trap Handicapped singles anymore -- let alone for singles from the 16 Yard line...unless they are shooting from the 25 - 27 Yard line in Handicap Events...and even then, its not 100%. ( Handicap Singles events of course .. shooters shoot from a distance based on their handicap averages over 500 or so registered targets.../ New shooters start at the 20 Yard line ...and depending on their performance over 5 or more tournaments, they earn their way back in distance as they improve ).
Fixed Full Choke guns used to be common on Trap fields...up until the early 80's or so .../ and these days I don't know any Trap shooteers that are not shooting screw in choke guns.
Most shooters shooting Trap Singles ...from the 16 Yd line ...the tightest they want to go is a Mod choke / and 1 oz of 8's is plenty in a 12ga.
If you are shooting Continental Trap ...where you can load 2 shells to break one bird...in an Over Under I might go Mod, Imp Mod on a windy day...but often I just stay with Mod / Mod...( and the same 1 oz of 8's -- and I like them at 1225 fps ).../ so if you like that gun, I agree with FITASC, consider opening up the choke on that barrel or having it fit for screw in changeable chokes to make it more versatile.
Fixed Full Choke guns used to be common on Trap fields...up until the early 80's or so .../ and these days I don't know any Trap shooteers that are not shooting screw in choke guns.
Most shooters shooting Trap Singles ...from the 16 Yd line ...the tightest they want to go is a Mod choke / and 1 oz of 8's is plenty in a 12ga.
If you are shooting Continental Trap ...where you can load 2 shells to break one bird...in an Over Under I might go Mod, Imp Mod on a windy day...but often I just stay with Mod / Mod...( and the same 1 oz of 8's -- and I like them at 1225 fps ).../ so if you like that gun, I agree with FITASC, consider opening up the choke on that barrel or having it fit for screw in changeable chokes to make it more versatile.
Mike Orlen is highly recommended; he is in MA and has good rates and fast turnaround time. (He is a mod on shotgunworld.com and his contact info can be found there)
Briley is also a good company to use, but most likely not as inexpensive or quick on the turnaround time.
There are other good shotgun gunsmiths out there, but I am not familiar with them.
Briley is also a good company to use, but most likely not as inexpensive or quick on the turnaround time.
There are other good shotgun gunsmiths out there, but I am not familiar with them.
Just because a barrel is marked Full ...doesn't mean it is Full either...
So whoever you pick to do the work needs to use a "bore gague" on the gun to really measure the inside of the barrel ...vs the constriction in the choke area...so you know what the measurement of the constriction really is..../ and when its bored out, to measure it again.
Briley would be too expensive - for the value of that gun vs having the work done locally ( they are good ...but not inexpensive ). You might try and shop for a used barrel for that gun too....if it happens to have screw in chokes it would be ok, even if you just left a Mod in their full time if that's what you want.
So whoever you pick to do the work needs to use a "bore gague" on the gun to really measure the inside of the barrel ...vs the constriction in the choke area...so you know what the measurement of the constriction really is..../ and when its bored out, to measure it again.
Briley would be too expensive - for the value of that gun vs having the work done locally ( they are good ...but not inexpensive ). You might try and shop for a used barrel for that gun too....if it happens to have screw in chokes it would be ok, even if you just left a Mod in their full time if that's what you want.
Hello bobn, your SX1 is one of the best SA ever made. I shoot SC with my SX1 full choke no problems at all. The sweet spot for that gun would be the 28" mod barrel, problem is the 28" mod is highly sought and carries a premium price far higher than chokes installed. If you do want choke tubes don't mess around, send the barrel to Briley or Wrights Inc. They know the SX1 well and do excellent work, or you could save some $$ and send the barrel to Mike Orlen and get the barrel opened to mod. Make sure you update your gun with a new modern bolt buffer, that was a weak spot on the SX1 back in the day.
"Just because a barrel is marked Full ...doesn't mean it is Full either..." The SX1 trap guns were checked at the factory to throw full pattens @40yrds before they were sent out....so goes the legend.....
"Just because a barrel is marked Full ...doesn't mean it is Full either..." The SX1 trap guns were checked at the factory to throw full pattens @40yrds before they were sent out....so goes the legend.....