How using a pattern plate could improve your shooting

What type of game shot are you? Do you have multi-chokes and religiously change them according to the quarry and the conditions? Or do you not really even know what choke means, and certainly have no idea how your own gun is set up in this regard? If you are the former then you probably already know the value of a visit to a pattern plate. If you are the latter then a pattern plate is not something you eat your dinner off; in fact it’s a very useful way to establish where you and your gun are actually shooting when you pull the trigger.

 

To find out how to make the most of the pattern plate I visited the Hull Cartridge Company in their eponymous home city in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Business Development Manager Robert Everitt and I went to nearby Monckton Shooting Ground to do some test shooting. The pattern plates we used were 80cm squares of cardboard with 16 numbered sections within two concentric circles, as well as a bullseye. You can pin these to any area with a safe background and to conduct the tests all you have to do is stand at whichever distance you choose (eg 30m) from the plate, aim at the middle and pull the trigger. The important thing then is to go and count the pellet strikes and establish whether your gun is shooting high, low or left or right.

 

As you might expect the distance you shoot from will have a direct impact on the spread of the pellets. The further back you stand the wider the spread, and the uninitiated will find the visual confirmation of this quite fascinating. For instance you may not realise quite how wide the pattern is at even 30 yards. Some of the pellets will miss the plate completely at this range even if you and your gun are set up well. One of the other important things you are looking for is holes in the pattern; clearly not a good sign for consistent shooting.

 

For further explanation I turned to Robert to tell us why it's so important to test your gun at a pattern plate and to know where you are shooting?

 

“Purely from the perspective of wanting to shoot as well as possible you should want to know your gun shoots where you are looking. The clues on the pattern plate are there for you to spot if your gun requires more cast or is too high or low. Further to that it will give you the confidence of understanding what works with your gun and choke combination. Just because somebody says 36grams of No.4 shot works with full choke doesn’t mean it does. If you prove it to yourself then next time you are on the peg you will have removed that potential gremlin and you will see the results.”

If you are worried this all sounds a bit heavy, it really isn’t as time-consuming or complicated as it might sound. It doesn’t need to become a scientific quest if you don’t want it to, as Roberts explains: “You can make pattern testing as easy or as complicated as you wish. Remember, it’s all relevant to your gun and choke. It’s about giving yourself confidence that you can see the pattern is evenly distributed with no balling [when pellets weld together during the firing process] and it’s performing the way you want. Some people like tight patterns at certain distances and others prefer a wider spread. So it’s about personal preference and instilling confidence.”

 

Assuming you have established that you and your gun and choke are compatible, just what sort of cartridge load should you be using for your game shooting this season? “An ounce (28 grams) of No.6 will be perfect for a pheasant or partridge on a lowland shoot, and will no doubt be capable of killing birds very cleanly at further distance. But you will improve your chances if you switch to a 32gram No.5 at what are commonly referred to as high pheasants. Then there is extreme range. In the right hands and situations birds can be killed consistently further away. But there is always a drop off, and shooting a pattern plate at 40 yards versus 60 yards with the same cartridge and choke will categorically demonstrate your pattern is greatly diminished at that distance.”
 

It’s really not that time consuming or arduous to go and shoot at a pattern plate every now and again and one or two sessions can really help you get the right choke/load combination for your shooting. As Robert says: “Good shooting isn’t just about assembling the right bits. It requires passion and practice.”