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#1
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Pattern Shotgun
I'm getting ready to pattern a couple of shotguns and my first problem is determining the number of pellets in the shells. I don't reload shotshells anymore, so I plan to use factory ammo.
I though about poking a few holes in the base of the hull, just above the brass, then soaking the shell in water. The shell should then be safe to take apart so I can count the pellets. Is there a better/safer means?
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Author of "The History and Guns of Simson & Co., Suhl, Germany" www.cornellpubs.com |
#2
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You don't need to worry about detonating the powder in a shotgun shell with a knife.
Cut the front half of the shell open- where the shot is, pour out the shot and count the pellets. Or cut the crimped end of the shell off.
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“May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.” Dwight D. Eisenhower "If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter" George Washington Jack@huntchat.com |
#3
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Why bother cutting open the shell at all? Seems like a waste to me....esp. with the price of ammo skyrocketing lately!
Why not use a pellet count table: http://www.shotgunworld.com/amm.html#Shot%20Size
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If your dog thinks that your the greatest, don't go seeking a second opinion! |
#4
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Quote:
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skeet@huntchat.com Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Benjamin Franklin |
#5
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Thanks Guys, I was aware of pellet count tables, but as Skeet alluded, it will only get you close. But, perhaps close enough.
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Author of "The History and Guns of Simson & Co., Suhl, Germany" www.cornellpubs.com |
#6
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What I was saying
Was by using the tables you would be no farther off than you would be with the difference in the number of pellets from shell to shell. They REALLY aren't all the same. Counting pellets really gets old..so does counting holes in the target.
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skeet@huntchat.com Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Benjamin Franklin |
#7
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This has been covered pretty well, and like Skeet said, even if you were to count all the pellets in a single shell, what makes you think every shell within that box has the exact number of pellets in it? The odds of 25 shells loaded with #8's or 7 1/2's with the exact same number of pellets in all of them is like the odds of winning the lottery. Now, buckshot, the odds would be a lot better.
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The pond, waterfowl, and yellow labs...it don't get any better. |
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