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Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1907 Location: Central ND

This has nothing specifically to do with 16 gauge anything. It all started because of Heper shot and folks claiming that Lawrence/West Coast isn't very hard any longer.

OK, I don't doubt that Lawrence/West Coast shot may have slipped some over the years, but since it's pretty much all I use, I have never noticed a difference in the way my targets break nor have my scores fallen off, actually they have gotten incrementally better. And actually this has nothing to do with any claims for or against any shot manufacturer. It's just something that happened while I was patterning. I don't normally pattern target loads, it's mostly 16 gauge for hunting loads only.

My go to sporting clays shotgun is a Benelli SS, made in 2007. It always has a Muller U3 choke in it but for this bit of patterning I used the Benelli Full choke which has 0.040" constriction, the Benelli Improved Modified choke with 0.033" constriction. Out of curiosity I ended up trying the Muller U3 with 0.022" constriction.

I patterned 3 targets for each choke at a measured 40 yards. August, 12, 2023, Temperature was 77 degrees, 8 mph NNW, 45% RH. Kinda of a perfect day.

The load was a run of the mill, Winchester AACF hull, Winchester 209 primer, 18.0 grains 700-X, CB1100-12 wad and 1 oz. of Lawrence #8 magnum that I bought 2 weeks ago. The velocity on my chrono says 1,248 FPS. The shot count per oz. was 412, the pellet size (I checked about 50 pellets) was 0.087" to 0.094". By the chart I have the pellet count indicates about 4% antimony. Since the size averages 0.091" that seems about right. The whole load is nothing special, and I just grabbed the shells I needed out of the bin that my 9000H12 spits them into. I did weigh powder and shot to be sure it was close, but I did not weigh out powder and shot to be exact in each hull.

Full Choke (0.040"):

78% in a 30" circle - Central Thickening - 2.3 to 1

Improved modified choke (0.033"):

77% in a 30" circle - Central Thickening - 2.5 to 1

Muller U3 (0.022"):

78% in a 30" circle - Central Thickening - 2.4 to 1

I have only used the Full choke for POI testing. I don't think the improved modified choke has ever been in the shotgun. The Muller U3 was interesting, but I have patterned that choke several times, but this is the first time I have seen 78% patterns with it, It's normally in the 60's as far as percentage goes.

The fact that all 3 chokes patterned almost the same is kind of surprising. Proof that until you pattern you are just guessing.

Back in the 1990's new factory Gold Medals shot 86% in a Citori trap gun I had with a full choke. I don't remember exactly what the Invector Plus full choke was, but somewhere around 0.030". My reloads using all Federal components, 700-X and Lawrence shot would pattern 82%, back then.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1907 Location: Central ND

FWIW, as intrigued as I am about Heper shot, after I shot these patterns with the U3, I'm good. I shoot sporting clays and 5 stand, if I miss it won't be because of the shot quality in my reloads.

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2129 Location: Hudson,Wy

I need to go run a test since...I have a few bags of the old Carson City shot in #8 (West Coast). If I have a bag of the new stuff, I can run a comparison. What I do have for sure is the new Mayco manufactured Lawrence or WC #5 shot and the old Carson City WC #5 shot. If the wind ever lets up so my pattern board stays put, I could shoot some patterns.