So what’s in the shell?

Posted On: 05-18-2023

It is always challenging to explain to a youth shooter how in the world they missed a 4.25” clay target moving at 45 miles per hour with shotgun.  After all, perhaps they have been to the pattern board and seen all the holes their shot shell produced and still not sure how they missed it.  It does seem a little hard to believe all that shot flying through the air hits nothing.  Lets take a look at the shell and see what our chances are based on how many pellets are available.

To start with many of us shoot an 11/8-ounce load.  From there we may shoot a 1-ounce load or even a 7/8-ounce load.  Eight shot is the standard so here is how many pellets each of these weights has in a 23/4 12-gauge shell. 

So you can see the pellets numbers reduce and so does the powder needed to move that shot.  A 7/8 load will have the least recoil.

A quick look indicates that of course 71/2 shot is slightly bigger than 8 shot so less can be loaded into the shell.  Of the two tables above I would guess most of us are inclined to have the most shot in the air and therefore the most opportunities to break a target all things considered equal. 

Now we need to break this down even further.  I will stick with the 8 shot and the number 512.  When you go to the pattern board the questions that board resolves for you are:

1. How many pellets hit a 30” circle
2. How many do not
3. How many shot above and below our point of aim
4. What is the percentage then above or below
5. Finally is the shot even going where you aimed

What we often see is maybe a percentage of the pellets way outside the 30” circle depending on the choke we use.  An open cylinder choke might leave 70% of the pellets outside the 30” ring where as a full might leave 30% out.  Might be more or less, but enough to have to reduce the 512 to say about 360 pellets.  The pattern also tells us what the cluster looks like or as I state in number 5 – did the shot go where I aimed.  If for example you see a point of impact (greatest cluster of shot) way to the right, left, top or bottom then many of those too are not going to be available to hit the target.  Let’s say if we have 60/40 split (60% above and 40% below) and we shoot above a rising target that 40% below may bot be usable again so here we go down to a couple hundred pellets. 

Think about those pellets when you shoot.  You have only so many that is going in play to hit your target.  Consider also wind, air density and random shot flying everywhere and one can see those few pellets better be on target.

David R. Vaught, Ph.D.

Executive Director