Shotgun Ballistics & Range

Before you look at the Range Charts and how to use them; you must know the effective range of your shotgun and its ammunition. It's no good identifying a 60 yard bird and learning about the amount of forward allowance required, if your gun will only kill it at 35 yards!

For the newcomer to wildfowling the extensive array of weaponry and ammunition is a daunting prospect; bores from 12 to 4, loads from one ounce to four, a dozen types of shot, 30 or more different shot sizes and dozens of choke configurations. Just how do we find our way through this jungle?

Even if you ask a fellow 'fowler, the answer is likely to be meaningless - "Fours with a full choke!".
But is that steel, Hevi-Shot, TMX; are they English 4s, US 4s or 4mm? What about that choke? Is it a 0.040" English full choke, 0.035" US full choke or does he mean it's a 0.020" choke for steel that throws a full choke pattern? See more about Chokes and their effect.

If you are a newcomer to shotgun shooting, as this stage you may wish to watch Simon West's presentation on the subject.

To kill ducks constantly, you need three things, penetration, pattern and a good aim; one is no good without the others. We all know that one lucky heavy pellet will kill at 60 yards, but it will not do it constantly! Small shot will kill at 10 yards, but ruin the bird for the table; we need to strike a balance. With cartridges costing anything up to £5 each, the days of testing by banging off dozens at sodden telephone directories and pattern boards are fast disappearing. To help, we have provided you with a rough and ready Ballistic Calculator, and Range Charts to help you judge distance and forward allowance.

Armed with some information about your gun and cartridge, it calculates the expected penetration into a bird and the number of pellet strikes at various ranges for various quarry. You can juggle the load, shot type and choke until you get a balanced load. For example: For a Wigeon, try a 36g steel UK #3 load at 1400 fpm with a "full choke". You will see from the first graph that the pellet has sufficient energy to kill a wigeon at 40 yards and from the second graph, sufficient pattern also at 40 yards.

Before you old hands scream "Full choke with steel!" By "full choke" I mean something approaching a 70% pattern in a 30" circle at 40 yards. With steel shot, your gun may achieve this "70% full choke" pattern with ¼ or ½ choke (0.010" or 0.020" constriction). Best to read more on chokes first!

Once you have a rough idea of your cartridge's calculated performance, you only need to shoot two or three at a pattern board to verify it. See how to pattern your gun. You can then adjust your choke setting in the calculator to more accurately assess the killing potential of your cartridge.