Category: Advice

“Expert Advice”For many years Trapshooting, Skeet shooting, Sporting Clays shooters have suffered over how to improve and sought advice from those who have reached prominent status and respect in the field. Shooting improvement is a long road, met with constant struggle, trial and error. We’ve all done it, and thankfully, with enjoyment. Fieldandclays is happy to report that we are collecting advice from well known experts in their field and will grow this section with pertinent and useful materials to help propel you along your journey. Included will be no-nonsense expertise and recommendations of products and services based on quality, cost, and customer service.  Our staff is really excited about this addition which we begin here.
Come on back for new additions and updates. Hope you enjoy.

Robert R. Hartman, Publisher.
staff@fieldandclays.com

Expert Advice

• Shooting Glasses
• Tips on buying a Shotgun
• Frank Hoppe, All American (Instructions)
• Chris Batha, World famous instructor (Instructions)
• John Wooley, leading International Shooting Instructor, World Champion, Sporting Clays World Championship Sporting Clays Course Designer
• All about chokes
  George Trulock, Nationally acclaimed authority on choke design and pattern eficiency
• Gun Terms
• Herb Parsons - Showman Shooter
• Target Shotguns
  Bob Shultz Professional shooter, consultant, and coach

Testimonials from shooters who improved by using Magic Eye Dots:
I heard of your magic eye dots from Tom Gresham on his Gun Talk radio program. I just used the eye dots for the first time and they’re great. Robert Bickel
I received the Magic Dots. I tried your product this past weekend thru a friend that has the same problem. I shoot with purple color lens and used the purple magic dot. I have to say that I was truly amazed. The color coordination gave me just enough obstruction and did not effect my vision to much overall I could not hardly tell that a magic dot was in place……..as would a black dot on the purple lens. Great product………. I think I will enjoy using the dots. I also will be telling everyone about them. William Steven
It is estimated that 40% of right handed shooters are left eyed dominant while 80% of left handed shooters are right eyed dominant.
A problem for many shooters is wrong eye dominance and crossover sighting. This often occurs when right handed shooters have a dominant left eye and a left handed shooter has a dominant right eye. Many prefer to shoot giving their preferred eye an advantage and find this system to be the answer.
Made of new space age materials, these dots allow precise placement and can be removed easily and repositioned. Clean removal leaves no residue.
In the shooting position, place a dot on the outside or inside of your lens in a spot that causes slight fuzziness to the appropriate eye. Proper placement will force a switched focus to your shooting eye. Dots will stay in place and many times match the color of your lens. Comes in one full sheet of 35 dots, each of which can be trimmed to desire. Excellent when shooting Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol, Archery

What is a Shotgun Choke?

A choke is simply a tapered constriction of the gun’s bore at the muzzle end. The length of this constriction varies between the different shotgun makers but usually is not less than 1.5 nor more than 3 inches. This constriction is normally from .005 to .045 (thousandths) of an inch, but in the case of special purpose tubes, it can be as much as .100 (thousandths) under bore size. With screw in chokes you can very easily change the degree of constriction by simply changing the choke. This allows the use of one shotgun for almost any shooting activity.

Shotgun Patterns:

Patterns are normally expressed as a percentage such as 50%. This means that 50% or 1/2 of all shot in any given shell will hit inside a 30 inch circle on the target. This percentage is found by dividing the number of pellets inside the 30 inch circle by the total number of pellets in the shell. The patterns are always assumed to be measured at a distance of 40 yards. The exceptions to this are cylinder and skeet1 chokes in all gauges and .410 bore shotguns in all choke sizes. These are measured at a distance of 25 yards. The chart can be used as a general guide.

The chart is based on using premium field loads with #8 shot. Generally the larger size of shot you use the less degree of choke is needed to get an equivalent size pattern. Also be advised that almost anything you change in the shell will also change the pattern. High velocity or mag loads normally do not pattern as well as lighter loads. The same load by different ammo manufacturers may not pattern the same. As you can see, there are many things that can cause a shotgun to shoot a different pattern with the same choke. Most chokes will shoot a pattern reasonably close to the marked size, but the only way to be absolutely sure of what your gun is doing, is to actually pattern it with the different loads you use and try different chokes to get the pattern you want.

Name	# %	Constriction
Cylinder Bore	40	.000
Skeet 1	50	.005
Improved Cylinder	50	.010
Skeet 2	55	.015
Modified	60	.020
Improved Modified	63	.025
Full	65	.030
Extra Full	68	.040
Super Full	70	.045
Turkey	70 or more	.045 or more

Steel Shot:

As a general rule, when using large diameter steel shot, you would use one full degree less choke than with lead shot. For example, if you want the effects of an Improved Cylinder choke with steel, use a Cylinder Bore choke tube. Or, is you want the effects of a Modified choke with steel, use an Improved Cylinder choke tube. Want the effects of a full choke with steel, use a Modified choke tube.

Steel shot that is smaller than BB size may take an improved modified choke to get a full choke pattern. 
WARNING!: Do not use BBB-T-F size shot with any choke tighter than modified.

Bismuth shot.
Bismuth shot may be used with the same chokes as lead shot.

Tungsten iron shot
Tungsten iron shot should be used with the same chokes as steel shot.

Tungsten Polymer shot
Tungsten polymer shot may be used with the same chokes as lead shot.

Tungsten Nickel (Hevi Shot)
Hevi shot may be used with the same chokes as lead shot.