Ballistics That Don't Lie
December
2007
Shooting
Tip
by: Dan Schindler
There are basically 3 ballistics in
rifle, pistol and shotgun shooting. 1) Internal ballistics, or what
takes place inside the chamber and barrel; 2) external ballistics,
what takes place during the shot string flight; and 3) terminal
ballistics, what happens when the shot string impacts the target.
It was a sunny, crisp day at Upper Nisqually Gun Club in Eatonville
WA. Joe and I were putting the finishing touches on the target
presentations before I began teaching the next day. The last Field
was a lengthy crossing bird.
On my way to Eatonville I’d purchased some Winchester 1 1/8 oz, 2
3/4 dram Lite loads of 7 1/2’s. I bought them particularly for the
recoil reduction and because I have tremendous confidence in loads
such as these. Because the bird was against the sky for a long
flight period, we’d been forced to estimate the distance to the
target. We guesstimated 60 to 65 yards, possibly a little more. Gun
in hand I asked Joe to pull a few. I was having a good day and the
birds were hit hard.
Early the following morning, Joe told me he’d gone back to the last
field and laser ranged the distance to the target. 80 yards! He
moved the trap slightly so we had our 60-yard bird. We then
discussed the terminal affects the load had on the targets
yesterday. Impressive considering they were essentially Lite loads.
Old myths die hard. There are untold thousands of examples where 1
oz loads at approximately 1,180 to 1,220 fps devastate targets at
all reasonable shotgun ranges. Do yourself a favor. Stop the
relentless punishing of heavier loads and remember, it’s not how
fast or how many # 8’s leave the muzzle. It’s how many are still available to
arrive on target, i.e., better terminal ballistics. Your body and
your scores will thank you for it.
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