The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-12-30

In some parts of the country a
form of shotgun shooting is prac.
ticed, known as block shooting 1t
It done mainly for contests and for
prizes. There are no set conditions,
but usually the target consists of a
small block of wood in the form of
square or circle, set up at quite
distance from the shooter. Each
contestant shoots at fresh block,
and the winner is the man who sue
eeeds in putting the most number of
shot in the block. OF course the
close shooting qualities of the shot
gun barrel used have something to
do with the results, but usually the
locks are so small and such dis
lance from the muzzle that it really
is a matter of luck as to who the
winner will be. Sometimes the am
munition which must be used is
served out to each shooter, in the
me box, and in other contests the
,hooter is permitted to load his am
nunition to suit himself, in which
ase he uses a large load of small
shot and a light load of powder so
as to spread the charge as little as
ossible.
Frequently letters come in to me
asking for the name of firm who
can turn out a shotgun barrel, which
will place 80 per cent of it's charge
in a circle six inches at fifty yards.
rhe only answer to such request is
10 say that no shotgun was ever
l1 rryh; NJ, 1o nj
some new way of boring shotgun
barrels Or loading shot shells is in
vented, | doubt if such barrel ever
will be produced.
Shotgun barrels vary somewhat in
heir shooting qualities even when
made from the same material and by
the same tools, but the closest shoot
ing shotgun possible to produce will
only place from 70 to so per cent OF
It's charge in thirty inch circle at
forty yards, which is long way
from the pattern mentioned above
To the man who has not studied
the matter thoroughly it would ap
pear that the smaller the choke at
the muzzle of the barrel, the closer
would be the pattern, but this is not
the case, for any attempt to make
the choke tighter than that used in
standard American shotgun barrels
simply results in jamming the shot
charge together in such way that
the shot ball together (that is,
number of pellets actually fuse into
a solid mass) and the result is err
ratio and irregular patterns.
Another popularity of shotgun
barrels is that any particular barrel
does not necessarily shoot every
load with the same degree of effec-
tiveness. OF course all full choke
barrels from reputable manufactur-
ers will shoot close patterns, but fire.
quently one particular load OF
powder and shot will give closer and
more even results than any other
combination in that particular
Darrell
Years ago it was thought that the
close shooting qualities Of shotgun
barrel depended on the actual tight
ness of the muzzle and there sprang
up an idea that a 12-gague shotgun
was really full choke only If it were
so small that a 10 cent piece would
not pass thru. This was known as
the dime test" and modern expert
ments have exploded the idea COM
pletely, for it has been found that
close shooting depends to great ex-
tent upon the form of the choke, and
not upon it's actual diameter.
Another exploded theory is that
barrel to produce super-fine results
must be a true taper from breach to
and in fact some makers used
to advertise that their barrels were
bored in this way. AS matter of
act 1t has been found that a barrel
which is true taper from chamber
to muzzle will shoot but very little
closer than a, cylinder bore, for
choke depends for it's effect, upon
the sudden jamming together of the
shot charge just as it leaves the
muZZle,