RE: Input on my patterning
You have gotten several good tips here and one thing that I will add that has already been said is to shot at a large piece of paper...at least 34" X 34" so you can see what you entire pattern is doing. A lot of hunters are now using a 10" circle and a 3" circle to aim at (I wont go into detail as that's not the topic here). Go to Lowe's / Home Improvement and buy some contractor's paper or get some butcher paper and staple it to a piece of plywood and put a 3" circle. I would start out using cheap dove loads and stand about 15 or 20 yards and just get your gun shooting close to center. Once you have done that (with the cheaper loads), then back up some and switch to the more expensive loads...the ones you are wanting to pattern. Also, remember that one brand of shell may shoot high while another brand may shoot low. You will need to sight in your gun for the exact brand of shell you choose.