Shotguns are often called a thinking man’s weapon. While they tend to be a little less intuitive for home defense than, say, a rifle or pistol, I think we make them overcomplicated. There is a little thought that’s required to get one set up just right. The most important thing you can do is select several different buckshot loads, go to the range, and pattern your shotgun. If you can do that, then you’ve put enough thought into how to use your shotgun for home defense efficiently.
Patterning is important to every use of the shotgun. This includes hunting deer, birds, shooting clay pigeons, and of course, defensive and tactical applications. For defensive and tactical applications inside the home, it’s all about buckshot.
To understand patterning, you have to understand how buckshot works. A load of buckshot is typically eight to nine pellets. When a load of buckshot is fired, the projectiles are propelled downrange, and once they leave the barrel, they begin to spread.
Knowing how those pellets spread is valuable. Patterning is essentially the act of shooting a target at designated ranges and observing how your buckshot lands. The way that load lands is a pattern.
Why We Pattern
We pattern our buckshot loads so we can know how the round performs from our specific shotgun at predetermined ranges. This way, when we use the shotgun defensively, we have an idea of how far the pellets will spread when the shotgun’s used in that application.
The reason this is valuable to the end user comes down to knowing how effective the load will be at certain ranges and where you can expect the load to land. When you use a shotgun defensively, you have to acknowledge that every pellet fired has the potential to harm an innocent person.
You need to know how that load is going to pattern at specific ranges so you can be accountable for every pellet fired. If your chosen load patterns are too wide, you know that you need to swap loads and try an alternative.
Additionally, patterning is a bit like zeroing. You want to know your point of aim and point impact and what variations you may have at different distances. With a bead sight shotgun, you have no room for adjustments, so you have to find a load that patterns correctly as well as hits within your POI/POA. (This is a big reason why I like red dots on shotguns.)
Proper Pattern Size
How tight should your pattern be? That’s a bit subjective. There used to be this rule of thumb that buckshot spreads an inch for every yard, but that’s simply not true these days. Modern shot cups, pellets, shell designs, and filler have changed that drastically.
I personally want a spread no larger than my hand at home defense distances. The longest shot I could possibly take will be about 12 yards. I tend to lean towards tighter patterns for home defense. Other scenarios, like clearing the city of Fallujah, can benefit from a wider pattern.
Hitting a moving target or a target in the dark is easier with a wider pattern. In a situation where I don’t need to worry about kids, pets, and neighbors, that’s okay. In my home, that’s no bueno. I want every pellet inside the bad guy.
In terms of point of aim and point of impact, I also don’t want to see a big difference at 12 yards and closer. If the pattern is within two inches or so of a fixed sight, that’s acceptable. With a red dot, I adjust until it’s an accurate POI/POA.
Quick Notes on Patterning
One thing that you need to remember is that every shotgun patterns differently. You could have two Remington 870s with sequential serial numbers fresh off the factory floor, and they could pattern differently. On top of that, different buckshot loads pattern differently.
A load from Federal will pattern differently than a load from Hornady. Everything from the pellet design to the type of crimp can affect how a specific load patterns in a specific gun. It’s seemingly more magic than science.
Barrel harmonics can even play a role. My Mossberg 590A1 can create a tighter pattern than any other cylinder-bore shotgun due to its thicker barrel wall and three points of contact with the shotgun.
Chokes also can affect a pattern. Sometimes they can even be a detriment with loads specifically designed for cylinder bores.
How To Pattern
Let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this article. How do we take our shotguns out and pattern them? For home defense, you need to establish the longest possible shot you could possibly take. Establish that in feet or yards and keep that number in mind. That will be your max pattern range.
Get a series of targets. You can use nearly anything. I often just use printer paper with a circle drawn in the middle with a Sharpie. You’ll need several targets. I’d bring at least 10. You’ll also need at least 10 rounds of your chosen buckshot or even more if you are experimenting with various loads.
We will pattern at several distances. You can start far and move close or vice versa. For this example, let’s say you’re max range inside your home is 10 yards. Set up a target at 10 yards, then one at seven, and one at five.
We pattern at ranges closer than the furthest to check for patterns and POI/POA. Set the targets up and shoot them. See how the rounds pattern at various ranges and observe your POI and POA as well as the pattern.
What To Look For
It’s pretty simple. If it is too wide or too off your POI/POA, you need to make an adjustment. POI and POA can be adjusted with certain sight setups, and chokes can help constrict a pattern. It might be worth it to consider an entirely new load and try out several loads to figure out what works.
Also, look for the donut of death. This occurs when a load patterns like a giant donut, in a circle without any pellets in the middle. This typically occurs with crappy buckshot. You also want to look for flyers. This occurs with nine-pellet buckshot more often than not. It’s when one pellet separates from the rest of the pattern widely. It kills your patterns and should be avoided.
Finding Patterns
There isn’t a whole lot to patterning a shotgun, but it’s incredibly important that you do it. It’s not too tough to do, and it is something you should most certainly do to confirm your load and gun are up to snuff. Plus, spending an afternoon shooting shotguns is always fun.
