No!

[BerettaDan]

So I had a spare hour today between rain showers and thought I’d finally pattern plate my chokes with my current choice of cartridge and check my POI…..I rang AGL and asked if I could spend 1/2 an hour on theirs? The answer was ‘no’ not unless I book (pay) for a coach to take me on it! Call me cynical but I assume that’s an upsell tactic, to give the coach an oppportunity to rubbish my gun fit/technique and tell me I need to book lessons/time with the gunsmith! Needless to say, I said ‘no thanks’.

They are more than happy to have me drop £60 on practice, £10 on coffee and breakfast roll, also book onto their next comp and pay the £65 upfront. But I can’t use the empty pattern plate for half an hour in my own?

 

[chippy]

Testing at a pattern plate doesn't really tell you much because you never shoot at a stationary target with a shotgun. You will be subconsciously pushing your cheek down on the stock and lining up the rib. Try to find a stand with a straight away target neither rising or dropping at 25 yards and shoot it with full choke if you smoke it job done. 

 

[Doctor Lecter]

Testing at a pattern plate doesn't really tell you much because you never shoot at a stationary target with a shotgun. You will be subconsciously pushing your cheek down on the stock and lining up the rib. Try to find a stand with a straight away target neither rising or dropping at 25 yards and shoot it with full choke if you smoke it job done. 

25 dtl targets tells you all you need to know  about your patterns !

 

[Daz W]

If you do want to get on a pattern plate, Sporting Targets don't charge to use theirs. IIRC it's £2.50 for a "proper" pattern card, or just put up something of your own

 

[BerettaDan]

I often shoot at Sporting Targets, I can’t say I’ve spotted their plate before? I must say the staff at ST are always really helpful though, so I’ll definitely ask next time I’m up there. As for the targets, I’ve already made up half a dozen, I used decorators lining paper, so I’ve got that covered

Thanks for the heads-up Daz!

 

[Daz W]

It's in a fenced off by the air rifle range area, almost behind the clubhouse. Walk as if your going to Clubhouse Sportrap, and there's a panelled gate in the fence. Ask for the keys behind reception. Pic below is from just above the grouse butt 

 

[Jonny English]

I use a pattern plate to check cartridge performance for spread and distribution etc. I then tend to use a 20 yard sitting crow for gun fit. I run a beretta 12 and miroku 20 bore. The beretta i shoot at the bottom edge, the miroku 20 I have to shoot 6 to 12 inches below.

 

[BerettaDan]

I use a pattern plate to check cartridge performance for spread and distribution etc. I then tend to use a 20 yard sitting crow for gun fit. I run a beretta 12 and miroku 20 bore. The beretta i shoot at the bottom edge, the miroku 20 I have to shoot 6 to 12 inches below.

That’s exactly what I’m looking to learn !! That and how my chosen cartridge is patterning through various chokes

It's in a fenced off by the air rifle range area, almost behind the clubhouse. Walk as if your going to Clubhouse Sportrap, and there's a panelled gate in the fence. Ask for the keys behind reception. Pic below is from just above the grouse butt 

View attachment 8918

Thanks Daz, very helpful indeed and know exactly the area you refer to

 

[chesterse]

I agree with a lot of the comments about the usefulness of a pattern plate but one thing it can tell you is how tight the different chokes are relative to one another.

I had a certain make of gun one time that I tested at 30 yards and every choke over a quarter patterned very tightly with the same degree of tightness.

I shot that gun very successfully at sporting with skeet and a quarter or quarter/quarter and only stopped using it due to reliability issues. If there were extreme targets I would put 3/8’s in.

 

[westley]

With regards to the usefulness of a pattern plate, it was once the 'go to' method of gunfit for a lot of English gunmakers and it seemed to work well enough for them  !

In the late 1970's I purchased a long awaited Westley Richards side by side 12 bore. I knew it was cast for a left handers, but only the stock and not the triggers etc. After 2 years of local gunsmiths bending it and it returning to left handed of its own accord, I took it to Westley's in Birmingham. Their one armed stock fitter took me out to the rear of their premises and had me shoot at a pattern plate with my gun. He made some adjustments to their 'try gun' and had me fire 2 more cartridges at the plate. THAT was it  !   4 weeks later and my gun was ready for collection. I should have gone back to finally check and collect my gun but due to 'civil unrest' in Liverpool in 1981, I was unable to get any days off (which went on for 3 months !). They sent my gun back by Securicor.  That gun fitted perfectly and I have never shot so well with any gun that I have owned, and that still applies to this day. My physique has most certainly altered, but I still shoot exceptionally well with that gun. I believe that most of the 'old school' stock fitters could achieve this level of success, as long as the shooter had a CONSISTENT gun mounting technique.  Sadly most are now gone, taking their skills with them.

Bearing in mind that Westley Richards were in the middle of Birmingham, a pattern plate was the only option for gunfitting.