Performance Data
| Date | Range | Choke (Nominal) | 30" Circle Impacts | Performance (Nominal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/11/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.005" ("Cylinder") | 190 (298) | 64% (< Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.005" ("Cylinder") | 174 (298) | 58% (< Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 286 (298) | 96% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.005" ("Cylinder") | 117 (298) | 39% (< Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.005" ("Cylinder") | 112 (298) | 38% (< Clyinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 224 (298) | 75% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 213 (298) | 71% (Improved Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.015" (Modified) | 106 (298) | 36% (< Cylinder) |
| 11/11/2017 | 40 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 121 (298) | 41% (Cylinder) |
Performance Analysis
The SmallBoreShotguns team approached the testing of the Gamebore cartridge with a mind on its intended purpose as a skeet cartridge. Light-to-medium chokings were employed for most of the pattern testing as this would be the most common approach on the skeet field where balancing the largest possible pattern against achieving the highest possible density often bears the greatest dividends.
The Gamebore cartridge responded strongly to the different degrees of choke, producing adequate, if sparse patterns with the 0.005″ tube at 20 yards. (We consider c. 220 pellets in the standard circle to be a good density for sporting clays). Patterns at the same range using the 0.015″ choke were dense and of excellent quality, if somewhat small and for this reason we suggest that constrictions between 0.007″ and 0.012″ are likely to give the best balance of pattern size and adequate density.
At 30 yards, absolute performance remained impressive with the tighter of the two constrictions, but the performance of the lighter choke had tailed off substantially. This is by no means unexpected: small shot – and especially shot of 2.0mm and smaller diameter – is always proportionately more damaged from it’s journey down the bore and a greater number of pellets are “scrubbed” and lost from the pattern. Choke mitigates this to some degree, but eventually, the larger proportion of the shot will curl away from the barrel axis and be lost.
The substantial reduction in the number of pellets falling within the circle between 20 and 30 yards using the lighter choke, is mirrored in a similar loss between 30 and 40 yards with the tighter choke, which even an extra 0.005″ constriction at the muzzle could not mitigate. We suspect that pellet energy may be borderline sufficient to break clays at 40 yards, but that pattern will not be, particularly in the case of crossing or other side-on presentations.
We must observe – though it is of little consequence given the generally good absolute pellet counts – that the percentage performance displayed by the cartridge with the lightest choking is particularly poor. As we have observed elsewhere on this site, we would expect any 20-yard pattern to contain between 85%-90% of the original shot charge and even with the handicap of very small shot and the greater proportional deformation that that brings, performances in the 55-65% range at 20 yards are – frankly – appalling. Indeed, we are slightly at a loss to explain quite how one third of the shot charge could have been lost in such a short distance, except that the muzzle velocity of the cartridge appears to be high.
For skeet and for easy or otherwise short-to-medium range clay shooting, this should be the .410 user’s cartridge of choice. Recoil is mild and it ought to be perfectly manageable by a young person, even fired from a light gun. It may struggle with longer and more difficult sporting targets. For use in the field, the choice of a plastic wad is not ideal and although the SBS team remain curious as to the real-world performance of a cartridge containing such small shot on small-to-medium game, none of us are prepared to perform such a test where other more humane alternatives are available.
Example Patterns
