Performance Data
| Date | Range | Choke (Nominal) | 20" Circle Impacts (Total) | 30" Circle Equivalent Density | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/11/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 59 (97) | 133 | 61% |
| 11/11/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 50 (97) | 112 | 52% |
| 11/11/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 50 (97) | 112 | 52% |
| 11/11/2017 | 20 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 73 (97) | 164 | 75% |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 40 (97) | 90 | 41% |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.010" (Improved Cylinder) | 51 (97) | 114 | 53% |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 46 (97) | 103 | 47% |
| 11/11/2017 | 30 Yards | 0.020" (Improved Modified) | 33 (97) | 74 | 34% |
Performance Analysis
It is the policy of the SmallBoreShotguns team to try to paint as positive a picture as we can of each cartridge we test. This has resulted in some “acrobatics” in previous analyses, particularly where 2″ cartridges and others containing fewer than 120 pellets to start with are concerned: we have tried to imagine possible uses rather than discard them as entirely unsuitable for our purposes, which – unfortunately – they have tended to be.
In the case of the Gamebore cartridge, even these acrobatics have not been enough for us to draw a positive conclusion. Pellet counts are – at best – mediocre. We would, for example, expect any cartridge to print 85%-90% of it’s shot inside a 30″ circle at 20 yards, but this was never achieved during testing. Even with the use of a 20″ circle which mathematically inflates the effective pattern density, the pattern images collected do not show the kind of performance we would want to see if we planned to rely on these cartridges in the field using “aimed” shooting.
Although the cartridge contains #7 shot – unusual amongst the preponderance of 9g / #6 loadings which are common in the 2″ case – it cannot achieve performance equivalent even to the Lyalvale #6 cartridge, its closest neighbour in the stable of cartridges tested by the SBS team. (We note that the Lyalvale cartridge contains around 10½g of shot rather than the labelled “9g”, explaining the two cartridges’ near-identical pellet counts.) We suspect, given the somewhat vicious muzzle crack that this is a cartridge heavy on powder and light on shot and that this approach by the manufacturers does not aid performance.
Furthermore, as appears to be the case with all loadings closed with a rolled turnover, performance is highly inconsistent, with the response to varous degrees of choke apparently random. Although the best performance was achieved with the tightest choke tested at 20 yards, the pattern image (see below) shows hints of a “doughnut” shape in the pattern density. Given the evenness of the ¼ choke pattern and the fact that, at 30 yards, the tightest choke gave the worst performance, we suspect that the 0.020″ patterns are blown.
It is hard to conceive of a use for this cartridge. Recent testing with a 9mm garden gun has produced patterns superior to those thrown by the Gamebore cartridge and we are left to question whether, in fact, the garden gun would be a more effective alternative.
Example Patterns
