how consistent should a particular load be?

[OldSwamper]

shot my SBEII yesterday: 26" barrel, RR .655 choke, 3.5" mag blends, at 40 yds.  it was 65 degrees but very windy (blew the target out of my hand several times, so i know it was not ideal conditions, but i was anxious to shoot some)

Shot 1: 175 pellets in 10" circle, but low (sight adjusted)
Shot 2: 210 pellets, but still low (pattern came up but just not enough, another adjustment)
Shot 3: 147 pellets, but dead on......

should i be seeing more consistent numbers....50 count difference seems like a lot

[K9Doc]

 
That's HeviShot for you.
Why I started loading my own.
All plenty good to kill birds, but for
those of Us that are OCD, I just couldn't
Stop worrying about the inconsistency.

[remmy1187]

Are you cleaning the barrel and choke after each shot or shooting a dirty barrel?  K9 is right about hevi-shot can be very inconsistent and for the expense not acceptable which is also why I handload.

[OldSwamper]

no, i was not cleaning the barrel and choke after each shot.  may get a chance to shoot some more this weekend.  we'll see how it goes.  thanks for the replies.

[remmy1187]

Try cleaning between shots and see if that helps.   

[gophert]

I dry boresnake 2x between each shot.  That way I am sure there is no cleaning chemical left in the barrel. 


Sent from my typewriter

[BennieGobbler]

Get out there and call in a bird!!  I get caught up on being OCD as well.  Sounds like 150 plus pellets in a 10" circle would be hard for a bird to maneuver through!!!

[catman529]

I'm glad I don't pay $5 per shell, ouch


Sent from the talk of tap

[born2hunt]

Were you shooting at the actual circle and then adjusting you sights ? If so then those numbers mean nothing.
I would start off by getting my POA and POI where I wanted before I worried about pattern consistency. And a stiff wind can definitely effect your pattern. 

[OldSwamper]

i shot at a small circle on big paper, drew a 10" ring around the best part of the pattern, then adjusted the sight to move the 10" ring closer to the original POA.  the #'s in the original post were the 10" ring counts.  i agree it will kill a turkey, no doubt, but was just not sure about the inconsistency. 

i did this at 40 yds.  maybe i should do the POA vs POI at a closer distance first.  thanks for responses