The demons of target-setting—wind, heavy air, machine variation, no landing area, judgment—have finally met their match and it is the chronograph.

This article was first published in Trap & Field in January & February, 2000.

Chase the maddening phantom of velocity and learn the nitty gritty of measuring recoil.

This article was first published in Shotgun Sports in August & September, 2002.

Finally find out if your gun shoots where you think it does and evaluate its pattern with this method.

The maker says that the angled ports impart spin to the shot charge, resulting in “more even pellet distribution, pattern-wide.” Did testing support this claim?

The result of a patterning experiment with a particular gun and shells cannot be expected to remain stable in all conditions; it is instead tightly tied to the location (altitude) and weather (temperature, air pressure, and humidity) of the day and place the test was conducted.

The results of these experiments will guide you to finding the right long-yardage handicap gun.

This site is devoted to explaining the mysteries of trapshooting science. All tests were performed by Neil Winston. If you have questions or comments, please e-mail them.

©2002 Neil Winston