The distance to pattern a shotgun depends on the intended use, but generally:
- For upland hunting, patterning is recommended at 25 to 30 yards since most upland birds are shot within this range.
- For dove hunting, 25 yards is typical (30-35 yards for white-winged doves).
- For turkey hunting, 40 to 50 yards is recommended depending on choke and ammunition.
- For clay targets like skeet and trap, patterning at 25 yards for skeet and 35 to 40 yards for trap is advised.
- The standard industry distance for choke/load evaluation is often 40 yards.
- It’s also useful to shoot patterns at longer and shorter distances to understand pattern spread beyond the anticipated shot distance.
Thus, the shotgun should be patterned at a distance that matches the typical range of the intended shooting scenario, often between 25 and 40 yards, but possibly beyond for turkey hunting or specific needs.
