I've never really taken the steps to find the best loads and chokes for the optimum pattern. Any tips?

It's a time-consuming, expensive process, at least the way I do it.

I first decide what range I think my targets will most likely appear at.
Then I gather my ammunition, at least 5 different brands and shot sizes
Next I select the chokes I'm thinking will give me the patterns I'm looking for
I turn in the first choke, bench rest the shottie, put the pip in the center of the target I have set up
Fire the round, and then go check and count pellet holes and coverage. I write all over the target page with as much information as I can gather
I then change ammo and do the same thing (with the same choke in place)
Next I change to a different choke, and start the whole process over again
Once I have the choke and the load that gives me the best coverage, I'll then fire several rounds, off-hand, to confirm the pattern

^ not nearly as in-depth as this, and probably not as good.

Get 10 or 12 or 20 yards (or whatever distance you want... different chokes will behave differently at different ranges).
Shoot one round at the center of the cardboard with the tightest choke. Walk out and circle the pattern. Go to the next bigger choke. Shoot at the same point and circle the pattern. Do this with all the chokes.

Then change the distance and start over. The best news is, this is only semi-accurate data for ONE load, so you can do it as many times as you want to

I just point mine at what I want to kill with whatever ammo is the cheapest.

I’ve never owned a shotgun that shot bad enough to spend time patterning it, and I’ve killed a lot of bird.

I’ve only done it for turkey loads, and I don’t even do that, anymore. I know my 870 hits a little high and left. I’d like to think I take that into account when aiming, but I probably don’t. If I were good enough to figure all of that stuff out, then I’d be good enough to not need to.

Honestly --- do I hit doves and ducks or do I not? That is the first question. Then I go from there.

Put a midget in a field and count how may times he says says ouch or starts cussing

Never did, chasing the perfect pattern could drive a person crazy, always relied on pattern and pellet
counts found on charts on Brileys website.
Hint.... many people ‘over-choke’, causing close in misses when a more open pattern would work fine.

Take a piece of metal plate 4×4 paint a spot for aiming point then smear a coat of grease all over plate kinda heavy with paint brush. Wear safety glasses!!!!! . Patterns will show up well after each shot just use paint brush to smooth up the grease. Worked up some goose loads back in the lead shot days that were pretty tight at 40 yrds.

I like that....thanks!

On dove.

Roll of paper from Walmart, draw a 30” circle, step back 30 yds and shoot. Repeat for every brand of shell/choke combo. I don’t count holes in the paper, it’s usually pretty evident which load is most uniform.

Don't do the grease and plate with steel shot....they will come back.

J (see how short that is?) - anyway....the most important part isn't patterning different shells the most important part is making sure your gun shoots where you look. So before you even mess with different chokes and shells...put the tightest choke you have for the gun and go setup a piece of cardboard or paper 40 yards away. Put an "aiming point" in the center and aim the thing and fire. Then what I normally do is go get the paper, sit on on a table, draw a vertical and horizontal line across the dead center of your aiming point. Then I analyze the target and pattern....I count pellets above and below the horizontal line and come up with a percentage. LOTS of guys have a preference...I prefer a 70/30 60/40 over a 50/50, a lot of guys will prefer a 50/50. Meaning I want 60-70% of the pattern above the shotgun barrel. I also like it close to 50/50 on the vertical line...meaning I want my pattern centered windage wise.

In order to do this you have to move your head (that's the rear sight)...you can do this with stock wraps, mole skin, shims or an adjustable comb. You move you head the direction you want your pattern to go...meaning if you pattern is low then shim and get a higher cheek weld...if it's left then you need to move the stock comb to the right.

After you have this completed....then it's time to play with patterning different shells and choke combo's so you know what your gun is doing. That a different conversation that some above have gotten into but first and foremost, make sure the gun is shooting where you are looking.

Good luck!

Of course. You sight in your rifle right?
Patterning a shotgun is just as important.

I bought about 5 different brands 2 years ago and patterned. I had always heard great things about black cloud. I tried different choke combos, and it didn't matter, at 40 yards it had huge holes in it. Holes big enough that mallards could fly through.
There's nothing more annoying than going hunting and missing birds that you honestly fell like you should of hit. You get back home, you pattern the gun, and you see why you might of been missing.
It's just easier to do it before hand so you're confident in your shell.

I also think the best way to do it is get you a shell you like, and stock up on it. Don't rely on what is at the local walmart the day before the hunt. You think about it, it's kind of asinine to spend all that money on hunting etc, and then go buy the cheapest shells on the shelf.

For ducks, I'm going to buy a case of the Boss #3/#5 duplex load for this year. It just works. I'm tired of steel and cripples.

Most of my patterning is with buckshot, so here it goes.

Lasered 40 yards, 24 inch x 24 inch packing paper/newsprint on cardboard backer with orange stick on dot in center, shoot standing with PAST Recoil Shield off of camera tripod with padded "V" attachment.

Shooting standing up is MUCH easier on the shoulder with heavy loads. With the PAST I can shoot 40-50 rounds of 3 inch or 3.5 inch Buckshot with no issues.

Patterning a shotgun and finding the best patterning load will drastically increase your ability to take big game and down birds.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

What are you using the gun for? I assume busting doves while lookin good.

When you mount the gun (make sure its not loaded) with your eyes closed, lay your cheek on the stock where it would lay while shooting

open your eyes......do you see "rib" or front bead? If you see rib, your cheek is to high and the gun will pattern high. (What I always find with Berettas) If you see bead YAY, your gun fits !!!

It will probably pattern 60/40 60% above poa, 40% below, perfect for killin doves.

I patterned my Benelli Ethos Sporting cuz I read all the articles about it shooting 10" high. Mine was fine.

Holla if you want to shoot some skeet or sporting clays

I have done it one time, was not getting results I wanted, patterned, was surprised at the results, it was shooting high and left

I also use the pattern sheets from the nra. I think it's a 40" circle. Then on top of that I staple a real life mallard hi vis target and aim at the head offa bench rest. I pattern at 40 yards.
I've read that patterning at 20 yards is pretty useless bc you don't start seeing holes until 30.
I pattern at 40 bc that's about the farthest shot I'll make, and I want to make sure I can still kill cleanly at 40.
You can also pattern great at 30, go to 40, and holes galore.

I use NRA 600 yard targets at 25 yards. Bought a Briley custom choke tube & it patterned perfectly in my 1965 Browning Auto 5. Evenly dispersed shot pattern was just right. I would not hesitate to have a custom fit choke tube manufactured if necessary. Life is WAY too short to hunt with a gun that don’t shoot right.

Agree on Briley, won’t use anything else.

I spent some money on Briley tubes back in the day. I compared the patterns between them and the factory Remington tubes I had. I never felt the need to spend the extra money, after that.

Expensive does not always equal gain. But, sometimes it does.

Yep. It boils down to confirming one way or the other. I recommend trying the stock option before spending money on aftermarket upgrades.