My friends and I shoot a lot of skeet at night under lights, and we can see the shot charges as they go out to the targets. It seems that the shot charge will "bend" the opposite direction of the gun swing, as though swinging the gun has "sprayed" or "bent" the charge. We discuss this, and some are of the opinion the charge is being "bent" or "sprayed", and others say it's an optical illusion, and that you can't "bend" or "spray" the charge.
In the last issue of one my Sporting Clays magazine, this was discussed, and the author said that the charge didn't spray. He said he'd tried it by swinging a shotgun really fast and shooting at water, and the pattern was the same whether he swung fast or held the gun still.
So I looked it up in a NRA Gun Reference book the NRA sent me about 15 years ago, and the author there said that swinging the gun at 10 miles an hour would make a 26 minute of angle difference at 30 yards, about 8 inches. He said it was the same thing as throwing a ball out of a moving truck. The ball, and the shotgun charge, will carry the forward speed of the truck or the barrel with it as it flies out.
I used to argue it was an illusion. Now, I think the pattern itself stays "round" and doesn't "spray", but the pattern "bends" the opposite direction of the swing of the gun as the pattern goes out of the barrel carrying the forward speed of the gun, and slows down (that's the "bending" we see) with air resistance right before it gets to the target.
I'd appreciate your input on this. By the way, we can all see the shot charges going out, and we all agree it "looks" like they bend. For some reason, it's really difficult to see the charge if the shooter actually hits the target. When he misses, you can usually see it very clearly. You have to stand behind the shooter and keep your eyes on the target to see the charge. If you haven't ever done this, try it.
In the last issue of one my Sporting Clays magazine, this was discussed, and the author said that the charge didn't spray. He said he'd tried it by swinging a shotgun really fast and shooting at water, and the pattern was the same whether he swung fast or held the gun still.
So I looked it up in a NRA Gun Reference book the NRA sent me about 15 years ago, and the author there said that swinging the gun at 10 miles an hour would make a 26 minute of angle difference at 30 yards, about 8 inches. He said it was the same thing as throwing a ball out of a moving truck. The ball, and the shotgun charge, will carry the forward speed of the truck or the barrel with it as it flies out.
I used to argue it was an illusion. Now, I think the pattern itself stays "round" and doesn't "spray", but the pattern "bends" the opposite direction of the swing of the gun as the pattern goes out of the barrel carrying the forward speed of the gun, and slows down (that's the "bending" we see) with air resistance right before it gets to the target.
I'd appreciate your input on this. By the way, we can all see the shot charges going out, and we all agree it "looks" like they bend. For some reason, it's really difficult to see the charge if the shooter actually hits the target. When he misses, you can usually see it very clearly. You have to stand behind the shooter and keep your eyes on the target to see the charge. If you haven't ever done this, try it.
