A Basic Pattern Target

I pattern a lot of buckshot loads. One of the problems with patterning is that it consumes a lot of targets. Being able to compare one load to the next also means always having the same type of target on hand. Or at least a target with the same size scoring area as the other targets used for patterning.

I decided too many IDPA targets had taken early retirement, and I needed to figure out a more economical solution for a pattern target. I came up with a 5” circle inside an 8” circle, on a standard piece of printing paper (8.5”x11”). For a while now I have felt a pattern much larger than a sheet of paper is starting to lose it’s usefulness. Accountability becomes too difficult. The 8” circle is the same as a -0 on an IDPA target, or the same as used on a host of other targets. The 5” circle is just a little larger than a head box.

By having an easy to produce target that I can replace at each distance, I can complete an entire patterning process on a single IDPA target. Before, it would require at least 3 targets. If I have any stray pellets land off the paper, I can just past those few holes and continue. It is much easier to paste maybe a handful of holes instead of a few handfuls.

The pattern target used recently to pattern a new shotgun.

If anyone would like to use the target, I have attached it as a pdf below. It will be my standard pattern target moving forward, so you will see it around.

5-inch-targetDownload