Badger Arms
Member
I couldn't help but watch the Discovery Channel last night. They had one of those forensics shows where a guy was supposed to have committed suicide with a shotgun but they didn't think it possible by the angle of the shot into his head. (Hey, don't most people put the shotgun in their mouth?) Anyhow the question comes around that they think there are marks from the wad pedals around the entry wound. They had to figure out how fast the petals on the wadding opened up.
They take a Remington 1100 shotgun into the lab, set it up in a vice, and shoot the thing in front of the camera. They determine that the wadding is still protecting the shot column out to about 18" where it separates virtually instantly and cleanly. The remaining column of shot then begins to disperse. In another test they did, the shot produces a 2" pattern up to about 8 feet. I cant imagine many times where I'd shoot beyond 8 feet in a house. Might as well have a slug for that matter at that range.
They take a Remington 1100 shotgun into the lab, set it up in a vice, and shoot the thing in front of the camera. They determine that the wadding is still protecting the shot column out to about 18" where it separates virtually instantly and cleanly. The remaining column of shot then begins to disperse. In another test they did, the shot produces a 2" pattern up to about 8 feet. I cant imagine many times where I'd shoot beyond 8 feet in a house. Might as well have a slug for that matter at that range.
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