Shooting skeet with a revolver

[GBullet]

Today, I shot skeet with two unusual guns.

Gun number one was a normal, semiauto shotgun that had not been fired or hand cycled in 50 years! Yep, the moving parts had not been disturbed for over half of a century. I thought that it would make a good reliability test.

Gun number two was a double action revolver, chambered for .410 shotshells. I had so much fun.

[Magnum88C]

You left out some info. . .
HOW DID YOU DO?
How did the 50 year old scattergun do (what make/model)?
How did the revolver do, what was the make/model? Was it the Bersa (Thunder?0 .45 Colt/.410?

[GBullet]

The revolver was a Thunderer. It had a lightweight frame and a 2" barrel. The owner uses it for a bedside gun. When we patterned it, we found that the pattern had several holes, even at 10 yards. Still, it was a hoot.

The shotgun was a gas-operated Remington 58 and it's owner had not shot it since the mid-1950's due to arthritis. About all he was able to do was wipe it down once in a blue moon. The oil had dried out, leaving a stiff goo. It took considerable effort to pull the bolt back. Initially, it would not cycle a round.

Two of us took the barrel off and gave the exposed action parts a few squirts and a quick rub down with Break-Free. After that it shot Winchester ultra-light skeet loads flawlessly. My conclusion: Clean and lube a shotgun often enough that the lube can't dry out and you should have no problems.

[Magnum88C]

Hey! A '58 was my first shotgun (still have it) I like the looks of that polychoke on the end.

[RIKA]

How did you like the Thunderer? It looks kinda homely to me but if It shoots good, thats all that counts.

RIKA

[GBullet]

The DA pull was a bit heavy, but the trigger was a comfortable shape. The SA pull was pretty good.

The owner told me that he has fired it quite a bit, though I didn't think to ask him a number. I fired it 75 times, just shooting skeet and patterning it. It seemed to me to be solid and well made. The cylinder stop was thinner than on a S&W, but it locked up fine. Extraction of fired cases required more effort than usual. While patterning it, I noticed that the fixed, non adjustable sights were well regulated.

The outer edge of the pattern spread about one foot for every yard of distance to the target. While playing with skeet, you had to get the birds in close, else the holes allowed a miss. The kick was similar to a K-frame .357 revolver with maggie loads.

[John in AR]

Never used a revolver, but have used a Detonics mini-.45 (on hand-tossed dirt clods, not ‘launched’ skeet). Just a way to mess with visiting city relatives. While walking thru the woods, “casually” pick up a dirt clod, toss it up, & smoke it with the little gun. Then ask if they’d like to try. I’ve had one brother-in-law try, but never succeed.

I eventually confessed that while the magazine was full of 185 jhp’s, the first load up in the gun was a CCI shotshell, specifically for snakes and impressing city relatives. :)

[Half elf]

Wouldnt a rifled bbl give a doughnut pattern after a short range? How well would slugs work in that hand cannon?, and what does it weigh?

[GBullet]

Wouldnt a rifled bbl give a doughnut pattern after a short range?

Yes, that can happen. However, if the rifling is worn or shallow, it may have little effect on the pattern. That was the case for me on Sunday.

With a long shot column, like the .410, the spread is enhanced by pellet deformation. During firing, many of the pellets get squished. Squished pellets fly erratically; their path is inevitably away from the rest of the shot.

The holes in the pattern that I observed were due to pellet deformation, no choke, and a high muzzle gas pressure resulting from the short barrel.

How well would slugs work in that hand cannon?, and what does it weigh?

Like big, slow bullets. Rather than slugs, I would use buckshot. If you just want a big bullet, a conventional pistol would be a better choice, IMO.

I don't know the weight in ounces, but it balanced in my hand like a K-frame.