Rifleman Q&A: Point Of Hold

Q: I have always been a rifle and handgun shooter, with little shotgun experience, and I am a little confused about the “point of hold” shown in the pattern illustrations of our magazine. Is the point of hold, or point of aim, placed differently relative to the target depending on the shotgun’s use?

A: There are two types of shotgun patterning: One determines how your shotgun’s barrel, choke, shot size, shot charge and brand of shotshell perform in terms of downrange pattern density, and a second determines where the shotgun actually places its pattern in terms of point of aim or hold (low and right shown here).

Determining where the gun shoots, i.e. placement of the shot pattern downrange, varies depending on how the shotgun is used. Trap shooters who shoot rising targets prefer their guns to place the center of the pattern from 70 to 80 percent above the point of hold. Skeet shooters whose targets are crossing prefer about 60 percent of the target above the hold point so they can “float” the target. Live pigeon shooters, sporting clays aficionados and hunters tend to prefer a 50/50 vertical pattern placement, as live birds do not fly on a predictable path.

Certainly, individual shooters learn their favorite target placement based on their own shooting style, experience and target visualization, but the above are accepted general pattern placements.